Maintenance Tips For Your Pocket Bike

Perform the following tasks on your pocket bikeexcessive wear and tear, a loose chain could
regularly to ensure long life and safe riding.come off and cause an accident. To check the
Inspect the Spark Plugtightness of the chain hold it midway between the
You should remove and visually inspect yourrear and front sprockets and move it in an up
spark plug regularly. You will find it at the top ofdown motion. If there is more than 20mm of
your engine beneath a protective boot. It shouldmovement the chain is too loose. Less than
not be black or white but a golden brown or light20mm of movement indicates a too tight chain.
brown color. A white spark plug would indicatetighten or loosen the chain until the movement is
that your engine temperature is too high. Yourcorrect.
fuel mixture may be too lean and may needInspect and Adjust the Brakes
adjusting.or you may need to adjust your fuel/oilA few bikes have hydraulic brakes but most are
mixture. Too rich a fuel mixture will cover yourfitted with disc brakes which are easy to maintain.
spark plug in unburned fuel which will look black. Atake apart the brake assembly on a regular
black color also occurs from carbon or oil and isschedule and visually inspect for wear and
an indication that the plug needs changing. Cleaningscratches. Change the pads before they become
the plug will keep you going temporarily buttoo thin. Check the cable and the cable housing
ensure you change it as soon as possible. Ideallythe levers and adjustment barrels too and replace
always keep spare plugs in your tool kit so thatany worn parts. You can adjust the brakes if
they can be changed when needed.necessary by loosening the locking nut and
Clean the Air Filtertightening or loosening the locking nut. Leave
The air filter collects dust and other materials andsome play in the cable as too tight cable will result
prevents them from entering the engine wherein friction and excessive wear. make sure that the
they can cause damage to the piston and bore. Itwheels lock properly after you have finished your
must be regularly cleaned and a small amount ofadjustment then re-tighten the locking nut.
oil added to trap the debris. A dirty filter willLubricate
adversely affect performance shorten your bikesWe cannot emphasize enough that regular
life. Remove the filter, check for any damage andlubrication with a good quality oil is essential to
clean with an approved cleaning solution. In ankeep your bike in tip-top shape. Your manual
emergency soapy water can be used instead butshould show you the lubrication point. Over
be very careful to thoroughly rinse of all the soap.lubricating is not likely to be a problem but under
Add a few drops of filter oil. Do not overdue thelubricating will cause all types of damage to your
oil, if it drips from the filter you have added toobike which will, of course affect the performance
much!and life.
Idling Adjustment Screwnext to the choke is aCheck the Tires
small screw that adjusts the idling speed. ToCheck your tires regularly for damage, bulging and
increase idling speed turn clockwise, to decreasewear and replace before they cause a problem
turn anti-clockwise until the speed is adjustedwhile riding.
correctly. Be careful not to set it too high as thatA good pocket bike should give you years of fun
could be dangerous and will only burn up moreand and be easy to maintain if you stick to a
fuel.regular schedule of maintenance. Never ride your
Oil the Chainbike unless you are sure you have carried out all
Regularly oil the chain, both outside and inside withthe above often enough and your bike is in the
an approved chain oil. Oil at least every time youbest condition you can make it. Skipping essential
ride your bike. Check that the chain is not toomaintenance leads to unnecessary accidents and
tight or too loose. a too tight chain will lead todamage to your bike.