{"id":8344,"date":"2021-02-14T14:01:43","date_gmt":"2021-02-14T19:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/?p=8344"},"modified":"2021-02-14T14:01:56","modified_gmt":"2021-02-14T19:01:56","slug":"how-to-restore-a-motorcycle-in-6-actionable-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/how-to-restore-a-motorcycle-in-6-actionable-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Restore a Motorcycle in 6 Actionable Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During the last decade, we\u2019ve seen a significant increase<\/a> in the number of both sales and registrations when it comes to motorcycles. In fact, the U.S. even reached a record high. More than 10 million households<\/a> in the U.S. have a motorcycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve been itching to get a motorcycle but want to get the best bang for your buck, your best bet would be to restore a motorcycle. Though you\u2019re going to get your hands dirty, more often than not, this turns out to be much cheaper than buying a new one, and you\u2019ll also learn a lot along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are six steps to take when restoring a motorcycle to make sure it\u2019s running correctly and safe to ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Use a Service Manual<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first thing you\u2019ll need to restore a motorcycle is a service manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your motorcycle will come with an owner\u2019s manual from the factory, but that will only cover basic maintenance. A service manual will guide you through the specifics, such as rebuilding the entire engine if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll want to take a look at some main motorcycle parts when restoring your bike, whether it\u2019s a vintage motorcycle or just a bit run down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro tip: if this is the first bike you\u2019re restoring, it\u2019s smart to buy Japanese. These bikes are much easier to restore for those who are less experienced, and Kawasaki parts<\/a> are trustworthy and reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Check the Battery Voltage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your service manual should teach you how to check the voltage on your battery. You can purchase a multimeter to check the voltage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re likely going to need to charge the battery, and this can be done overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the voltage of the battery reads below 12V, though, you\u2019ll most likely have to replace it. The next page in the service manual should give you information on how to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Check the Carburetor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Besides the battery, the carburetor is often the culprit for an old bike that won\u2019t run. Even if your bike is running, though, it\u2019s still a good idea to clean the carbs. They sell carburetor cleaner for pretty cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need to do a full rebuild, you\u2019ll have to purchase a carburetor kit. This will come with the factory jets and gaskets, so you can do a simple rebuild without having to purchase each part separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Check the Fuel Tank for Rust<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While doing your carburetor work, it\u2019s important to check your fuel tank to see whether or not it\u2019s rusting. There\u2019s a high chance you\u2019ll find rust on an old bike, and you don\u2019t want this flushing into the carburetor you just cleaned or replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empty the fuel tank and rattle around some nuts and bolts inside \u2014 this will loosen up all the rust. Afterward, you can use a fuel tank cleaner to get rid of any excess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Make Sure the Electrics Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once your battery is fully charged, you\u2019ll want to turn the bike key and check the electrical system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure all your lights work, including headlights, turn signals, brake lights, and the gauge cluster, and replace the bulbs where necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bulbs for older makes are typically inexpensive and are crucial to making sure you ride safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Test the Brakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For older bikes, there are two types of brakes \u2014 drum brakes and disc brakes. Typically, disc brakes are easier to maintain and have more stopping power, but drum brakes work fine too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For disc brakes, you\u2019ll want to check the rotors and most likely will need to replace the pads. Then you\u2019ll flush and bleed your brakes. You\u2019ll also likely need to rebuild the calipers, and you\u2019ll want to make sure the pistons aren\u2019t rusting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For drum brakes, you\u2019ll have to pull off one of your wheels and remove the drum cover to check the brake shoes. Once you do this, you can determine whether or not these need to be replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now You Know How to Restore a Motorcycle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The journey to restore a motorcycle is a long process, but it\u2019s also a gratifying one. The steps above are the most important things when it comes to the restoring process. You may also want to take a look at some other parts such as the wheels and transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more guides like this one, check out the other articles on our blog today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the last decade, we\u2019ve seen a significant increase in the number of both sales and registrations when it comes to motorcycles. In fact, the U.S. even reached a record high. More than 10 million households in the U.S. have a motorcycle. If you\u2019ve been itching to get a motorcycle but want to get the best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8344"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8344"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8346,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8344\/revisions\/8346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}