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Bike Troubleshooting Techniques

Learn troubleshooting techniques from BikeWale Experts

What to do if you have a puncture?








Revving the motorcycle to the redline will not make the battery charge faster – anything beyond 3000 rpm is a waste of fuel, so go for a 20-30 minute cruise to make sure the battery gets charged enough to crank the engine should you stall for any reason.

What to do if your clutch cable breaks?





What to do if your bike won't start after a fall?

If your motorcycle has fuel injection, it has a bank angle sensor that cuts off fuel supply when it detects the motorcycle has fallen over. Crank it a couple of times and it should start.

If you have a carburettor, it is designed to flood and shut the motorcycle off if you fall. In this case, after you're done checking that you're okay, use the kick lever to crank the engine, but without any throttle input. Do this a number of times, then try starting it. The kicks that you put into it before actually trying to start it clear the excess fuel in the system, and when the balance is restored between fuel and air the motorcycle will start. In the case of a carburetted motorcycle without a kick lever, you can only crank it using the electric start.

Remember to not crank it for more than five seconds at a time, and give it a ten second rest each time, else you'll end up draining your battery. Remember to turn off the headlamp and turn signal indicators when doing this.

What to do if you're leaking coolant?

If you've got a liquid-cooled motorcycle and you've got a puddle of green under your motorcycle, that means you're leaking coolant. There is a coolant reservoir somewhere on the motorcycle - find it and look at the level. If it is low, then you'll need to top it up.

If you're nowhere near a service center, first wait for the bike to cool down. The coolant system functions under high pressure, so if you open it while it is hot, you're likely to get steam burns - think 'pressure cooker'. Top up the coolant to the level that is designated 'maximum' on the reservoir with bottled water. Coolant is nothing but water mixed with anti-freeze, so this will do in an emergency. Check the radiator level as well - remember to open it only after the motorcycle has cooled down.

If bottled water isn't available, any water will do, but the cleaner the better. Remember to try and find a clear route that doesn't make you ride at low speeds or stop, and remember to ride at low revs and small throttle openings, to help the motorcycle keep cool. There's also the obvious: if it is the middle of the day, wait until it is cooler to make your run to the service centre.

What to do if your brake fails?

If only one brake fails, the solution is simple. Ride slowly.

Use the brake that is available judiciously. You can downshift to a lower gear and engage the clutch to help with stability during deceleration. If neither brake is available, then the best thing to do would be to get someone to fix your motorcycle before you ride anywhere. If you have no choice, resign yourself to slow progress, and stick to the bottom of first gear.

This is an exceedingly dangerous thing to do if there are downhill sections involved, so we wouldn't advise doing this at all unless it is an emergency.