Racing

400 Tips & Tricks | Part 33

Key Advice Every Rider Should Know

By Pete Peterson and The Dirt Rider Staff

November 9, 2016

The June 2016 issue marked Dirt Rider's 400th issue, and to mark the milestone we put together 400 tips that might save the day, or just make the day go easier. We thought we'd show them to you again online, ten at a time, to help instill the wisdom into your brain so when the time comes you hear an expert bit of advice in your head.

Note: Tips that came from a specific source will have an attribute listed. Tips with no attribute have been pulled from Dirt Rider's extensive library of content, including back issues of the magazine, dirtrider.com, and The Total Dirt Rider Manual. Enjoy!

400 Tips & Tricks | Part 33Dirt Rider

When inspecting your clutch, if the metals are blued, you've overheated your clutch. Replace the fibers, steels, and also the springs.
Fully break the tire's bead (separate it where it touches the rim) on both sides before trying to take off a tire.
"Take the time, when you wash your bike, to wash it right. Take the tank off, plug up your exhaust—definitely do a filter cover. In the long run you'll save yourself money because you're keeping your bike clean and there's not dirt rubbing between parts; that just wears everything out quicker." —Chris Laredo, Broc Tickle's mechanic
Want to really wash your airbox? Remove the subframe/airbox piece and wash it thoroughly. But be extra careful to get the intake tract completely free of dirt, water, or grime before reassembly.
Don't gas it going over logs. The rear can slide sideways rather than roll over.
Heat stroke is a serious condition. Learn the symptoms and take them seriously.
Land on the gas. It'll help straighten the bike and also smooth the impact.
If you have a four-stroke with separate engine and transmission oil compartments (Hondas and some KTMs) and you notice during oil changes that one seems to be stealing from the other, you likely have a crank seal leak.
For carbureted bikes, as you go up in altitude or air temperature, you have less-dense air so your bike will start running too rich and need re-jetting. The opposite is true with decreasing altitude or air temperature.
Auto clutches are great—not only to prevent stalls but to smooth an aggressive engine's hit.