Maintenance Tips
Whether you're new to two wheels or a long-time motorcycle veteran, it’s never too late to learn the basics of maintaining your motorcycle - especially during the winter months! Here you'll be able to find all-important motorcycle maintenance tips to help you keep your motorcycle in tip-top condition!
Keep checking back as we'll regularly add new tips.
Have a specific question? Click the button below to contact our workshop team here at Laguna Motorcycles, via email.
TIP #1: CHECK YOUR BRAKE PADS REGULARLY
Why is it important to regularly check your brake pads?
It’s an obvious answer really, worn out pads means reduced braking efficiency – that’s a huge gamble when it comes to your own (and other road users) safety. Safety aside, when your pads are completely worn out and you continue to ride, you’re grinding metal on metal every time you brake – this will destroy your discs and result in you forking out a small fortune for replacements!
Visually checking your pads takes just seconds and is something that can easily and regularly be done to save you some cash in the long run! Most brake pads have a wear indicator groove moulded or cut into the surface, so even those with zero mechanical know-how can tell. Grab a torch and look in to the calipers, once the pad is worn down so much that this groove disappears, or the pad itself is down to about 2mm – it’s time for new pads! It’s also worth mentioning that the legal minimum is 1mm.
Another tell-tale sign that your pads may be on their way out is the sound coming from your brakes. Listen and pay attention to any changes in sound. If something changes, check your brakes immediately – especially if you hear a scraping or grinding noise, this is a strong indicator of metal-to-metal contact and an obvious cause for concern.
TIP #2: KNOW WHEN TO CHANGE YOUR TYRES
They’re an essential part of your motorcycle and like all other parts of your bike, they’re prone to wear and tear.
Knowing how to maintain your tyres through regular checks, and likewise, knowing when to replace them will play a huge role in the quality of your ride performance and most importantly, your safety!
When road conditions are less than ideal, the tread on your tyres is designed to push water away, improving grip. When the tread is heavily worn, you’ll start to lose grip and your bike will become more and more dangerous to ride! The easiest way to keep an eye on the wear is to look for the little bumps that sit at the bottom of the main grooves. When the depth of the rubber remaining gets to the level of these indicators (1mm), the tyre has reached its legal wear limit and must be replaced
It’s quite common that a tyre may not get worn out completely, but that’s not to say that you’re not in need of a replacement. If you’re a motorway commuter, you may know what we’re talking about! One common example of uneven wear is the squarish wear of the tyre, whereby the tyre becomes worn out from the centre portion of the tread. This can cause a loss of grip when you then head out to the twisty country lanes! To offset this tyre of wear, try switching up your journey, moving from motorways to fast A and B roads every so often.
It’s also important to keep a check on the general condition of your tyres – too many punctures or cuts can mean that your tyres are no longer fit for use.
The last factor we’ll mention here is age. Even if your tyres are showing no signs of wear, most manufacturers recommend that tyres should not be used after years, the reason being that the oils in the rubber evaporate over time causing the rubber to harden up. To find out the date of manufacturing of your motorcycle's tyre, look out for a four-digit number on the tyre. The first two digits represent the week number and the last two will reveal the year of its manufacturing.
If in doubt, click here to contact our workshop team here at Laguna Motorcycles, via email - they’ll be happy to advise.
TIP #3: ESSENTIAL CHAIN MAINTENANCE
Did you know - if your chain tension isn’t as it should be, you could be losing up to 20% of your overall power!?
If you’re ashamed to admit that your chain care routine is currently non-existent, fear not. Here we’ve collated a couple of key top tips to help you give your motorcycle’s chain the care it deserves – and needs – to reach maximum performance each time you ride.
Firstly, let us touch on why taking good care of your chain and sprockets is so important. Performance aside, the last thing you want is for your chain to break while you’re riding! As you can imagine, it could wreck your swingarm, engine, gearbox casings – or worse – your leg.
Dramatic outcomes to one side, keep reading for an easy three-step chain care routine:
Home Delivery
We are very happy to assist in arranging deliveries to your door of any items that we have in store, be it clothing, parts or accessories! Simply give us a call and let us know the details of the item(s) you’re after!
Sources: (Tip #1) rideapart.com / motorcyclenews.com / gov.uk (Tip #2) rediff.com (Tip #3) bennetts.co.uk
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Laguna Motorcycles
Hart Street
Maidstone, Kent
ME16 8RA
Telephone: 01622 681765
Laguna Performance Centre
Brunswick Road
Ashford, Kent
TN23 1EN
Telephone: 01233 665520
Laguna Triumph Ashford
Ashford Road
Ashford, Kent
TN23 3EN
Telephone: 01233 636699
Laguna Triumph Maidstone
Forstal Road, Aylesford
Maidstone, Kent
ME20 7XA
Telephone: 01622 585666
Maidstone Harley-Davidson®
Forstal Road
Aylesford
Maidstone, Kent
ME20 7XA
Telephone: 01622 711680
Maidstone Honda
Forstal Road
Aylesford
Maidstone, Kent
ME20 7XA
Telephone: 01622 713950
Kent Motorcycles
Dover Road (A2)
Barham,
Canterbury, Kent
CT4 6SA
Telephone: 01227 832601
Manufacturer offers can not be redeemed in conjunction with any of the Laguna exclusive offers.
Laguna Motorcycles Limited (which include multiple trading names: Laguna Motorcycles, Laguna Performance Centre, Laguna Triumph, Maidstone Honda, Maidstone Harley-Davidson® and Kent Motorcycles) is an Appointed Representative of Automotive Compliance Ltd who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No. 497010). Automotive Compliance Ltd’s permissions as a Principal Firm allows Laguna Motorcycles Limited (which include multiple trading names: Laguna Motorcycles, Laguna Performance Centre, Laguna Triumph, Maidstone Honda, Maidstone Harley-Davidson® and Kent Motorcycles) to act as a credit broker, not a lender, for the introduction to a limited number of lenders, and to act as an agent on behalf of the insurer for insurance distribution activities only.
We are a credit broker and not a lender. We can introduce you to a carefully selected panel of lenders, which includes manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent. We act on behalf of the lender for this introduction and not as your agent. We are not impartial, and we are not an independent financial advisor.
Our approach is to introduce you first to the manufacturer lender linked directly to the particular franchise you are purchasing your vehicle from, who are usually able to offer the best available package for you, taking into account both interest rates and other contributions. If they are unable to make you an offer of finance, we then seek to introduce you to whichever of the other lenders on our panel is able to make the next most suitable offer of finance for you. Our aim is to secure a suitable finance agreement for you that enables you to achieve your financial objectives. If you purchase a vehicle, in the majority of cases, we will receive a commission from your lender for introducing you to them which is either a fixed fee, or a fixed percentage of the amount that you borrow. This may be linked to the vehicle model you purchase.
Different lenders pay different commissions for such introductions, and manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent may also provide preferential rates to us for the funding of our vehicle stock and also provide financial support for our training and marketing. But any such amounts they and other lenders pay us will not affect the amounts you pay under your finance agreement; however, you will be contributing towards the commission paid to us with the interest collected on your repayments. Before we propose you to a potential lender, we will inform you of the likely amount of commission we will receive and seek your consent to receive this commission. The exact amount of commission that we will receive will be confirmed prior to you signing your finance agreement.
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