Getting Lazy About Motorcycle Maintenance...

... is a fault that will catch up with you... guaranteed!

Sometimes, if you're careless, or Lazy... stupidity will hunt you down. Exercise those traits on any motorcycle let alone a performance sort of machine and you compound the impact... juuuuuuuust a mite. That pretty much makes it self inflicted stupidity...

Reach back with your good foot... and kick yourself in the kiester!

I unloaded the bike at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday afternoon after we pulled in and got set up. We work the November and March NASCAR races here to add a few dollars to our emaciated wallet. :)

Monday Morning I climbed on the Raider to ride into town after some parts and run a few errands and... made excuses, 'cause it was Hot! for not making all the usual pre-ride checks.

Ker-rap!! The scooter handled like a slug. "Geeze" I thought. "I know the fork seals are getting bad, but damn! could that make the bike handle this gawd awful heavy and sluggish?"

I mean, after all the miles she and I have shared...I almost didn't recognize her! Sonja was acting like a step child strung out on meth. Spastic as hell!

Well... I'd guess you can't blame the leaky forks... How-some-ever... if you're too lazy/stupid to check the tires a lil' closer, you CAN blame that!... and you'll miss the fact that the Good Avon rubber that's supposed to be inflated to 41 lbs of air was only holding 12!!! Twelve freaking pounds! and 29 lbs of air... lost in a week! ??

Now... I have no idea where/how that air went since I rode the bike over to Escalante in Utah. Or, how BOTH tires suddenly lost the exact same amount. Makes a cynic like me a lil' suspicious... but really... It's hard for me to believe that somebody fooled with the scoot, loaded on the truck while we were getting groceries in Walmart. That's the only time she was out of sight.

But it's still weird to me. Where did that air go to?

Funny though, how she went right back to her usual awesome self once I replaced the missing air... ;) DOH!

It's as weird as the "missing oil" episode after that oil change up in Montana a year or so ago. 3/8 of a quart Gone twice, in just a couple hundred miles for each loss; but zero leaks, no smoke and no residue... and then just stopped disappearing...

Makes me start lookin' around for gremlins! or maybe Irish pranksters named Murphy? Just weird to me.

Old Timers syndrome is a possibility I don't want to entertain or chew on for even a minute!

The lesson is; don't get lazy on your maintenance and checks... Just 'cause it's been correct and proper the last 658 times you checked 'em don't mean the air/oil/whatever is ALWAYS gonna be right... and that time you make excuses and don't check... is the time it'll bite you. Weird or not.

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian