INTRODUCTION
The ability to quickly and correctly troubleshoot motorcycle or ATV
problems is the first sign of a competent technician. Proper diagnosis
of a malfunction makes motorcycle or ATV disassembly, repair, and
reassembly relatively simple. If a malfunction has been improperly
diagnosed, the repair process can become long and tedious, or even
impossible. In order to be a successful technician, you must possess
proficient troubleshooting skills. First and foremost, troubleshooting
begins with a thorough knowledge of the
Parts of a motorcycle
Job each part performs
Effect each part has on overall motorcycle operation
Types of failure symptoms that a bad part will cause
Once you’ve gained this knowledge, troubleshooting becomes a
systematic and controlled approach to solving a problem.
When troubleshooting, you’ll need to
Gather all available information about the machine’s
malfunction
Analyze the symptoms related to the problem
Pinpoint the most likely cause of the problem
The repair process doesn’t begin until after you’ve gotten a clear
picture of what’s causing the problem. To achieve this picture, you’ll
have to
Mentally divide the motorcycle into sections (carburetion,
engine, electrical, and chassis)
Picture each component of every section
Picture each component and its relationship to the other
components and decide if each part is functioning properly
For example, suppose a spark plug isn’t firing correctly. You must
envision the operation of the spark plug in relation to the other
motorcycle systems. After doing this, you’ll have a variety of possible
problems identified, besides the obvious conclusion that the spark
plug is bad. The problem could be due to a dirty air filter that’s
creating an excessively rich fuel mixture. The source of the problem
could also be the ignition circuit or the carburetor system.
Motorcycle Troubleshooting
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