- Oil Changes Making sure your oil is full, and changed regularly will prolong the life of your scooter. Since many smaller scooters do not have an oil filtering system like bigger vehicles, you should change your oil every 500-1500 miles, depending on riding conditions.
- Air Filters Clean or replace your air filter as needed. Check every oil change, service life depends on riding conditions.
- Tire Pressure Check your tire pressure often. Tire pressure affects ride, tire wear, performance, fuel mileage, and most important, safety. Check the sidewall of your tire for recommended pressures; most likely 32-44 psi will be optimal.
- Belt Wear Your scooter’s drive belt will wear over time. If you have a lot of miles, and your scooter seems to be slipping on acceleration, or losing top speed, you may need to replace your drive belt.
- Lights Check your lights often as well. This is for safety, and avoiding any trouble with the law.
- Battery Care Batteries can last a long time. They can also be ruined very easily. Try to avoid leaving your scooter ignition, or any lights on. A battery tender that has automatic on/off charging is a great investment to prolonging your battery life, especially in the winter.
- Fluid Levels There is a small amount of gear oil in the drive system on most scooters, check this every so often, and fill as needed. Also, check coolant level, and freeze point (winter) in your liquid-cooled scooter. Brake fluid levels should be checked too.
- Visual Inspection Visually inspect your scooter for anything that may be unsafe. Check wheels, brakes, steering, and for any loose hardware, before hitting the open road.
- Oil Changes Check oil level often, to ensure adequate lubrication while in use. Some of the smaller off-road machines do not have the typical screw-on oil filter like bigger machines, these are quite simple to change, and should be serviced every 25-75 hours of use, depending on use, and riding conditions. Bigger machines have regular automotive-type oil filters. Since these machines filter their oil, and have larger quantities of oil, you can go longer hours before changing: 75-150 hours, or 3 months depending on use, and riding conditions.
- Air Filters Check your air filter often. Unlike street machines, off-road machines require more air filter maintenance. Clean and re-oil you air filter as needed, or replace with a new oiled filter.
- Fluid Levels In liquid-cooled machines check coolant level, and freeze point. Also, check the gear oil level in differentials of ATVs and UTVs. Brake fluid should be checked also; this will help prevent the surprise of not being able to stop.
- Tire Pressure, and Routine Maintenance Most off-road machines run lower tire pressures, but be sure to check the pressures often to avoid any problems on the trail. Pressures will be on the tire sidewall; usually 5-15 psi is good depending on machine. Alignment adjustment should be visually checked, and adjusted as needed. A general rule is that a slight toe-in (front pointed in), around 1/8”, is best for handling and tire wear. If your quad’s turning seems twitchy or all over the place, the tires may be toed-out (front pointed out) and need to be adjusted.
Visually inspecting your machine can prevent a lot of headaches. Look for loose hardware, check brake, steering and suspension points. Check these areas often and adjust/tighten as needed. Remember these are off-road machines and sometimes take a punishing. So checking your machine over can prevent any problems out on the trail.
Battery tenders can prolong the life of your off-road machine’s battery, especially when not in use, and/or in the cold of winter.
If you are planning on storing your machine for winter, there are a few things you can do to make your machine ready for next season. First, pour a fuel stabilizer in your fuel tank, the less full your fuel tank is, the more likely condensation can occur, so a full tank is ideal. Also, run your machine for 5-10 minutes, or ride it around for a short time to allow the stabilized fuel to enter the carburetor.
On liquid-cooled machines check the coolant level, and that it has adequate freeze point for the temperatures the machine will be stored in.
Batteries take a beating in the cold weather, so at the very least disconnect your battery, and charge it before use next season. An automatic battery tender is the ideal way to maintain a battery during the winter, or any other time.
Along with great deals on Scooters, ATVs, Side by Sides, Buggies, and Motorcycles, Hard 8 Powersports also offers a full Service Department. We are able to service any machine we sell, as well as most other brands of machines, regardless of country origin.
Hard 8 stocks, or has access to parts for any machine we sell. Many of the different Asian machines have interchanging parts, so we can also assist you if you didn’t buy your scooter at Hard 8 Powersports. Also, we are a vendor for many aftermarket, recreational vehicle parts and accessories suppliers.
Providing almost anything you need, no matter what brand or where you bought it, all in one location. So, if you are sick of getting the run around, or being refused service because of your machine, then stop by Hard 8 Powersports and let us help you and your machine out.
