Fluids Check

Brake juice isn’t the only often overlooked fluid to refresh. How old is your coolant? Fresh coolant should also be an every-other-season affair, although your machine’s maintenance intervals may differ. A good flush with water, or even just a simple drain and fill will go a long way to preventing corrosion inside your cooling system. Installing a fresh radiator cap at the same time is cheap insurance.

Take oil age into account as well as mileage. If you have multiple bikes, or just don’t rack up a lot of miles on your machine, it’s good to change the oil at least once a season so you know it’s been done and you don’t have old, contaminated oil in your cases.

It’s important to note that lower mileage often equates to a lot of short rides, which means a lot of heat cycling to invite moisture condensation, and that’s what really breaks down oil. So take type of riding into account, as well, when deciding when to change your oil.