Hello everyone, Boo here.
I finally got to ride my Honda XR250 BAJA (the Japan-market XR250 / MD30) again after three months, so here's what I did before setting off.
The things I checked before riding after a long break were...
- Checking the tyre pressures
- Lubricating the chain
- Checking the battery
As I'll explain below, charging a battery takes time, so rather than checking it just before you ride, I recommend charging it on a schedule or fitting a voltmeter.
First, the tyre pressures.
Tube-type tyres seem to lose air easily.
I use a Kijima Smart Air Pump (first generation) to set the pressures.
It's a bit noisy, which bothers me early in the morning, but it makes setting the pressure easy, so I recommend it.
It's now been updated as the Smart Air Pump JP03.
The hose is longer, it can be used as a power bank, and the pump capacity seems to be 1.3 to 1.5 times higher, which makes me envious.
While setting the pressures, I was quite pleased to see how clean the front hub still looked.
Having it powder-coated and clear-coated three years ago paid off!
Next, lubricating the chain.
I use an AZ oiler; you can adjust how much comes out and bend the nozzle, which is handy.
With all that done, I turned the key and pressed the starter button, and all I got was a "whirr..." and nothing more.
The battery was flat...
When you're not riding, I really think you need to remove the battery or charge it regularly.
Luckily, I've fitted a kick starter to my XR BAJA, so I kick-started the engine and got away with it.