Tips for riding in rain

Monsoon brings with it gamut of hitches like water clogged road, traffic snarls, potholes .......etc.
So when the monsoon sets in it's time to be prepared to face all these problems and a few unexpected too.

Indiacar offers a few tips to prepare you for the monsoon ordeal

The principle of protecting your motorcycle during the monsoon fall into two categories, depending on whether you aim to lay-up your two-wheeler for the entire period or if you intend to give it a run or two whenever the sun comes out from behind the clouds.

If you leave your bike parked for long periods without taking certain precautions, you can expect problems. Some could be of a minor nature, but on occasion you could face serious deterioration in areas, which may require expensive correction.

Fuel Tank
The petrol that you leave in your motorcycle's fuel tank may not even be fit to wash parts in when you decide to get the bike back on the road. The very different and unpleasant stench that will confront you when you open the tank cap will be a sure give-away. If you persist in trying to use this fuel to start up, you could end up with severely choked jets in the carburettor.

Apart from the foul smell, the petrol also gets gummy and should be drained; following this, the tank should be washed out very carefully before filling up with fresh fuel. Before you store the bike, it would be best to empty the tank and pour a small quantity of fresh engine oil into it and slosh it around so that it coats the entire inside of the tank. Then seal the tank by covering the filler hole and close the cap tightly.

Before the bike is stored, the fuel tank should be emptied and the filler sealed

	While on the subject of petrol draining, remember to empty the carburettor of fuel as well. Shut the petrol tap and run the engine till the carb runs dry. Carburettors can also be drained through the screw provided at the bottom of the float bowls.
The screw provided at the bottom of the float bowl allows draining of fuel from carburettor.

Similarly, empty out the battery, wash it with clean water, and store it dry. Alternately, you can detach the battery, retain the fluid in it and store it, giving it a trickle charge every two weeks or so.

Corrosion:

Corrosion, more than anything else, is the most pervasive bike maintenance problem and storage intensifies this. Cylinder bores require special attention. For maximum protection, wash the bike before you take it out for the final ride so that the engine oil is hot and ready to be drained.

Remove spark plugs, squirt some oil or rust preventive into cylinder/s, turn engine over a couple of times, and then refit spark plugs.

The warm-up ride also dries up any water that may remain. Fill up with fresh oil, remove the spark plugs and squirt some oil or rust preventive into the cylinder or cylinders.

The ends of the exhaust should be sealed with plastic-this will prevent water entering the exhaust.

Indiacar recommends WD40 multipurpose spray. After spraying the cylinder/s, turn the engine over a few times without starting it to coat everything evenly, then fit the plugs back in and seal off the exhaust preferably by tying plastic bags over the ends (stuffing them with potatoes is not advisable), then seal the intake opening also.

If you seal the engine in this way while it is still warm to the touch, there should be no moisture in it and rusting will be inhibited if you have done a good job.

Different surfaces of a motorcycle require varying treatment for maximum corrosion protection. The painted parts respond best to a generous coat of wax, which you apply but do not wipe off as you would when you polish the bike. Many of today's bike engines are painted and these too should be waxed over.

Chrome too can be protected by coating it with furniture wax which does not leave any ugly residue. Using WD40, lubricate switches, locks, folding footrests and other lightly loaded moving parts on the bike. Inflate tyres to the recommended pressures and all that remains is to cover the bike to keep the dust away. Contrary to popular practice, covering the vehicle with a plastic cover is not the best thing.The reason - warm air rises and cools off under a plastic cover, leaving behind water which could negate all your hard work. Although plastic would seem the best bet if you have to leave your bike out in the rain, make sure that you dry out the bike at every opportunity.

On the other hand, if you leave the bike standing only when it is really pouring and use it whenever the sun shines, then it would be sensible to clean it up after every ride so that water does not stand in places where it could set off the process of rust formation.

So be kind to your bike and it will reward you by being kind to you and will not let you down amidst a busy road or on a sunny morning after the rains.