Now is the time of the year when people tend to get the bolt-on horn. It's a common complaint. So imagine then, their instant utter disappointment when the bolts they need to be undoing won't budge.

Stuck fasteners can be a problem regardless how old your motorcycle is. It's either caused by too much thread-lock or corrosion between the treads in the absence of any lubrication on them.

So what do you do? Hopefully, at the first sign of a nut or bolt being stuck you won't simply apply more force, especially true if you're working with shallow cap head bolts.

So we have a vehicle that looks very simple but whose actions are actually very difficult to monitor. And where understanding exactly what is going on makes a really big difference to the ability of the team to maximize the bike's performance on the race track. But before we can understand what the bike is doing, whether it be right or wrong, we first need to record accurate details of its current performance in a repeatable fashion, so we monitor the effects of any changes that might be made. In other words: acquire data.

At a MotoGP round the bikes are on track for four, one hour practice sessions over two days, before the race, the fourth session is slightly distorted as it is the official qualifying session and, at some point during that, a little time has be set aside to make sure a decent qualifying lap is set.

It's long been said that standard damping adjusters aren't very effective. The reality is slightly more complicated. It's fair to say that, as far as road riding goes, the suspension of almost every production motorcycle out there does a good job. But suspension, like all components, is built to budget and safety limits.

Honda, for example, has no wish to increase the price of a bike by fitting something that isn't necessary for the majority of customers. Likewise, they wouldn't want to fit something that, if mis-adjusted, would make the motorcycle dangerous to ride.

This means the suspension units on your bike are built to do the job satisfactorily, and no more. Mostly the only adjustment normally available on suspension units is spring pre-load, low-speed compression and low-speed rebound damping.

We got some questions about, what to do if you stored your bike for the last few months, and kind of mechanical checks should be preformed before going for a ride.

Your motorcycle will need a good going over before your first ride. It's best to check it over few a days before you want to go out, so there's time to deal with any problem that may show themselves.

If your motorcycle has been standing for a few months, the first place to start is the battery. Obviously, if it's dead you'll have nothing when your turn the key, but if there's some life in the battery check all the bulbs and make sure they're all working, or else get any duds replaced before your ride.

There's no excuse for running out of fuel on a Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom. The five-bar fuel gauge is a mere glance away and you get two warnings: the wee pump symbol winks when the load drops to just one bar, then this remaining bar flashes when the quantity reaches a dangerously low level.

But this morning I'm ignoring them. My odd 130km daily round trip sees me refueling every other day, at around 230km, when the second light blinks. It's more often than I'd expect with a cavernous 22 liter fuel tank, so I've strapped a jerry can to the rack so I can find out what the Suzuki V-Strom's range really is.

We will all at some point in our riding lives end up with our pride and joy lying smashed on its side. But don't panic, your actions now determine whether you are a man or a frail, pathetic child. Dropping your bike is all part of the rich tapestry of riding, so deal with it and move on.

Firstly, assuming you've had a man-sized crashed, leap out of the road so you don't get squashed. Next, check everything works and no bones are broken, take you time to check, as you can be in some form of shock and not feel a thing. Still alive? Good. Providing you're okay and it's safe to do so, it's time to get the bike upright. Stand at the front of the machine and turn the bars so they're on full lock with the front of the front wheel pointing upwards.

As the Honda CBR-125R get more popular, the Honda CBR125 is Britain's top-selling motorcycle for several years. The Honda CBR-125R is a fantastic road legal learner bike perfect for first time rider.

The Honda CBR-125R with its Liquid-cooled, two-valve, single-cylinder, four-stroke, 124.7cc engine produces enough power to get first time riders experience the feeling of riding a sporty bike. But after about one year, most Honda CBR-125 owners want to sell the bike as the 13 horsepower engine doesn't provide enough power.

There are loads of reasons you can get a flat battery. You can get any bike going by bump-starting it, but some are harder than others. The BMW G650 Xmoto of my girlfriend, 650cc single cylinder engine motorcycle is one of the harder once.

I have some pointers: A hill is your friend if you're bump-starting, don't say 'I know', it's incredible how many people know about the hill but still not use it. Even a slight gradient will make a difference. Point the bike down it to help you pick up speed. If there's no gradient, a mate can assist by pushing the bike. Grab a passer-by if necessary, they are for females easier to find then for men, but still.

If the bike's cold, set the choke to the normal start position. Test to see if the bike can be pushed while in gear, second gear is mostly the best, with the clutch in.

Back in the day, adjusting your bike's chains was a chore that had to be done with annoying regularity. On a Pan or Knuckle, it takes about an hour or so to do the deed. You first have to loosen the transmission's four mounting nuts and one mounting bolt. Unfortunately, many a wrench has forgotten that one odd mounting bolt, which is over by the kicker cover, resulting in much distress and liberal amounts of verbal lubrication as he tries to get the still-bolted-to-the-frame transmission to move.

Once all the hardware is loosened, the transmission is slid back in the frame until the primary chain is properly adjusted. Once the transmission is again secured to the frame, you then loosen the rear axle and move the rear wheel to readjust the rear chain, since you screwed up its adjustment when you moved the transmission.

Once the chains are right, you have to readjust the rear brake rod, shifter rod, and, if equipped with a foot clutch, the clutch rod, because you changed their settings when you moved the transmission and rear wheel. Sounds like fun, eh?

Assuming no design flaws or problems arising from the cheaper parts favored by financial officers, and that the engine is properly tuned, as in previous article, and the oil changed frequently, a production engine can go 200,000 kilometer or more before it wears out. This being the case, is custom balancing and blueprinting really worth it?

Sure it is, and here's why: First, understand that those 'last forever' production engines you read about are the exception rather than the rule. Bucking the law of averages, the parts that went into them just happened to have ideal clearances when the engine was assembled. The slightly undersized shaft "just happened" to be installed in a slightly over-sized bearing, and the engine was custom-blueprinted by coincidence.