© 2007
American Hotrod Manufacturing, LLC • 2220 Eastridge Avenue Riverside, CA 92507
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Always apply both the front and the rear brakes at the same time. If necessary, apply them hard, but not so hard that
you lock up either wheel. A locked wheel, as well as causing the bike to skid, results in downright inefficient braking.
The time to take your left foot off the peg and put it on the ground is just as the bike comes to a complete stop.
When you have the opportunity, practice your braking. You can always get better at it.
Turning
When you are riding along the road, you lean a motorcycle into a turn. Learning to lean is an essential part of riding a
motorcycle. It is a normal function of the bike when you are changing its path of travel – and quite different from
turning the steering wheel of your car.
To get the motorcycle to lean in a normal turn, press the handlebar in the direction of the turn and maintain slight
pressure on that handlebar to take you smoothly through that particular turn. In other words: press right to go right;
press left to go left. Your instincts to keep the motorcycle on a smooth path while keeping it from falling over usually
take care of this without you even noticing it. (Demonstrate to yourself how a motorcycle moves by pressing a
handlebar slightly while traveling in a straight line. The motorcycle will move in the direction of the handlebar you
pushed.)
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Slow down before you enter the turn; look as far ahead as possible through the turn.
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Keep your feet on the pegs, and grip the gas tank with your knees.
•
Lean with the motorcycle; don’t try to sit perpendicular to the road while the motorcycle is leaning over.
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Keep an even throttle through the turn, or even accelerate a little bit.
Checking the Bike before the Ride
It’s not fun to have things go wrong on a motorcycle, but if you spend a minute before you go off on a ride, you can
increase the chances that nothing will.
Any information you’ll need, such as correct tire pressures or chain adjustment, you’ll find in your owner’s manual. As
soon as you finish this booklet, read the manual thoroughly. You will be much more acquainted with all the specifics of
your motorcycle, since it might be slightly different from some other make or model.
1. Check the tires. They are the most important parts of your bike. If your engine quits, you roll to a stop. If a tire
quits – trouble! Make the effort to check the surface of the tires, looking for cuts in the rubber or foreign
objects – like a nail. Check the tire pressures with a good gauge. If a tire is low every time you check it, even
though you have added the proper amount of air each time, you have a slow leak. Fix it before it becomes a
fast leak.
2. Check the controls. Cables are quite strong and rarely break, but look for kinking or stiffness or anything
unusual in their operation.
3. Check your lights, including brake light, headlights, and turn signals to make sure everything works. Also
check your horn and adjust the mirrors.
4. Check the oil and
fuel and, if the bike is liquid-cooled, the coolant levels.
5. If your motorcycle has chain-drive to the rear wheel, make sure that the chain is properly tensioned and in
good shape. Chains do need an occasional cleaning and dose of lubrication.
6. Make sure the sidestand and centerstand fold up properly, and stay up. If one of the retraction springs is
weak or broken or missing, replace it.
7. As you roll off, check your brakes. Just to make sure they haven’t gone away.
Summary of Contents for 2007 Hotrod Bones
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