Rainy Season Tips Royal Enfield
CHAIN:
One of the parts of the bikes that will be as exposed as the chrome to all the elements of nature is the chain. It is also the main ingredient of the whole bike. No chain no ride. Remove the chain, wash it in some solvent and degrease it properly. If possible wash it in solvent, then wash it in a detergent and wash it in solvent again.
One of the parts of the bikes that will be as exposed as the chrome to all the elements of nature is the chain. It is also the main ingredient of the whole bike. No chain no ride. Remove the chain, wash it in some solvent and degrease it properly. If possible wash it in solvent, then wash it in a detergent and wash it in solvent again.
If you have time, grease up your chain the nandan way. Take a pan and put a couple of tablespoons of grease in it and let it melt. Then put the chain in the grease and add grease on top of it so that the chain soaks in the grease. “Cook” the chain for half an hour or so, so that the grease penetrates into every link as much as possible. Then put the chain back onto the bike. This chain grease will last about three months. Also take care to add a dash of grease to the chain after fitting it. Keep the chain loose to avoid damage to your sprockets. Usual clearance is about 1/2 an inch to 3/4th of an inch. But 1 inch will also be ok if you do lots of riding with loads or pillions.
Incase you don’t have time for the cooking thing get the mol coat spray for the chain. Clean the chain like advised before, put it back on the bike and rotate the wheel as you spray your chain with the molly graphite spray. It also has good penetrating power and will last a long time. The only thing that’s bad about this is its cost. the spray made by gulf or halocline will cost about 400 bucks but if two of you get together and get the spray, the cost will be distributed.
TYRES:
The things that keep you on the road. The shoes of the bike. How would you like to go out in the rains with sandals that have holes in them or those that don’t have any grip? Maybe u’ll slip somewhere and sprain an ankle or a hand. In worst cases, you may have fatal injuries too if you are not very careful. Same is the case with tires. If they have less than 2mm of tread left change them. If you cannot change them right now, under inflate them.
The things that keep you on the road. The shoes of the bike. How would you like to go out in the rains with sandals that have holes in them or those that don’t have any grip? Maybe u’ll slip somewhere and sprain an ankle or a hand. In worst cases, you may have fatal injuries too if you are not very careful. Same is the case with tires. If they have less than 2mm of tread left change them. If you cannot change them right now, under inflate them.
I have been using 20 for the front and 25 for the rear tire since a very long time. Good grip although it’s a bit tough on the fuel efficiency. While you are changing tires, go through your spokes. If they are broken, replace them. Through your wheels, an out of alignment wheel will make riding on wet roads that much dangerous, even more so when cornering. If you can spare time, paint your insides of the rims with aluminum paint or red oxide primer to prevent rusting. Tubes with more than 3 punctures should be changed promptly.
ELECTRICALS:
First of all, get rid of the engine kill switch. It is the culprit in most cases of the bike not starting during monsoons. Use your decompressor to start or shut off the engine. Check all the wiring for kinks or cracks. Grease up the battery terminals, check the battery electrolyte level and top up if necessary. If your battery is a goner, go for the dry maintenance free battery.
First of all, get rid of the engine kill switch. It is the culprit in most cases of the bike not starting during monsoons. Use your decompressor to start or shut off the engine. Check all the wiring for kinks or cracks. Grease up the battery terminals, check the battery electrolyte level and top up if necessary. If your battery is a goner, go for the dry maintenance free battery.
Clean all copper connectors with the sandpaper or if possible with some electric contacts cleaning spray. Get all the connections that have been made afterwards, like horns, auxiliary lights, etc. soldered and then taped properly. Change all the non working bulbs and keep spare bulbs with you at all times. Check the headlight bulb. If it is going black, change it.
If you have the time for it, go for a halogen, a 60/55 watt bulbs will do wonders to the night rides in the rains. Sealed beams are one’s own preference. I use an ambassador nova clear lens sealed beam which has exceptional throw and a reasonable spread too. Thunderbird owners don’t have to worry about the headlight bulb wiring, but to others I would suggest switching over to 3 pin holders available for cars, in case you are using halogen bulbs. They fit very nicely and they are made of thicker wires which help by not heating up the bulb’s base and indirectly affecting the efficiency of the bulb. Use wd40 or any moisture repellent spray on the indicator and headlight switch to drive away the moisture. Cover the horn relay properly to prevent water from entering it.
I don’t know about other bikes, but with the standards running a fuse in the wiring loop, carry lots of spare fuses of correct value. I have removed it and use the wiring directly. A blown fuse will keep u working up and down your bike for a long time before you realize what is going on. For those with split seats, take care that the water does not go down into the rectifier, regulator, flasher unit or the ignition coil. Even otherwise, put a protective plastic over all these things to prevent entry of water and causing a short-circuit or failure.
CHROME:
The beauty of the bike lies in the chrome. Lots of anti rust solutions are available in the market and they do their job quite decently. Aluminum should not be covered with anti rust. It will absorb the color and will turn yellow. So you will have to get it rebuffed after the rains. I personally don’t use any anti rust except grease and that too on the front and the rear wheel rim. Opinions vary in this aspect.
The beauty of the bike lies in the chrome. Lots of anti rust solutions are available in the market and they do their job quite decently. Aluminum should not be covered with anti rust. It will absorb the color and will turn yellow. So you will have to get it rebuffed after the rains. I personally don’t use any anti rust except grease and that too on the front and the rear wheel rim. Opinions vary in this aspect.
Some people also prefer to spray burnt engine oil thoroughly on the chrome. Some use the yellow varnish available in the market and some use grease. It’s entirely unto you. Some may even elect to get the bike rechromed after the monsoons. This is also a good option, except whenever you rechrome, the lifespan of that part goes down considerably.
COLOR:
Wash your bike with a decent shampoo and polish it once every 15 days or so. That is probably the best care for paints. If your bike is Teflon or polymer coated, nothing better than that. Any scratches in the paints should either be touched up or covered with auto primer to prevent further damage.
Wash your bike with a decent shampoo and polish it once every 15 days or so. That is probably the best care for paints. If your bike is Teflon or polymer coated, nothing better than that. Any scratches in the paints should either be touched up or covered with auto primer to prevent further damage.
GEARBOX:
If your gears stick when you are doing a high-speed run and trying to overtake traffic on a single lined piece of tarmac, just imagine how hair-raising it can be. Get it checked promptly and do the needful. If the grease or oil level is less, top it up with 85w140 differential oil or straight 140 oil. The usual way of the mechanics is using a mixture of grease and engine oil but the above mentioned oils are way better than that.
If your gears stick when you are doing a high-speed run and trying to overtake traffic on a single lined piece of tarmac, just imagine how hair-raising it can be. Get it checked promptly and do the needful. If the grease or oil level is less, top it up with 85w140 differential oil or straight 140 oil. The usual way of the mechanics is using a mixture of grease and engine oil but the above mentioned oils are way better than that.
SPARK PLUGS:
The problems in rains, most often than not with a stranded bike are either shot plugs or shot plug caps. Keep a spare plug handy always, no matter how small the ride is. The metal plug caps on the thunderbirds are major problems and they short out more often than not. Get the Honda caps made by Swiss or minda which are black plastic. They also have a rubber sealing ring on both the plug side and the coil side which does a decent job of keeping the water out.
The problems in rains, most often than not with a stranded bike are either shot plugs or shot plug caps. Keep a spare plug handy always, no matter how small the ride is. The metal plug caps on the thunderbirds are major problems and they short out more often than not. Get the Honda caps made by Swiss or minda which are black plastic. They also have a rubber sealing ring on both the plug side and the coil side which does a decent job of keeping the water out.
GENERAL CHECKUP:
Keep all oil levels in check during the rains. When washing the bike, pay special attention to the fins on the engine. They are the only way your bike dissipates all the heat. So if there is mud accumulating on the fins, it will hinder the dissipation process. In bad cases your bike may also overheat. Check all bushings and bearings once in a while.
Keep all oil levels in check during the rains. When washing the bike, pay special attention to the fins on the engine. They are the only way your bike dissipates all the heat. So if there is mud accumulating on the fins, it will hinder the dissipation process. In bad cases your bike may also overheat. Check all bushings and bearings once in a while.
Check the rear shock absorber rubber bushes for damage. If they look torn, change them promptly. Check the Cush rubbers of the rear wheel; change them on the slightest hint of damage. Check, tighten and torque all the nuts and bolts of the bike once in a while. Check the t for play and tighten if necessary. Change the cones if necessary. Use lots of grease wherever necessary. Replace rusting or missing nuts, bolts and other fittings.
Clean your carburetor once to remove any water that may have accumulated in it with carb cleaning spray. Replace the carb packing while you are at it. Change the carb manifold rubber if it’s torn. For new model electras, thunderbirds and standards check all connection rubber hoses for air filters. If they are torn, replace them asap. Better still convert to the standard air filter. Keep a small basic toolkit handy always. Also keep a roll of insulation tape with you. A small but comprehensive first aid kit is also a good thing to have around. A spare headlight bulb, a brake light bulb and a sparkplug are also recommended.
Well guys, this was all I could think up about keeping the bike ship shape in the monsoons. If we take care of our bikes, it will take care of us. Go through it and see if it helps you in any way. Till then…enjoy
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