Summer is approaching, would be a terrible lie to say with temperatures already soaring. At a time when people are most likely worrying about their brain melting away in the coming scorching months, it is also advisable to think about keeping that ever trusty two- and four-wheeler sometimes.
Here’s why. As we have established time and again vehicles are a combination of parts that are made from different materials, alloys, compositions and methods. It is important to brace for summer and do the required to keep things as smooth as a cat’s fur.
The first and foremost is to check the oil level more frequently than a person would hit the gym. Most two-wheelers in our country are air-cooled, meaning most vehicles are likely to end up using a bit more oil than they would normally.
Although it is not a deal-breaker, it is indeed a factor that has seen many a motorist stranded at the side of the road or fill the road they travel in with white smoke, much like mosquito repellent being sprayed or should I say oversprayed? That aside, checking the tyre pressures and changing tired rubber components would do a big deal in overcoming main issues.
Summer always brings with it many problems that a motorist faces and takes it up as their everyday hassle. The first is heat. To counter this, using lightweight and airflow-friendly helmets, gloves and boots are wise choices. Nobody wants to have a helmet and boots that weigh as much as a spaniel and makes their head feel like a balloon that’s filled with more air than it could take. Such high temperatures mean roads are going to be pretty hot for most of the day, so if one can, they can switch to summer tyres that would have reduced resistance to them, partly because they do not have to deal with water, and make the journey more fun. Further, the softer compound rubber will also aid in making the ride a bit better, unless people choose to try out a 30-something sidewalled tyre.
Then comes the fuel. Motorists will know that during summer, they suspiciously lose some kilometres out in their mileage scale. The reason is that as with many fluids, petrol and diesel, expand when hot and vapourise. If one is going to fill up their tank, doing the deed in the morning or after the temperatures hit the teens in the scale would show some change.
People also try to add some netting on their two-wheeler’s seat to let some heat off. Other things to suggest would be to try out a different seat colour altogether. Fancy some cherry red? Do as you wish. Or how about ice white?
Another one more thing is that with summer comes long days and with long days comes the problem of seeing signals correctly. A low sun in the sky will make it harder for people to distinguish between red and orange. So, come off the throttle if there is a signal approaching. The fine for jumping the lights (if there are cops present) is high nowadays. Happy summer folks!