Racing

400 Tips & Tricks | Part 32

Key Advice Every Rider Should Know

By Pete Peterson and The Dirt Rider Staff

November 9, 2016

The June 2016 issue marked Dirt Rider's 400th issue, and to mark the milestone we put together 400 tips that might save the day, or just make the day go easier. We thought we'd show them to you again online, ten at a time, to help instill the wisdom into your brain so when the time comes you hear an expert bit of advice in your head.

Note: Tips that came from a specific source will have an attribute listed. Tips with no attribute have been pulled from Dirt Rider's extensive library of content, including back issues of the magazine, dirtrider.com, and The Total Dirt Rider Manual. Enjoy!

400 Tips & Tricks | Part 32Dirt Rider

If you have sharp footpegs and kids around parked bikes, cut a slit in two tennis balls and cover those sharp teeth.
If you change your engine oil and it comes out frothy and brown, you got water in it.
"Power washers are all right, but you don't need to stick that wand right there in the bearings or at anything electrical. That's when it'll bite you." —Ben Schiermeyer, Justin Barcia's mechanic
After you put on your valve stem cap, snug the stem's nut up to it, not down against the rim, to prevent tearing the stem off the tube if the tire spins slightly on the rim.
To check for a head gasket leak, with the bike cold, remove the radiator cap and start the engine or do a leak-down test. Bubbles equals leak.
New graphics too slick? You can scuff them with a Scotch-Brite pad. They'll lose their shine but give you more leg traction.
Keep good tires on your bike. A bald tire will negatively affect your bike's suspension in a major way.
You can loop your tie-down's strap loop over the tie-down to prevent flappin' straps on the freeway.
Get the front wheel off the ground and pull back and forth on the bottom of the fork. Is there give? If it's just the lower leg moving, you likely need fork bushings. If it's the whole fork, check your steering stem bearings.
Just before you pull a wheel off, with the axle off, use the disc to separate the brake pads slightly to make reinstalling it easier.