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How to Give a Used Bike a New Bike Feel

Dirt bikes, by their nature, are meant to be used, abused, and then repaired. But one of the biggest drawbacks of buying or riding a used bike is that unaddressed mechanical issues can cause the bike to behave oddly, making your job as a rider that much harder. Addressing these key maintenance items will keep your used bike performing well.

For the purpose of this article, we're focusing on reviving the new bike "feel," not the new bike "look"—but if you've got the coin for cosmetics, new plastics and graphics can spruce up an older ride and give it a personal flair.

1. Check your tire pressures. (Free!)

If this isn’t already on your pre-ride checklist, it should be. Dirt bike tires behave dramatically differently under varying pressures, and the recommended ranges depend on the tire model, the rider weight, the terrain (rocks, sand, roots, dirt?), and the conditions (muddy, dry, cold, hot?). Too little air and the tire will feel wallowy; too much and you'll find the tires deflecting off debris in the trail and struggling to hook up on acceleration.

Don't make things harder for yourself: learn the appropriate pressure ranges and check the tires every ride.

2. Set the rear suspension sag for your bodyweight. (Free!)

This is something you should do as soon as you acquire any new-to-you bike. Having the sag set properly affects the performance of the suspension. If you are a light (under 160lbs) or heavy (over 190lbs) rider, you may need to swap the springs in your forks and the rear suspension to match your weight; if the bike is sprung wrong for you, it won’t be possible to satisfy the suggested sag settings for both rider sag and free sag—one of them will be out of spec, and the suspension won’t work as well as it could.

The Factory Connection Setup Sag guide is an excellent resource on how to set your sag.

3. Set the suspension rebound and damping back to factory specs. (Free!)

Not all forks or rear shocks have adjustable rebound and damping, but if yours do, make sure that a previous owner hasn’t set them somewhere out in left field. Whacky suspension settings can make the bike handle oddly. Buy or download a copy of the manual for your bike, or find a good reference on an online forum or YouTube video, and determine the factory settings for your suspension.

Ultimately, you may want to tweak these settings to work better for the type of riding you do, but getting them to a known baseline is an good start.

4. Replace your grips. ($)

Grips are wear items that should be replaced periodically, and tacky new grips can make a quick and noticeable improvement in the feel of a bike. There's a huge variety of grips on the market, ranging from thick to thin and hard to soft. The thickness and texture of a grip can make a substantial differnce in your comfort on the bike; experimenting with different types of grips to see what works best for you is highly recommended.

5. Install new tires. ($$)

Tires aren’t cheap, but as your sole connection between bike and Earth, they are a critical piece of the puzzle. Tires with missing or rounded knobs can dramatically change how much traction you can find, which changes how you have to ride. Worn tires limit a good rider and can make things impossible for an amateur.

Besides the obvious benefits of sharper-edged knobbies and tackier rubber, swapping your tires allows you to choose a design that is tailored for your type of riding. The ideal tire for a high-speed, hardpacked motocross track has a very different rubber compound and knob pattern than a tire designed for going over moss-covered rocks on a mountain.

Today's tires are purpose-built, and yes, the right tire for the job DOES make a difference.

6. Replace the seat cover. ($$)

If your seat cover still has pronounced texture and has not worn smooth, this is not needed. But a worn down seat cover offers less grip than a new one, and a seat that holds you in place can make a big difference in your confidence and fatigue rate. If you find yourself sliding toward the rear fender on a smooth seat, it can make traversing steep hills or staying with the bike under hard acceleration that much more intimidating and exhausting. This upgrade also has the added benefit of a significant, and custom, cosmetic improvement.

Check out Seat Concepts and play around with their custom seat cover designer. Replacing a seat cover requires a staple gun, but if you don't have access to one, a local upholstery shop should be able to help you out.

7. Get the bike running right. ($ - $$$)

Don’t trust that the previous owner…or yourself, last year…left the engine in ideal mechanical condition. The things that can ail an engine are varied, and someone with mechanical aptitude can help you identify specific things that could be hurting the performance.

Short of a specific diagnosis, be sure the basic maintenance items are done: the air filter is clean, the carburetor or sensors (if fuel-injected) are clean, the fluids are fresh, hoses are flexible and not cracked (and the intake boot is sealed!), the valves are within spec (on a four-stroke), and the top end is fresh. It’s also wise to pull the pilot and main jets (if your bike is carbureted), and confirm that they are the recommended sizes for your riding elevation and season. For advice on jetting, find a dealer who specializes in your bike’s brand and give them a call. (Or you can post on an online forum, like a good 21st century dirt biker.)


With all of these items sorted out, a used bike should perform as well as any. Fighting mechanical issues only makes your job harder as a rider; set yourself up for success by keeping your bike in good shape.