Motorcycle Maintenance

Motorcycle Maintenance

I drive an older motorcycle but maintenance is just as important on a new bike. Changing the oil, replacing tires, tune ups, and adjusting the chain on a regular basis will keep your break downs on the road to a minimum.

The ignition switch on my Honda needed replacement so I pulled into F&FO Motor Parts to see if they had that part in stock.

One reason that I drive a TMX is that the parts are readily available in any major city or town in the Philippines.

This parts shop had an aftermarket switch for 115 pesos and an on site mechanic was there to install it for 30 pesos.

F&FO Motor Parts Dumaguete City

This may seem a strange part to have to replace but it is already the 4th one for this bike.

This time the switch was damaged by a heavy load leaning over onto on the handlebars.

The incessant  rains in Leyte and Samar caused my other ones to corrode and the tumblers fell apart inside the switch itself.

Usually you can tell that the switch is on it’s last legs as it becomes progressively more difficult to turn on an off and then one day it fails completely.

Little things like that can be a big problem when you are out on a road trip with no repair facilities in the area (especially when driving at night – when even finding fuel can be difficult).

I usually bring the bike into a Honda shop for more technical repairs like valve seats, seals, or even valve adjustments because they have factory trained mechanics.

These secondary shops have done good work for me and often the shop will have the parts when the Honda shop does not. I have had a few sprocket and chain sets put on by shops like this and have had good results. Honda shops usually do not carry those parts.

I just replaced my 9th tire in Ormoc City before setting on this run which I hope brings me to Palawan in a round about way. A good motocross tire runs 650 to 750 pesos for a 300×17 and I always put in a new tube when putting on a new tire. This bike has gone through 20 plus tubes since new – the rocky roads of Samar took its toll. Figure on about 30 pesos to replace the tire and I usually give a 20 pesos tip if they adjust and oil the chain at the same time. I try to be conservative when spending but not at the expense of the poor sod doing all the work :)

Dumaguete

The lifespan of a TMX is indefinite as long as you keep replacing parts. These rigs bounce around like a farm tractor but are ideal in the back country.

This is the 97th ferry trip for this bike if you count pump boat crossings  in the figures. This 5 1/2 hour run is between Dumaguete and Dapitan – cost 1312 pesos including driver – on Montenegro Shipping Lines. The return trip was 1040 pesos on Aleson Shipping and was the 98th boat ride for my bike.

We hit heavy seas and the bike was drenched in salt water. I have to wash the bike thoroughly tomorrow because the salt  lingers in crevices and will cause corrosion problems later. I had a tarp over the bike but the spray was splashing through the gaps in the ramp the whole trip.

The Petron station in Dumaguete has a pressure wash and oil change facility. They gave the bike a good wash for 60 pesos.

The mechanic put a twist on the wash when I mentioned that the bike was in 6 inches of salt water the previous day – he sprayed the bike down with diesel after the wash.

The skill of the Filipino habal habal motorcycle taxi is phenomenal. Having one passenger sitting side saddle on the fuel tank helps tremendously in keeping the front end down.

Dapitan Sunset

motorcycle maintenance