Before you don your leathers and rev your motorcycle's engine, you have to take the time to prepare your bike for spring. Hopefully you did the majority of the work before you locked the bike away for winter, but if you didn’t, and even if you did, here are some tips to get your bike ready for the first ride of the season.

In several of the Northern states, snow has already begun to fall. Many people have put their bikes away for winter or have started on projects to upgrade their motorcycles. It’s a good time to check and see if you’ve done everything properly to winterize your bike.

We all know how important our tires are, being the only thing between us and the road, understanding the basics of tires can help you notice and prevent problems from occurring or escalating.  The first thing to consider is tire pressure. Your tire pressure is measured in "PSI levels" or "pounds per square inch" which is the amount of force exerted on an area of one square inch. Pick up a gauge and keep it in your bike when you ride.

Every spring I would bring my motorcycle in for a spring tune-up with the sneaking suspicion I could easily perform most of the tasks myself. Changing your own oil is a pretty fool proof maintenance task that can save you a few bucks and give you a little bragging rights at the upcoming bike week.

The electrical components of your bike can seem like staring into a big pot of spaghetti and trying to make sense of the whole deal. To begin comprehending the whole ordeal think of your electrical system as three separate beasts: one system generates the electricity, on stores the power and another directs electricity to components in need of electrical energy.