Motorcycle service & repair near you

Follow the schedule in your owner’s manual, which counts both distance and time. Oil changes commonly fall between 6,000 and 12,000 km or once a year, whichever comes first. Riders who cover few kilometres still need the yearly service, because oil and brake fluid age while the bike sits. Valve checks, coolant, fork oil and spark plugs follow longer intervals listed in the same manual.

Not if the bike has a wet clutch, which is most of them. The engine, transmission and clutch share one oil supply, and car oils often contain friction modifiers that can make the clutch slip. Look for oil marked JASO MA or MA2, in the viscosity your manual gives. A few designs with a dry clutch or separate transmission oil differ, so follow the manual.

Change the oil and filter first, because used oil carries acids and moisture that would sit in the engine all winter. Fill the tank, add fuel stabilizer and run the engine for a few minutes so the treated fuel reaches the carburetors or injectors. Clean and lubricate the chain, put the battery on a maintenance charger indoors, check that the coolant is rated for Canadian winters and put the bike on a stand.

Only if it is due and the measurement says so. The manual lists an inspection interval, from roughly 12,000 to 40,000 km depending on the engine, and the mechanic measures each valve gap with feeler gauges. Most are within tolerance and are left alone. Engines that use shims need parts and more labour when a gap is out, while engines with hydraulic lifters have nothing to adjust.

Wear shows as a chain that has stretched past the limit in your manual, tight spots or kinked links when you turn the wheel, rust that will not lube out, or an adjuster that has run out of travel. Sprockets with hooked, pointed teeth are worn too. A chain cleaned and oiled regularly often lasts 20,000 to 40,000 km, and it should be replaced together with both sprockets.