Once your paycheck has all but evaporated on living expenses you can use the leftovers on your bike, you just need to be a bit creative and find ways to stretch your nickels into dimes. You don’t need a fistful of dollars to make significant improvements, and the quality time spent in the garage is a free bonus. Sure, a full exhaust or nitrous system would be nice, but the rent check has to come before all others.
Clean and Wax
Spraying your bike with a garden hose hardly counts as a detailed cleaning. And when was the last time you got into the crevices of the wheels with a toothbrush? Even if you’ve been discouraged because of scratched up plastics, after thoroughly cleaning the rest of your ride the complete package will be an improvement.
Start with a basic sponge bath using bike cleaner (or dish soap) to get the major grime taken care of. Once that’s out of the way use some proper bike cleaning products for the detail and finish. All in, we’re talking at least a two-hour job to do it right: unbolt the brake calipers, remove the wheels and degrease and clean the sprockets.
Muc-Off Bike Cleaner
$11.95
Change Oil and Filter
Most bike shops will charge an hour’s worth of labor to do a simple oil change, but that’s $90 that could have stayed in your pocket. Reinvest some of that scratch on proper motorcycle oil and a quality filter, but don’t fall into the rookie trap of buying your lube at the local AutoZone—that sauce is designed for commuter cars. Obviously you’ll need some higher quality oil, so get to the bike shop and make the smart purchase.
Use budget spark plugs in...
Use budget spark plugs in your lawn mowerm not your sportbike. This is one instance where you truly get what you pay for.
While you might get away without ever changing your car’s spark plugs, a motorcycle is a different story. With high performance comes higher maintenance, and your old, worn out plugs could be robbing you of horsepower. This is work that a bike shop could charge you hundreds of dollars to perform, but there’s no reason you can’t do the maintenance yourself.
Spark plugs are similar to oil in that there are budget options, but spend the extra cash and purchase the plugs specified in your owner’s manual. Sure there are cheaper options, but this is one instance where you definitely get what you pay for.
It's easy to make a special...
It's easy to make a special friend feel sexy and glamorous. Just get a camera and a good location.
Is there a decent point and shoot camera lying around? For under a hundred bucks you can buy a camera that will do most of the decision making for you in terms of auto color adjustments, shutter speeds and the like. What it can’t do is find a cool, scenic backdrop to stick your bike in front of.
Move around the bike and take snaps at various angles. When you get home have a look at them on the computer and you’ll be surprised at the results. They’ll surely beat the heck out the dark and blurry cell phone pics that you show everybody at the bar anyways.
Chain Maintenance
It’s a dirty job, but when you consider how important the chain is to a bike’s forward momentum there should be no question about performing routine checks and maintenance. A session at the local shop’s bikini bike wash might take care of the basic road grime (and some of your own perversions), but unless you apply specific products to the chain it’ll be a waste of time in terms of chain care.
There are products for cleaning the chain that won’t dry out and ruin the seals like gasoline can. Don’t just slap a load of chain lube over a filthy chain—it’s a waste of money and makes an awful mess. Begin by thoroughly cleaning the chain, and then apply chain lube (not WD-40 or other general purpose penetrants).
A little bit of shine sure...
A little bit of shine sure goes a long way.
Try blinging out some of the smaller components such as the heel guards and triple tree. These are small enough that you’ll get instant results and also a good way to get some practice before taking on a larger area (save the frame and swingarm for a winter project).
The tools required are simple and inexpensive: a vice, grinder, drill, Dremmel, polish wheel, sandpaper (200-2000 grit) and aluminum polish.
Harbor Freight hand tools
$ Check Web for pricing (all available at HF)
harborfreight.com
Touch Up
You don’t necessarily need to tell all of your Facebook friends what you’re up, but there’s no shame in using a Sharpie or automotive touch-up paint (this is the rare exception that you’re allowed to shop at AutoZone for your bike) to freshen up your plastics. Use good judgment and don’t get carried away by adding new stripes. Instead, fill in small cracks and blemishes caused from stones, bugs and gentle tip overs. Once you really examine the plastics you’ll find all sorts of imperfections, and you’ll be amazed how clean your bike will look with a mild makeup job.
Little Timmy will obviously...
Little Timmy will obviously be spending the afternoon in the "Time Out" chair.
Graphics Kit
New bodywork or a custom paint job is simply too far from financial reality for many of us, but there’s a budget alternative to fix your shortcomings. A graphics kit can be as small or large as you like (and can afford). Something as simple as wheel stripes will add some flair, while a model specific kit can transform your ride instantly.
tapeworks.com
immortalgraphix.com
Brake fluid and coolant flush
There are endless debates about why racers put wristbands over their brake fluid reservoirs. To soak up spills? Show sponsor support? Protect from the sun? Regardless of what you believe to be the “true” reason, one fact remains—brake fluid has an important task and can break down over time. It’s easily contaminated, particularly if you live in a humid climate. The good news is that it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to replace. So why haven’t you done so? Are you simply taking the previous owner’s word that he performed routine maintenance?
And what about the coolant? Every time your radiator fan kicks on at a stoplight that means the engine temp is above its comfortable operating zone, and the coolant is directly affected. Flush the old stuff out (simply unfasten the lowermost hose and drain while flushing with a garden hose) and add in fresh fluid.