Quad bike maintenance guide Part 2
Posted by Tim Mckay on 22/12/2011
This is continued from our first Quad Bike maintenance article. A link to that can be found at the bottom of the page.
Once you’ve serviced the engine the bike should stay running well but this doesn’t mean that it will stop when you press the brakes, or the that the wheels wont fall off!
So lets give some attention to the rest of the Quad Bike to give it the best chance of performing well.
First we will check the tire pressures. Quads usually run at a very low pressure, between 6 and 10psi. Many pressure gauges are not accurate at these low pressures, however most quads come supplied with a small gauge. If you don’t have one then they are available very cheap and from most quad dealerships.
When choosing what pressure to run your tires at, bear in mind that lower pressure are best suited to loose ground such as sand, and higher pressers are better on hard surfaces like tarmac.
Next, let’s take a look at the tension of the chain. You will be able to find the manufactures recommended chain deflection in the owner’s manual. If not, a general rule of thumb is to have at least an inch of up and down movement in the middle of the bottom run of the chain, with someone sat on the quad. (You need to have a rider on the quad when adjusting as when the suspension moves up and down it effects the chain tension).
Refer to you manual to find out which axle locking nuts to undo before winding in the adjusting bolt.
Be sure that, once you have tightened up the axle locking nuts, you do one final check of the chain deflection as it can sometime change once the bolts have been tightened.
Finally grease the chain using a good quality chain grease, spraying the grease on the inside edge of the chain. Make sure you coat a thin layer all the way round.
If your bike has a shaft drive you will need to ensure the rear axle oil level is full and clean, and top up or change as appropriate.
Next consult the manual to find out if there are any grease nipples to maintain. Many quads have one in the middle of the rear swinging arm, front king pins, steering column or wish bones.
Now we will check the wheel bearings and brakes. Find a suitable jacking point on the front of the bike. Once the front is off the ground, with one hand at the top of the wheel and one at the bottom, shake the wheel to check for wheel bearing or king pin movement, if there is any you will need to change the bearings.
Now pop an axle stand under the front of the bike and remove one of the wheels.
If your bike has drum brakes, slacken the cable tension off by winding in the adjuster up at the lever, then remove the cable from the back plate. Then remove the centre hub bolt at the front and slide the brake drum off.
Have a good look at the brake shoes. There should be at least 2mm of lining left at the thinnest point of the shoe, if not you will need to replace them.
If the brakes have been sticking the keener mechanic can remove the shoes and brake cam pin. Clean off any excess grease or rust from the brake cam pin and lubricate it before refitting. In my experience a mixture of light spay grease and copper slip last the longest.
With cables off now is a good time to lube the cables, you can do this using a cable oiler and a light oil like WD/40 available from and good tool shops.
Before refitting the drum, rough up the wearing faces of both the drum and shoes with some sand paper and blow or tap out any dust in drum or on the shoes. (Insure to wear a face mask when blowing out with an air line).
Now repeat this process on the other front drum.
Once the drums and wheels are back on refit and adjust the cables, you are looking for a good tight brake lever but be sure the wheel is able to spin freely.
Before lowering the front of the bike, give the steering, front wish bones and shock absorbers a good shake, everything should be tight if there’s any movement you may need to replace bushes.
Now get the back of the bike off the ground. Again shake both the wheels as you did with the front to check for bearing play, this may be visible as the shaft meets the rear axle.
Most quads only have one rear brake, remove the one rear wheel (taking care to use axle stands).Remove the end hub nut and the drum cover then repeat the process for cleaning and checking as with the front drum brakes.
Before lowering the back of the bike, give the swinging arm and shock absorber a good shake, everything should be tight if there’s any movement you may need to replace bushes.
If you have hydraulic disc brakes, once the wheel is removed check the pad linings by looking at the amount of wearing surface left between the pad back plate and the disc, of It’s 1mm or less it’s time for new pads.
The keener mechanic is advised to remove the caliper and separate the sliders to clean and lubricate the slider pins with light grease and copper slip, then apply a light oil such as WD/40 to the piston and slowly push it in. This is helpful as pistons and sliders often seize in the life of a set of pads, making life hard when it comes to fitting new pads.
(Be sure not to forget to pump out brake pistons before jumping on a riding away as it will take a few pumps of the levers for the piston to push the pads back onto the discs).
Continued from Quad Bike Maintenance Part 1