When it comes to taking care of the motorcycle’s engine, the Brazilian motorcyclist usually thinks first of changing the oil. Not that it can be ignored, but the components linked to air intake and fuel burning are the ones that deserve the most attention. Especially because poor intake and combustion end up contaminating the oil itself.
For Bismark do Vale, a development specialist in Honda’s research sector, the lack of knowledge when modifying the motorcycle is part of the problem. He listed the habits that shorten the life of the engine the most and explained why almost all of them have one point in common: temperature and balance.
mistakeThe air filter should be changed periodically (Photo: Shutterstock)
The first item on the list is also the most banal. According to Bismark, the saturation of the air filter appears frequently precisely because Brazilians are not in the habit of maintaining it at the correct interval. The result is an engine working with compromised intake for miles on end.
Worse than the dirty filter, in his assessment, is the missing filter. The practice of removing the element in search of a sportier noise opens the door to everything the filter is there to stop.
“It will pass dirt, it will pass sand, dust. It will enter the cylinder and it will contaminate the oil,” he says.
Old gasoline harms burning
Adulterated gasoline can also cause the same problem (Photo: Shutterstock)
The other side of the bill is fuel. Bismark explains that old gasoline compromises combustion efficiency — a rarer problem in those who drive every day, but relevant on motorcycles that are stopped for long periods.
The logic he uses to organize the list is simple: everything that influences the explosion of the motorcycle’s engine is taken into account – the fuel, the air admitted and the burning. Changing one of these elements without changing the others, he says, does not generate gain, it generates imbalance.
The oil pays the bill for other mistakes
Check if it is the correct lubricant (Photo: Shutterstock)
This is where the order of priority is reversed in relation to common sense. Oil remains essential, but it can be the victim, not the cause.
“The oil is the blood of the motorcycle. If I’m consuming crap, breathing bad things, I’ll be contaminating the oil,” summarizes Bismark, making an analogy to the human body.
In other words: the poorly cared for intake reaches the lubricant, which circulates in the cylinder liner.
The manual gives the range, the use defines the rest
In some cases, the oil change must be brought forward to the deadline normally recommended by the factory (Photo: Shutterstock)
About the change, the specialist recommends following the specifications in the manual, but with an important caveat: evaluate if the use is severe. He cites the case of the motorcycle courier, who spends the day at high revs, turns the motorcycle on and off all the time and leaves with cold oil — a constant cycle of heating and cooling that does not appear on the odometer.
For this, the oil change should be shorter than recommended in the manual in conventional cases.
And the same happens on the opposite side. Those who always run with the oil at the ideal temperature, such as on a long quiet trip, can even extend the life of the lubricant.
Chain and tire also enter the account
Always regulate and check for the change (Photo: Shutterstock)
Lubrication, chain adjustment and cleaning, and tire calibration appear on the list for an indirect reason: an out-of-point motorcycle requires more effort from the set. Bismark says that each item must be in optimal operation so that the engine does not pay for it.
Warming up is necessary, but a few seconds are
enough The recommendation is to leave the bike running for a few seconds, less than a minute, at the first start of the day, enough time to lubricate the engine before leaving. Throughout the day, with the engine already warmed up, there is no need to repeat the procedure.
The excess, however, also takes its toll. As most motorcycles sold in Brazil use air cooling, leaving the engine running and stopped for several minutes can heat the motorcycle without there being an airflow to cool it, exceeding the ideal point.
Bismarck’s analogy is: running on a treadmill indoors is not the same thing as running outdoors on a cold day.
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