I've been getting floods and floods emails, so I am going to make a post here and do a mass mailer to refer them to this series of posts. Sorry, for the long novels.
"What preventative maintenance can I do on a moto?"
I'm writing a guide for my moto website blog, but it's not done yet.
So, maintenance goes like this, and it's very simple.
Oil changes
..for a 600 ml capacity (super cubs, 50cc scooters), every 800 km.
..for an 800 ml capacity (everything else under 250cc), every 1000 km.
Cosmic oil is just fine as long as you do frequent changes. The "best" oil on a budget is the ELF brand from France I've been told, and it's $3.50 for a can. I just use Cosmic for the most part because it's a genuine Japanese brand I'm familiar with.
I've had bikes go 70-80k + and still be fine with these service intervals, so I wouldn't worry anymore.
Valve Clearances
I find it best to check every 20-25k km if you're not keen on overly maintaining your bike. I like to go every 10k for my bikes, but that's usually not necessary. 20-25k is usually just fine and very safe I've found. I do my clearances a "crude way" without feeler gauges. I know Hondas so well than I can do them this way. Everyone else, just go to a good mechanic and pay them to do it.
Lubing the chain
Stupid as it sounds, I lube the chain and clean it on my bikes every two tankfuls of petrol. I have a really easy method of cleaning the chain so I do it very often (video guide coming soon). For the average person, you can get away with every 1,000-1,500 km just fine. Also remember that sprocket sets from Thailand are just $10, so if you wear them out to the nubs, the worst case you've got is a noisy skipping chain and nothing more. It'll get you home.
Air filter
Something that auto part companies always talk about is the air filter and to change it at a certain interval. It's actually not necessary to do so, you can actually in theory keep taking out the original and tapping the dust off of it. Air filter elements don't wear out, they simply get clogged. It's true that you wont get all the dust off of them and such if it's a paper element, but to prove a point, I did this with my Honda 48cc scooter. Never changed the air filter once, just tapped it off (DON'T USE COMPRESSED AIR IF IT'S A PAPER FILTER, IT WILL RIP MICROSCOPICALLY AND RENDER IT USELESS), anyway, and the bike was 11 years old when I sold it with 57k miles on the clock, no running issues or leaning issues at all and zero wear on the bore and cylinder related to dirt. EDIT: I did buy the scooter with 45k miles on it already though, but the air filter was original, which is the point I am trying to make.
But if you must finally change the air filter, just make sure to get a new PAPER OEM element. I've seen issues with reusable sponge and cloth filters (disposable cloth okay) so just avoid the expensive reusable ones as they are a joke in my opinion.
Spark Plugs
15,000 km (8,000 miles) per OEM new plug. Here's why?
First off, I usually get two questions regarding plugs. Why so often? or Why not more often?
Why so often? Don't cars need plugs every 50k km?
Well, two reasons.
#1 Rpm. Bikes like ours stay in the 3-5k rpm range all the time vs. cars which stay below 2k a lot of the time. That means the plug fires more often and wears out quicker, simple as that.
#2 Wasted Spark Ignition System. Something a lot of people don't know about these bikes is that everyone of them (I think) uses a wasted spark system, which means that the spark plug fires twice as often as it needs to. Easy to engineer. That means that a high revving moto's plug is going to be firing not just 2-3 times more than an average car per minute, but 4-6 times more because of the wasted spark system. So, you're plug is going to wear out 4-6 times faster than a cars.
Why not more often? Plugs can be changed in 30 seconds right?
Because looking at above while the bike does wear out it's plugs ridiculously fast compared to a car, just look at a car service interval. A car's copper plug can go 50k km easily, so when you have a bike plug that fires 4 times more often than a car, just take the 50k km number and divide it by 4. 15k, simple as that, you shouldn't need to do it more than that.
Anything else?
There are two oil filters on these bikes actually (see post #10 by me on what that oil filter is), and I really don't think many Khmer know about the second one. The second one is located on the clutch of all places. It needs to be cleaned every 15-20k. I'll show pics later in my website guide.
Fuel filters on these bikes can clog up but usually with how little fuel these bikes flow, the filter lasts a very long time.
Also, if you wonder about brakes, tires, or other parts, you can literally just leave them until they start to give you trouble. The way the bikes are engineered is that if one part fails immediately, you still have another to back you up. Like back and front brakes are separate, there are two shock instead of one individual one should an oil seal fail, etc etc. So other than what's above, don't worry. Even if your battery is dead, you have a kick start.
Okay, that's it for the maintenance section. If you have other questions, feel free to post, PM or email me.
Enjoy,
AK87
Due to popular demand #1: Maintenance for motos
Is this silver stuff from Tela ok? Costs me $4 every 1,000km.
Thanks.
Thanks.
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I've used Tela petrol and transmission fluid without issue, so I would say so, but I haven't done a lot of miles on it compared to Cosmic oils from Japan in Japan. Would I say they are good? Yeah, probably. Do I know for sure? Nah, not really.cambod wrote:Is this silver stuff from Tela ok? Costs me $4 every 1,000km.
Thanks.
Cosmic, Telstar, hey those are cool names for moped oil.
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This is really outstanding mate.
Haha - my money’s on Playboy
Is there a good mechanic that ex-pats can use to get their moto checked and all of these possible services provided? Cheers!
I plan on inviting him over for a house party, and when he arrives, it's just me and all my friends (I only have 3) with our motorbikes, waiting to get serviced. [I can only hope he doesn't read this in time]Seller wrote:Is there a good mechanic that ex-pats can use to get their moto checked and all of these possible services provided? Cheers!
EDIT: POST #10
More reading....
Oil Trivia and Misc Advice:
So, there's a screen oil filter on these bikes, but where's the second oil filter and why wouldn't Khmer mechanics know about it? See picture, I am pointing at it.
No no, that clutch, "no hab filter". Well, believe it or not, where I am pointing acts as a centrifuge oil filter. Centrifuges are in fact so good at filtering oil, that by simply using a centrifuge you can remove particles smaller than a typical paper diesel fuel filter. No believe me you don't? Well, centrifuges are commonly used in refining WVO (waste vegetable oil) into stock to be used in making biodiesel. So joy of joys, you have an oil filter than is just as good as a 20 micron oil filter in a car. See the junk below?
But no seriously, are you joking? I mean, it just looks like a lot of crud that's built up inside some area right? You must be joking.
Well, no I am not and here's the proof. There is a little tiny oil feed that comes straight from the crankshaft and feeds into the little housing area. There's no reason to have this feed in the first place because outside of the clutch is already submerged in crankcase oil. But further proof lies in the fact that the only way out for the oil fed inside that housing, is if oil particles themselves can squeeze through. Oil does squeeze through and subsequently, the little microscopic "sludgies" get trapped in the micro centrifuge area. Btw, this clutch housing is spinning at 2-9k rpm ish just like a centrifuge does.
Now if this was not designed as a centrifuge, then it would not have a cover plate, and a corresponding gasket (no reason to have a gasket on something that is covered in oil right?) But there is a cover plate, and there is a related gasket, and as a result the brilliant Honda engineers realized that they could use the primary clutch assembly as a reusable oil filter WITHOUT using extra parts. I don't care who you are, that's really bloody clever!
Anyway, back to clutches, and I mentioned that it's submerged in oil. You may have heard that you need to use motorcycle oil only for bikes, and this is the reason why. Why? The reason that's why it's so important to get motorcycle oil for bikes like this because regular car motor oil has detergents and additives that can ruin your clutches (the round thingies) on a wet clutch bike. HOWEVER, ATTENTION scooter owners. YOUR SCOOTER USES A DRY CLUTCH, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, SCOOPIES, PCXs, BURGMAN 600s, EVERYTHING, so YOU CAN USE REGULAR CAR OIL IN YOUR SCOOTER AND IT WILL WORK FINE!!!!
I just had to shout because I've heard so many mechanics say "CAN NOT CAN NOT!" when I try and buy synthetic car oil and I am on my scooter. They have NO CLUE about what they are saying. You CAN use car oil and SHOULD use car oil on a scooter. Detergents help keep the motor clean and unfortunately, smaller Scoopies and such don't have a nifty centrifuge oil filter like our semi auto motos (points and laughs at scooters....oh wait, I have a scooter.) So it is in fact beneficial to use car oil on your scooter. It's also cheaper usually.
P.S. You can actually use diesel motor oil too as they use even heavier detergents to fight soot build up in oil. I've used diesel motor oil in my cars for years and they've always been squeaky clean inside after I change the oil. Car owners, make sure you can do this in your specific car at first. Newer cars are getting super picky with oils they need because of hydraulic valve timing systems and what not. If you have a car older than 2000 though and it's not a Honda, it's probably safe to use diesel motor oil in it.
More reading....
Oil Trivia and Misc Advice:
So, there's a screen oil filter on these bikes, but where's the second oil filter and why wouldn't Khmer mechanics know about it? See picture, I am pointing at it.
No no, that clutch, "no hab filter". Well, believe it or not, where I am pointing acts as a centrifuge oil filter. Centrifuges are in fact so good at filtering oil, that by simply using a centrifuge you can remove particles smaller than a typical paper diesel fuel filter. No believe me you don't? Well, centrifuges are commonly used in refining WVO (waste vegetable oil) into stock to be used in making biodiesel. So joy of joys, you have an oil filter than is just as good as a 20 micron oil filter in a car. See the junk below?
But no seriously, are you joking? I mean, it just looks like a lot of crud that's built up inside some area right? You must be joking.
Well, no I am not and here's the proof. There is a little tiny oil feed that comes straight from the crankshaft and feeds into the little housing area. There's no reason to have this feed in the first place because outside of the clutch is already submerged in crankcase oil. But further proof lies in the fact that the only way out for the oil fed inside that housing, is if oil particles themselves can squeeze through. Oil does squeeze through and subsequently, the little microscopic "sludgies" get trapped in the micro centrifuge area. Btw, this clutch housing is spinning at 2-9k rpm ish just like a centrifuge does.
Now if this was not designed as a centrifuge, then it would not have a cover plate, and a corresponding gasket (no reason to have a gasket on something that is covered in oil right?) But there is a cover plate, and there is a related gasket, and as a result the brilliant Honda engineers realized that they could use the primary clutch assembly as a reusable oil filter WITHOUT using extra parts. I don't care who you are, that's really bloody clever!
Anyway, back to clutches, and I mentioned that it's submerged in oil. You may have heard that you need to use motorcycle oil only for bikes, and this is the reason why. Why? The reason that's why it's so important to get motorcycle oil for bikes like this because regular car motor oil has detergents and additives that can ruin your clutches (the round thingies) on a wet clutch bike. HOWEVER, ATTENTION scooter owners. YOUR SCOOTER USES A DRY CLUTCH, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, SCOOPIES, PCXs, BURGMAN 600s, EVERYTHING, so YOU CAN USE REGULAR CAR OIL IN YOUR SCOOTER AND IT WILL WORK FINE!!!!
I just had to shout because I've heard so many mechanics say "CAN NOT CAN NOT!" when I try and buy synthetic car oil and I am on my scooter. They have NO CLUE about what they are saying. You CAN use car oil and SHOULD use car oil on a scooter. Detergents help keep the motor clean and unfortunately, smaller Scoopies and such don't have a nifty centrifuge oil filter like our semi auto motos (points and laughs at scooters....oh wait, I have a scooter.) So it is in fact beneficial to use car oil on your scooter. It's also cheaper usually.
P.S. You can actually use diesel motor oil too as they use even heavier detergents to fight soot build up in oil. I've used diesel motor oil in my cars for years and they've always been squeaky clean inside after I change the oil. Car owners, make sure you can do this in your specific car at first. Newer cars are getting super picky with oils they need because of hydraulic valve timing systems and what not. If you have a car older than 2000 though and it's not a Honda, it's probably safe to use diesel motor oil in it.
bump. because i need a full maintenance on my bike!! any answer for the above Q?Seller wrote:Is there a good mechanic that ex-pats can use to get their moto checked and all of these possible services provided? Cheers!
What kind of bike? How many kms?
Are you referring to maintenance or a like a minor overhaul? Maintenance meaning oil changes, filters, plugs, carb clean, etc, and overhaul meaning timing chain, tensioner, clutch plates, etc.
Most importantly is the oil change, so if you're pressed for finding a good mechanic at the moment, just get an oil change. Also, I've heard good things about Two Wheels Tony, I've never met him though. More pricey, but you're likely to get things done right, and you can talk to him in English.
Are you referring to maintenance or a like a minor overhaul? Maintenance meaning oil changes, filters, plugs, carb clean, etc, and overhaul meaning timing chain, tensioner, clutch plates, etc.
Most importantly is the oil change, so if you're pressed for finding a good mechanic at the moment, just get an oil change. Also, I've heard good things about Two Wheels Tony, I've never met him though. More pricey, but you're likely to get things done right, and you can talk to him in English.
i've just got a suzuki viva, but the ride feels different from when i bought it a year ago and now so I'm thinking it needs more maintenance than just an oil change. Anyone you can recommend to check it out??
Thanks!
Thanks!
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