Working on the bike doesn’t have to be something only the guys can do; there are lots of jobs where us girls can be more than capable.
Take a look at our maintenance guides and have a go, we’ve given them all a ‘broken finger nail’ rating to give an idea of how hard each job is.
Checking the Oil:
How to check your oil level:
Most bikes will have one of two options for this, either a sight glass or a dipstick. To check the oil level it doesn’t matter whether the engine is warm or cold, but the bike does have to be upright, so if you only have a side stand you will need someone to hold the bike vertical whilst you check the oil level.
If your bike has a dipstick (usually located in the centre of the bike near the foot pegs), unscrew the dipstick and wipe clean. Near the end of the dipstick you should be able to see two markings showing minimum and mximum.
Re-insert the dipstick (but do not screw down) then take out again, check that the fresh oil mark on the clean dipstick is in between the minimum and maximum marks.
If your bike has a sight glass – again usually located in the centre of the bike, look carefully at the glass to see the minimum and maximum line markings. Ask someone to hold the bike upright for you and should be able to see the oil level through the glass, check that it is in between the minimum and maximum marks.
· Types of oil:
Mineral – this is your ‘bottom line’ oil.
Synthetic fortified, and Semi-synthetic – these are mineral oils with added levels of synthetic products. Generally speaking this is the recommended oil type for 99% of bikes.
Fully Synthetic oil– this is made up of a number of oils, some of which are intended for extreme use of certain engines. This sort of oil would not normally be used for a road bike on the road. Warning! – Used in the wrong engine or for the wrong type of riding use (i.e. not extreme) this type of oil can cause a number of problems such as high oil consumption, clutch slip, etc
