What a winter we have had! You may not feel this way if you just purchased one of those mountain-eating snow machines, but I'm sure even those who have one can appreciate that summer is fast on the way. And many of you have motorcycles, so all is not lost. Yah we may get 3 feet of snow yet, but we all know it won’t last long.

I get callers almost every week asking "What do I need to do to get my Harley® or Buell® ready to ride?" It is quite easy. First adjust the tire pressures to their recommended settings (found in your owner’s manual). Reconnect the battery if it was disconnected for storage. If you had a Global charger or a Smart charger plugged in all winter, your battery will be ready to go. If your battery is dead, what you do is going to depend on the type of battery you have. If it is one of the newer AGM batteries, go to our article on “Keeping Your New Battery Healthy” and read up on the new AGMs. If you have one of the batteries that you can remove the caps and add water, you can use any charger you may have and charge it using the recommendations for your battery and charger. If all else fails, bring it to the Service Department and we will charge it and check it out for you.

If you fogged your cylinders, you may have to replace the plugs as oil may have fouled them. It is a good idea to check cable adjustments and belt tension. NOTE: If you remove the dipstick on your Sportster® or Softail® and don’t see any oil, don’t panic. Don’t add any oil yet! It is possible for the oil to seep into the bottom of the engine, past the check valve. If you add oil, and most of your oil is in the engine, you will have a mess like you have never seen before. Start the bike and watch the oil return to the tank. Just look in with a flashlight and you will see the oil level coming up. If you do not see the level coming up and the engine is noisy, you may not have any oil. It can take from a few minutes to a few miles of riding in the case of a Sportster, to pump all the oil back into the oil tank. If you have questions about this, please call us.

If all is well in the oil department, let the engine warm up until you feel heat in the rear rocker box top cover. Once heat is felt, you can ride. It is recommended to take it easy for a mile or so. If you had to start the bike every week or month, all winter, you will need to change your oil and filter as soon as you can get it to the shop. You can also purchase the oil and filter, and change it yourself if you are so inclined. That done, you can now ride your bike and enjoy it.

If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to e-mail us at service@harleyalaska.com , call us at 248-5376, or stop by and visit us. Thank you for visiting our web site. We love what we do and we love doing it for you!