Essential checks for a motorcycle commuter bike

Commuting by motorcycle turns a machine into a tool, and tools need looking after. A bike that sits outside in all weathers, does the same ten-mile slog every morning and gets parked up wet on a Friday will wear differently from a weekend toy. The good news is that most breakdowns on the commute are entirely preventable, and the checks that prevent them take less time than boiling the kettle. Ten minutes a week, ideally at the weekend when you are not rushing, will keep you moving through traffic while everyone else is waiting for a recovery truck.

Why weekly checks earn their keep

Short, repeated journeys are hard on a motorcycle. The engine rarely gets hot enough to burn off condensation, the battery never quite recovers from the constant drain of starting, and chain lubricant gets flung off before it has done its job. Add rain, grit and road salt between November and March and you have a machine quietly ageing in front of you.

Tyres lose pressure naturally, often around one psi a month, and more in cold weather. A tyre that is down by five or six psi will feel vague in the wet, wear unevenly and cost you fuel. Chains stretch, pads wear, bulbs blow. None of these things announce themselves politely in advance. They simply fail, usually when you are filtering between two lorries on a wet Tuesday.

A weekly walkaround catches problems while they are still cheap and convenient. It also gives you a feel for your bike, so you notice the day something changes.

Tyres: pressures and condition

Check pressures when the tyres are cold, before you have ridden anywhere. Use the figures in your handbook, not the number on the sidewall, which is a maximum for the tyre itself rather than a recommendation for your bike. As a rough guide, a mid-sized commuter might run around 33 psi (2.25 bar) front and 36 psi (2.5 bar) rear, with the rear raised for a pillion or heavy luggage, but your manual is the authority here.

Forecourt gauges get abused and are often inaccurate, so carry your own and use the same one each time. Then look at the rubber properly:

• Tread depth: the legal minimum is 1mm across three-quarters of the width, but for everyday wet-weather riding, replace well before that, around 2mm.
• Damage: run your hand around the tyre for cuts, bulges and embedded stones or screws. A screw in a nearly new tyre is worth knowing about before it becomes a puncture at speed.
• Wear pattern: centre-only wear points at too-high pressures and long motorway runs. Scalloped or cupped edges usually mean suspension or pressure issues.
• Age: cracking in the sidewall or a tyre over six years old is worth replacing regardless of tread.

Chain and drive line

On a chain-driven bike, this is the single most neglected item on the commuter. Check tension at the tightest point of the chain, halfway between the front and rear sprockets, and compare it with the free play figure in your handbook, typically somewhere between 20mm and 35mm. Rotate the wheel and check in several places, because a worn chain tightens and slackens as it turns.

Clean and lubricate every 300 to 500 miles, and far more often in wet weather. The best time is straight after a ride, while the chain is warm and the lubricant can creep into the links. While you are there, look for stiff links, missing O-rings, hooked or sharpened sprocket teeth, and any sign of the rear wheel being out of alignment. If you ride a belt or shaft drive, your job is easier but not optional: check belt tension and look for missing teeth, or check the shaft drive oil level as specified.

Brakes, lights and controls

Brake pads usually have wear grooves or a marked minimum; once the friction material is down to around 1.5mm to 2mm, it is time for new ones. Look at the discs for deep scoring, blueing or a pronounced lip at the edge, which means they are thinning and may be below the minimum thickness stamped on the carrier.

Squeeze the front lever and press the rear pedal. Both should feel firm and progressive. A spongy lever suggests air in the system or old fluid, and brake fluid should be changed roughly every two years regardless of mileage.

Lights are an easy thing to overlook because you never see your own brake light. Check them all:

• Headlight on dip and main beam, plus the aim if you have altered the rear preload.
• Brake light operating from the front lever and the rear pedal independently.
• Indicators front and rear, and the number plate light.
• Horn, which is a legal requirement and your best tool in traffic.

Finally, check clutch and throttle free play, lubricate the cables if they are of the old-fashioned sort, and make sure your mirrors are tight and properly adjusted. Cold hands fumble; a lever pivot with a dab of grease makes winter riding noticeably less grim.

Fluids, battery and the commuting kit

Check the engine oil with the bike upright and level, following the handbook procedure, usually on the centre stand or with the bike held vertical, and with the engine warm but switched off for a minute or two. Top up between the minimum and maximum marks, never over. Check coolant in the expansion tank when the engine is cold, and keep an eye on brake and clutch fluid levels and colour: dark fluid is old fluid.

Batteries suffer on commuter bikes, particularly with heated grips, alarms and short runs. Keep the terminals clean and lightly protected, and use a trickle charger if the bike sits for more than a week or two in winter.

Under the seat, carry a small tyre gauge, a compact chain lubricant, a spare bulb or two, a couple of fuses, cable ties, a microfibre cloth and a small torch. It weighs almost nothing and has rescued many a commute.

Making the habit stick

Pick a fixed slot, say Sunday morning with a coffee, and work through the same list every week: tyres, chain, lights, brakes, fluids, battery. It takes ten minutes once it becomes routine, and you will spot changes long before they become failures.

In winter, rinse the salt off the underside and the brake calipers after rides, and apply a corrosion inhibitor to exposed metal and fasteners. Check your tyre pressures more often in cold snaps, and give the bike a slightly longer warm-up before pulling away. Do these small things regularly and your commuter will keep starting, stopping and steering properly for years, which is exactly what you need from it on a busy Monday morning.