Winter scooters riding: How these maintenance tips can save your scooter during winters?

Winters can be challenging, not only for the people who ride scooters but also for the components installed in their scooters. Here are some maintenance tips which can keep your scooter fine even when the temperatures drop.

• Most of the moving components tend to suffer from the brunt of winters.
• The battery is one component in your scooter requiring the most care during winter.
• Apart from the components, even the fluids used for those components require a check-up before the winters start.

Check the health of the battery

The battery is one component of your scooter which tends to become the most fragile during winter. Most of the scooter riders in India tend to start their rides using the electric starter, even for the first-ever start of the morning. During winters, the environment surrounding your scooter becomes colder, due to which the fluids present within the batteries tend to become more viscous. 

It deteriorates the health of the scooter's battery. It is advisable to check the condition of the scooter's battery before the start of the winter season. Recharge it once, and if its health is below the required level, replace it altogether.

Check the condition of the tyres

Compared to all the other parts and components of your scooter, the tyres are the ones which undergo the most amount of wear and tear. Tyres require the most care, irrespective of the season in which the scooter is being ridden. Even during winters, tyres lose pressure marginally faster than during summers and monsoons. 

So, to keep the tyres up-to-date with the tyre pressure levels recommended by the scooter manufacturer, check the tyre pressure levels and the tread's condition at least once a week.

Keep your scooter covered

Irrespective of the weather, it is always advisable to park your scooter with a cover over it. The cover protects your scooter from harmful elements like dust and bird droppings while also preventing the moisture present in the environment, which becomes denser during winter. Such an amount of moisture can harm the parts of your scooter, as it can gradually develop even a minor coat of rust over them due to prolonged exposure to it. However, it is always recommended to dry your scooter before covering it.

Apply an anti-rust coating over your scooter

While keeping your scooter covered can be more than enough for most scooter owners, it can be slightly more of a bothering issue for those living in more humid and extremely colder regions. In such places, even a few hours of exposure can increase the magnitude and chances of the development of rust over the metallic parts of your scooter. 

To prevent such a situation, it is advisable to give your scooter an anti-rust coat, which can help in the prevention of rusting in the longer run.

Change the engine oil before the start of the season

Like the battery fluids, the other primary fluids responsible for keeping the health of your scooter optimal, like engine oil and brake oil, should be checked before the winter season starts. Usually, during winter, if the engine oil is older than the desired period, it tends to freeze due to possible contaminants. 

So, before the winter season kicks in, it is recommended to visit the service centre and change its engine oil with a fresher oil supply. If possible, it is also recommended to add additives to the engine oil to eliminate even the slightest chance of its freezing.

Proper lubrication of other mechanical parts

Not only the engine but also the other mechanical parts of your scooter need the proper amount of lubrication to ensure that the scooter runs trouble-free throughout the year. The components in regular usage, such as the transmission belt and brakes, also require optimal lubrication for a smoother ride. 

During winters, the increased amount of moisture can make the moving components of your scooter brittle in nature, which can result in a drop in performance. So, adequate lubrication is required to keep those moving components healthy.

Keep the headlamp and other lights clean

In regions heavily struck by dense fog or smog during winter, the illumination of the headlamp, tail lamp and turn indicators of your scooter tend to get weaker due to the accumulation of moisture over them. To avoid a drop in visibility of those lights in foggy weather conditions, it is advisable to clean the lighting components of your scooter using a soft microfibre cloth. It will also wipe out the dust or debris accumulated over those lights while riding.

Proper idling during the first start

Most scooter owners in India press the electric starter and start riding instantly without idling their scooters. While it is not much of a problem during summer, it puts an extra load on your scooter’s battery during winter. It is because the batteries of your scooters require an additional charge, especially during the first starts in the early morning. Therefore, it is advisable to idle your scooter for at least a minute, which will warm the battery and engine of your scooter and keep it at optimal temperature even in the early hours of the day.

Change brake fluid if necessary

For those scooters equipped with front disc brakes, especially all the 125cc scooters offered in India, the brake fluid is one component in your scooter which should also be shown much care. At super low temperatures, the brake fluid in the hydraulic braking system of a scooter can also get affected, resulting in poor braking performance. If the brake fluid of your scooter isn't changed in a long time, it is recommended to change it with fresh oil before the winter season kicks in.