When is it time to retire your motorcycle parts? Lifespan and maintenance guide 🛠️
Don't wait for your motorcycle to tell you with strange noises. Learn to identify when to change tires, spark plugs, suspension, and more. Plus, discover how Motocorner's "Garage" ensures you don't miss a single date.
1. Tires: It's not all about the tread
Many bikers believe that if there's a groove, there's a ride. Grave mistake. The rubber crystallizes (hardens) over time and loses grip, especially in cold or wet conditions. A tire older than 5 years is a danger, even if it looks new.
- Lifespan: Between 5,000 and 15,000 km (depending on the compound and your riding style).
- The trick: Check the DOT code on the sidewall (week and year of manufacture). If it's over 5 years old, replace them even if they have tread.
2. The drivetrain: The chain is not chewing gum
If you hear a rhythmic "clack-clack" or see that the sprocket teeth look like shark fins (sharpened to one side), you're late. A poorly maintained chain saps power and, if it breaks, can destroy the crankcase or lock the wheel. If you're buying a used motorcycle, learn how to prepare your bike with a pre-MOT guide.
- Lifespan: 20,000 - 30,000 km.
- Street tip: Clean and lubricate every 500-800 km, especially if you've been caught in the rain.
3. Oil and filters: Clean blood for your machine
Oil is the only thing that prevents your engine from turning into a block of molten metal. Over time, it loses its properties and becomes filled with impurities. Make sure you know the Maintenance Plan for your Suzuki V-Strom or any other motorcycle.
- Lifespan: Every 5,000 - 10,000 km (or once a year, whichever comes first).
- Important: Always change the oil filter every time you change the lubricant. It's cheap and vital.
💡 Don't remember when your last change was? > Upload your bike to My Garage on Motocorner.es and we'll send you a reminder when you're approaching the key mileage.
4. Spark plugs: The spark that changes everything
If you notice the bike is consuming more than usual, struggling to start when cold, or jerking at low speeds, the spark plugs are asking for retirement. A faulty spark plug causes inefficient combustion and can be one of the signs of scams when buying/selling motorcycles.
- Lifespan: 12,000 km (standard) or up to 40,000 km (Iridium).
- The symptom: Unstable idle or "misfires."
5. Shock absorbers: Your safety (and your kidneys)
Often the greatly forgotten. A worn-out shock absorber causes the bike to bounce over bumps, lengthen braking distances, and lose its line in corners. For optimal management of your revisions, visit our motorcycle maintenance calculator section.
- Lifespan: Visual inspection every 20,000 km. Reconditioning or replacement at 40,000 - 50,000 km.
- Red alert: If you see oil leaking down the fork stanchions or the rear shock absorber body, go straight to the workshop.
6. Brake pads: The limit of metal
If you hear a metallic screech, you're braking "iron on iron." You'll ruin the discs, and the joke will cost you an arm and a leg. A complete inspection will give you peace of mind, especially if you're going to ride in the world of routes in Andalusia.
- Lifespan: Depends on how hard you brake, but check the thickness every 5,000 km. If less than 1.5 mm of compound remains, replace them.
🏁 Your pocket mechanic: My Garage at Motocorner
Keeping up with maintenance is the difference between enjoying the ride and being stranded at a gas station. At Motocorner, we want you to only worry about cornering.
That's why we've created My Garage:
- Register your bike (or several).
- Log your completed maintenance.
- Set reminders by date or km.