That being said, while we're waiting for April Showers to wash the salt & sand off the roads, here's some things you can do now to prepare for the upcoming riding season from FX Caprara Harley-Davidson:
1) Dust Off Your Owner's Manual & Give it a Good Read
Take a break from your Spring Cleaning (you know you want to!) and do a read through. While we're giving you basic information here, you'll find specific information on YOUR bike -like tire pressure, load limits, security codes and more.
Can't find it your manual? You can find it online here.
2) It's been a while... Catch back up with your Bike
If you've stored your bike at home, hopefully you Properly Hibernated your bike. If not, it might not be too late: get out to the garage NOW and hook-up your bike to a Battery Tender, check your tire pressure and put a breathable cover on her.
Remember: your bike's battery & charging system are not the same as your car!! Your bike has to be under power (aka you need to be riding it) before the bike charges back to the battery. So just starting your bike and letting it sit and idle is actually doing way more harm than good. I covered this in FXCHD's #WhatsUpWednesday S1:E2 -catch it here on our YouTube Channel.
Now, if you usually store gasoline at home to fill up with, make sure you've put a fuel stabilizer in the can as well. Old fuel that hasn't been treated has probably lost its combustible properties, which will make any motor run rough.
Staying well rounded is also key - check your tire pressure! And while you're at it, check your tires for wear. Please, please, please don't try to squeeze extra miles on worn out tires - you only have two and they're pretty important to how your bike handles and the safety of your ride.
3) Going Mental... Mentally Preparing for the Ride
We've already started playing everybody's favorite game: "How
Deep Is That Pothole?" That, along with the salt & sand those wonderful plow trucks have left behind will be the things to watch out for.
Even though it is extremely hard, we at FXCHD highly recommend waiting until there has been at least two good rains to wash off the roads most of everything winter has given us.
If you do decide to ride your bike early, we won't report you for Harley abuse... but your bike will suffer and so will your trade-in value. (See our blog "5 Ways to Ruin Your Bike.")
4) To See or Not to See... it's usually the later
Those behind the wheel of cars & trucks (aka "cagers") haven't
seen a motorcycle on the road in months. And now that you're about to be riding your bike out and about, you must remember this!
"But of course they'll see me, I'm 'new' to them," you think. Think again.
These last 5-6 months drivers have been lulled into thinking motorcyclists don't exist. And the way our brains are wired, when motorists are looking for space to turn or merge, they see only the absence of a car and not the presence of a motorcycle. Don't believe me?? Check out this science experiment.
Wear appropriate riding gear, take anyone waiting to turn left in front of you as an immediate threat to your life, and constantly play the "What if?" game.
5) You've Lost that Riding Feeling... (I hate when that happens!)
The main reason drivers haven't seen motorcycles in the last few months is because we haven't been riding... (Thanks Captain Obvious!!)
And the old adage is true: If you don't use it, you loose it. Your riding skills were much sharper last September versus now.
There's a skill set when it comes to riding and to maintain that it takes practice, practice, practice. So, for your first ride of the year, we highly suggest you plan to ride over to the local school parking lot on the weekend (when there's likely to be less parked cars) and practice the basic stuff: slow turns & figure 8's to re-master your clutch/throttle, emergency braking and maneuvering drills.
You can always take an Advanced Rider's Course (sometimes
called the Basic Rider's Course 2) through your local MSF Riding Academy. There's no classroom time - all your learning is done using your motorcycle out on the riding range. They'll teach you about counter-balance, cornering, swerving and more. Added bonus: you'll probably get a discount on your auto & motorcycle insurance policy.
The other issue is that we are our own worst enemy in that we're too impatient. We are chomping at the bit to ride and that first fine Spring Day will have us like 🌞🌎💞😍!! But, in our eagerness to get out and ride, we decide not to take the time to put on all our gear... And we may neglect to re-assess our skills, getting into a corner way too hot. Patience is a virtue and it'll also keep you safe!!
It'll be a nice long riding season, unless you injure yourself and wreck your bike.
