HarleyMotorcyclePartsThe Pre-Ride Inspection That Takes Five Minutes
Most riders check tyre pressure and nothing else. Here is the rest of it, in order.
The industry has a standard checklist for this and most riders have never been taught it. It exists because the failures that hurt people are almost all visible or audible before the ride, not during it. Five minutes, in a fixed order so you do not skip the one you always skip.
Tools
- Tyre pressure gauge
- Your eyes and your hands
- A torch for the dark
T-CLOCS, in order
The acronym is the industry-standard pre-ride check: TYRES and wheels, CONTROLS, LIGHTS and electrics, OIL and fluids, CHASSIS, STANDS. Doing it in a fixed order is the entire trick — an unordered look-over misses the same things every time.
T — TYRES AND WHEELS. Pressure with a gauge, not a thumb. Tread depth and shape. Cuts, bulges, embedded stones. Spin-check for wobble if the bike is on a stand, and grab the tyre top and bottom to feel for wheel bearing play.
C — CONTROLS. Levers and pedal for free play and smooth return. Cables for fraying and kinks. The throttle must snap shut at BOTH steering locks. Hoses and lines for cracks or weeping.
L — LIGHTS AND ELECTRICS. Ignition, kill switch, headlight high and low, tail light, BOTH brake switches (front lever and rear pedal — test them separately), indicators, horn. Mirrors clean and aimed.
O — OIL AND FLUIDS. Engine oil level on the bike's own method. Look under the bike where it has been parked: a fresh drip is information. Brake fluid level and colour. Fuel, and no smell of it.
C — CHASSIS. Frame for cracks, especially around welds and mounts. Suspension for weeping seals. Drive belt for tension and damage. Fasteners that should not be loose.
S — STANDS. Sidestand and centre stand: springs present, no cracks, and the stand retracts and stays retracted.
The version you will actually do
A full T-CLOCS is a weekly or pre-trip job. Before every single ride, a rider realistically does a shorter one, and that is fine as long as it is the RIGHT short one:
Walk around the bike once looking at the ground under it and at both tyres.
Squeeze the front brake and press the rear — both must come firm, not spongy, and both must light the brake light.
Twist the throttle and let it snap shut.
Key on: headlight, indicators, horn.
That is under a minute and it catches the failures that actually strand people.
When the bike has been standing
After a few weeks or more, do the full check rather than the short one. Things change while a bike sits: tyres lose pressure, brake discs surface-rust, fluids settle and absorb moisture, and rodents take an interest in wiring and airboxes.
Expect the first few brake applications to feel odd as surface rust cleans off the discs. Do that somewhere you have chosen, at low speed, not at the first junction.
Check the tyres especially hard — flat spots and cracking from standing are real and are not always obvious at a glance.
Mistakes that cost money
- Checking tyre pressure by pressing with a thumb.
- Testing only the front brake light and assuming the rear works.
- Checking throttle return with the bars straight only.
- Not looking at the ground under where the bike was parked.
- Doing the short check after the bike has stood for a month.
When to stop
A spongy brake lever, a throttle that does not snap shut, or a fresh puddle under the bike all mean the ride does not start. None of those improve by being ridden.
Parts for this job
Check fitment for your own model and year before ordering — add your bike and we will flag what fits.
Other Harley how-to guides
This guide covers procedure and judgement. Torque figures, fluid capacities, gaps and tension settings are specific to your model and year and must come from the factory service manual for your motorcycle — we deliberately do not print numbers we cannot stand behind for your bike. Independent aftermarket retailer, not affiliated with Harley-Davidson, Inc.