The most common motorcycle repair I come across is a bike that won’t start after it’s been sitting for a long period of time. We often see these motorcycles in our favorite Craigslist ads with the disclaimer “Running When Parked.”

Photo courtesy dirtrider.com

To put it simply, a motorcycle needs air, spark, fuel, and compression to start. If we check the basics we can usually get a bike running in no time.

Checking to see if your bike is getting air is easy. Have a look inside the airbox. Does the filter resemble chocolate cake, did you leave a rag stuffed in the airboot, or has a small animal decided to make a nest out of your Twin Air Bio Filter? It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen, and all of the above will prevent air from getting inside your engine. After all, a single cylinder engine is just like an air pump.

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