This blog gets its fair share of incoming traffic from search engines. Here are a few interesting (ahem!) search terms that brought folks to this site:
“using brake cleaner to clean motorcycle chain”
Why that’s a bad idea: Many brake cleaners can penetrate and remove the grease packed inside an o-ring (x-ring, etc) chain.
If the can says “penetrates”, “penetrating”, or has verbiage to that effect printed on it, it’s not safe for cleaning o-ring chains. I suppose you could use it to clean a non-o-ring chain, but kerosene is so much cheaper.
When in doubt, consult your owner’s manual.
Sources: Chain O-ring WD-40 exposure effects study and results, part 1, Chain O-ring WD-40 exposure effects study and results, part 2, WD-40 customer service email.
“only change 3 spark plugs out of 6″
Why that’s a bad idea: So you took the time to remove, gap, and replace 3 spark plugs already. Why stop at halfway? From experience, half-assing a job usually leads to half-assed performance. Cut your corners accordingly.
Now, there are some cases where you might see an issue affecting some, but not all, of your spark plugs. This usually means that there’s an underlying problem that should be fixed. For instance, when I had the Rebel, I had an ongoing issue with one of the plugs becoming carbon fouled. I’d change the plug, and a week later it would be fouled again. The other plug remained clean and trouble free. Changing the one bad plug was a waste of time and money — I should have fixed the real issue. Once I did, I no longer had any problems.
“strap for securing jacket to motorcycle handlebars”
Why that’s a bad idea: Never mount stuff on your handlebars that can come loose and entangle themselves in the controls. A jacket could slip down and prevent you from being able to fully turn the bars. Or, it could slip down even further and get entangled in the front wheel. This is why you rarely see more than a tool roll or a small bedroll mounted to the handlebars of most cruisers.
A better bet would be a tailpack or a nice set of saddlebags.
“chain wax as cable lube”
Why that’s a bad idea: Some clutch cables react very badly when lubed with chain wax. Here’s a personal account: How Not to Lube the Clutch Cable on Your SV650.
When in doubt, consult your owner’s manual. It will tell you what lube to use on your cables.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, you have a point.
As long as you have it apart anyways, might as well change all the spark plugs.
On a Rebel it would be all two of them. lol. (laugh)
Balisada
“strap for securing jacket to motorcycle handlebars”
I think strapping something potentially loose and flappy above the front wheel sounds like a TERRIFIC idea!
You know, maybe you should just write satirical answers condoning all of these. Give the people what they want. Maybe we’ll need a little less chlorine in the ole gene pool
As a complete aside – sometimes your captcha word combos crack me up.
“Asso 49″ Nice.