Street Bicycles

Performance Bike

Maintain and Tune up Your Super Pocket Bike

New Engines

Breaking in the engine on your new super pocket bike is essential. We recommend taking it slowly and easily until you have used up at least one full tank of gas. Do not aggressively rev the engine or accelerate hard. Exercise your new bike at different speeds and loads, carefully and smoothly. The recommendation from some Italian manufacturers is to idle the engine for a good ten minutes, switch off and allow to cool down, then repeat three times.

Inspect your Brakes

Most pocket bikes have mechanical cable type brakes which are easy to maintain. Regularly take apart the brake assembly and do a thorough visual inspection. make sure the brake pads are not worn thin, the cables are not worn and the whole assembly is not worn or scratched. Also check the cable adjustment barrels and levers. Make it a regular part of your maintenance as you cannot be too careful when it comes to brake!

Fuel

The fuel you use is of paramount importance for the performance and long life of your pocket bike engine. Never economise on fuel! It will surely cost you more in the end. We highly recommend using the highest octane fuel available in your area, currently 91 octane in the US. Also use the best two-stroke oil. Economising on oil will only lead to poor performance and damage to your engine. A good ratio of gas to oil is 50:1 but check your manufacturers manual for individual recommendations.

Lubrication

We cannot emphasize enough that regular lubrication is a must. Always check your manual for individual manufacturers recommendations. Use a good lubricating oil and never cut corners with your lubricating schedule. It would be a good idea to thoroughly lubricate the inside of the chain before each use and after a lengthy ride using a good chain oil. Under lubricating will lead to a whole host of problems, over lubricating has never caused a problem in our experience!

Tuning Up the Clutch Assembly

Most pocket bikes use a centrifugal clutch which is very easy to use . The inner springs of the clutch assembly affect the engine revolution speed. These two springs are selected by the manufacturer to be suitable for the expected load on the bike, the weight of the bike and the type of track it will be used for. Of course these are going to be general considerations and you can adjust the springs to suit your individual preferences. Lighter springs are more suitable for low performance bikes and lower revs. Heftier springs need more revs to accelerate the bike. The springs installed by the manufacturer can be replaced with springs more suitable for your needs and the spring compression points adjusted to give better performance.

Buying a Used Pocket Bike

If you are purchasing a used pocket bike always ask for the manufacturers manual and if possible ask to be able to check out the brake and clutch assembly for wear and tear. A responsible seller will be glad to allow you to do this. A poorly maintained bike is not going to be a good deal, however cheap it is!

About the Author

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If I order quantity 1 of tires on a site like nashbar or performance bike, do i get a set or just 1 tire?

You get one tire.

Performance