A motorcycle’s engine is like its heart, it needs special care to keep up and running. But there are certain habits which may adversely affect your engine and in the long term will only cut down its life. So in the report below we discuss things not to do to your engine in order to ensure its long life.

Don’t let the coolant dry up –

Remember the green liquid which sways heat away from your engine and keeps it cool, sometimes we simply forget to fill up the reservoir which stores this magical liquid, and that is deadly for any engine. Coolant is used in water/liquid-cooled engines, and that is an effective system to keep the engine from getting heated up. But once the coolant dries up, or its level falls below the recommended line, the cooling efficiency of the system falls down. As a result, the engine starts getting heated up pretty fast and in a longer it can even seize down. So make sure to keep a check on the coolant level before it drop below the recommended level.

Don’t go to the bike wash with a boiling engine –

Another thing which needs to be noted down is that, don’t ever wash or put cold water on a hot engine. If you ever arrive from a ride, and find the bike dirty enough for a quick wash, it is recommended that you wait at least for 20-30 minutes for the engine to cool down. Or in other case if you regularly wash the bike and find engine steaming out the water, you might be inviting some engine trouble in a longer term.

The science behind this is simple, if the metal is cooled down instantly from hot a state, it may become fragile in a longer term and lose its structural strength and break slightly easily. Hence this is pretty dangerous for the internal components of an engine.

So make sure to cool down the bike before every bike wash.

Don’t use lower octane fuel-

Lower octane fuel usually leaves behind residual which may cause trouble to the fuel pump in a longer term. So make sure you only fill up good quality fuel, or higher octane figure fuel as it burns clearer and keep the injectors unclogged. It is extremely important to keep good care of the fuel injectors as they are not cheap to replace in modern bikes.

Do not overuse clutch-

If you have a habit of clutching the bike more than necessary, you are inviting trouble for your clutch plates.  There are times when the clutch needs to be engaged in order to pop a gear up, or preventing the bike from coming to halt, but if you overdo it then it is an open invitation for trouble. Also, some riders perform burnouts while partially holding the clutch which completely destroys the clutch plates. And these are not cheap to replace on modern sports bikes.

Do not forget to warm up the engine-

It is always recommended that you warm up the engine for at least 2 to 3 minutes before taking off for a ride. The simple way to warm up is to turn the engine ignition on and keep the revs at idle for about a minute or two. This process will heat up the engine oil temperature and will make it circuit around the engine chambers which dry up in just a couple of hours when the bike is parked.

Do not mix grades of engine oils-

These days a variety of engine oils are present in the market. So make sure you only choose the one which fits you motorcycle and engine type perfectly.  A sport bike generally has higher compression ratio, and its engine revs up quickly to as much as 15,000 rpm, such engines require oils which do not change properties even at extremely high temperatures and thus remain consistent. On the other hand, a commuter motorcycle generally doesn’t require such high grade oil, all it needs it something which allows the engine to operate smoothly with minimal friction and maximum efficiency and economy.  So always choose the engine oil as per your motorcycle type and usage.

Do not over rev-

Sometimes riders tend to over rev the bikes on a red light or in a parking lot just to show off. But it might be drastic for the motorcycle because the engine tends to heat up quickly when the revs climb up. And if the bike is not on the move, the cooling system isn’t working at the full potential and it might technically cause trouble to the engine if it is revved beyond limits when the bike is at halt.