Things to Do if Your Motorcycle Breaks Down

Bike breakdowns are tough to deal with, as they can cause undue stress and create a feeling of helplessness. However, if you stay calm and follow these simple steps, you can easily deal with the situation:

Get to a Safe and Secure Position

If your bike stops working on the highway, your priority should be to get it and yourself to safety. Stopping your bike in the middle of the road can lead to a traffic jam or accidents. You should also not attempt to inspect and repair your bike while on a highway.

So, switch on the hazard lights and blinkers or use hand signs to get vehicles behind you to stop. Then, drag the bike to a nearby petrol pump, bus stop or rest stop. If your bike engine stops while the vehicle is moving, hold the handlebars firmly till it comes to a stop, then move it out of the way.

Protect Your Bike

Get to a secure position with your bike and stay in well-lit areas if you are riding at night. Next, drop the stand, engage the gear if on a sloped surface and shut the engine down. Assess your situation and take the next action, whether it’s to check the bike or call for help.

If you have a complete motorcycle breakdown, i.e., it doesn’t drive, you need to look for help. Collect all your essential belongings, including your wallet, smartphone, licence and other documents and start looking for help.

Keep Yourself and Your Bike Visible

While seeking help, ensure you avoid walking too far and risk your bike being stolen or damaged. At night, ensure at least one of the signal blinkers is switched on and turn on the hazard lights (if any). If your bike is no longer revving, place it near a light source and don’t stray too far.

If you have a reflective jacket or high-visibility safety jacket, retrieve it from storage and wear it to attract the attention of nearby drivers. Being visible is crucial at night, as you will want to avoid an accident with a speeding vehicle.

Check Your Bike for Obvious Issues

If you are secure, it’s time to observe the situation. Check your bike for signs of obvious damage, including the tyres and engine area and see if there are any loose wires or oil leaks. However, avoid repairing your own bike if you don’t have the skills of a mechanic, or your bike may get permanently damaged.

If you have some basic skills and tools, you can do some basic checks, like inspecting the fuel links or checking the tyre pressure. You can also check the battery and ignition system and look for loose nuts and bolts.

Call for Help

If your ad-hoc inspection didn’t solve your breakdown, you must get help. In case you have a cellphone signal, it’s best to call a friend or family member who can reach you. Alternatively, search for garages on your phone to book their services. You can also call your insurance provider if they offer roadside assistance.

When choosing insurance, you can buy various add-ons with your insurance for new bikes, including roadside assistance and breakdown services. By getting a two-wheeler insurance with this feature, the insurer will send a mobile team to your location to provide on-the-spot repairs.

But what if you are in a faraway place without a cellphone signal? Then, you have no other option but to stay put and be on the lookout for passing vehicles/people. In bad weather conditions, get shelter first and seek help after the weather improves.

Before you set out on a long bike trip, you should have the following items for emergencies:

Small Toolkit: Having a few essential tools lets you do small repairs to get to a garage after a motorcycle breakdown. Your toolkit should contain an adjustable wrench, pliers, screwdrivers, a combination wrench set and some duct tape.

Repair Kits: Make sure you have a tyre pressure gauge and a tyre inflator to check and adjust tyre pressure on your motorcycle. For quick repairs, have a tyre puncture repair kit and spare tubes. Also, carry spare cables, a jumpstarter kit and an emergency charger for battery and electrical issues.

Protective Gear: Having proper riding gear is necessary for long rides. Have a safety helmet, a high-quality riding jacket, riding boots and riding gloves. A waterproof biking suit is crucial for protection against the elements. To ensure visibility during heavy rain, keep a pair of goggles or a face shield at hand.

High-visibility Suit: If you have extra space, you should get a high-visibility suit with reflectors to stay visible to incoming drivers at night. If you don’t have one, you can add reflector patches to your current riding attire.

First Aid Kit: As accidents can happen to anyone, you should always have a well-stocked first aid kit. Pack it with essentials, such as bandages, cotton gauze, antiseptic wipes, pain relief medication, etc.

Other Essentials: To deal with emergencies, keep an extra water bottle, a change of clothing and some food to survive the night in the open.

If you know how to inspect your motorbike, you have more options other than seeking shelter and assistance. Even if you can only do simple repairs, you can get your bike working again long enough to get it to a garage.

To do a basic check, put your motorbike in a well-lit and safe area. Then, inspect the following parts to find out what’s wrong with your bike:

Tyre Pressure: The first thing you should check is the tyre pressure using a pressure gauge. Every tyre has a specific air pressure to maintain, as specified by the manufacturer. Use a hand pump or an automatic pump to fill the tyres with air, or open the valve to get the correct tyre pressure.

Chain and Sprockets: Check the tension of the bike chain and the condition of the sprockets. If the chain is making noise, apply lubrication and wipe away the excess grease. If one or more sprockets are in bad condition, you need to get them changed at the nearest garage.

Battery: Check if your bike’s lights and horn are working properly to check the battery condition. If the battery isn’t working, you will need jumpstart cables and an external electrical source, such as another vehicle or a spare battery/charger. Connect the positive terminal of your bike’s battery to the positive terminal of the external source, and the same for the negative terminals, before turning on the ignition.

Brakes: If you hear a noise while braking your bike, you need to check the brake pads and brake fluid. Allow your brakes to cool down first and check if it works again. Also, inspect the brake fluid level, and add fluid if necessary. However, if your bike’s brakes aren’t working properly, it may be too unsafe to ride your bike till it’s repaired.

Air Filters: Your bike’s air filters take in air from the outside and transfer it to the engine. Dirt, sand and grime can clog up the air filters, stopping the engine from working. Check the air filters, uninstall them and clean thoroughly. Some filters may need to be replaced.

Engine Oil: If you have a dipstick, you can check the engine oil level. If you have spare oil, you can refill the engine oil after letting the engine cool down completely. If the oil is dirty, you need to empty the engine oil and change it.

Follow the given tips to lower the chances of your ride breaking down:

• Check your bike’s tyre pressure using a tyre pressure gauge at regular intervals throughout your journey. Adjust the pressure as per the manufacturer's recommended levels to extend the life of your bike’s tyres.

• Cleaning your bike regularly prevents many of the common issues that cause a motorcycle breakdown. Ensure to keep the switches, air intakes, and exhaust pipe covered with a waterproof table before cleaning.

• Inspect the engine oil level and change the dirty oil regularly. Go through the exteriors to spot signs of oil leakage. This could be a sign of a damaged fuel tank or fuel lines.

• Always store your bike in the shade and never leave it exposed to water. Ensure to keep a full petrol tank to prevent water from getting in.

• Before every ride, check if your bike’s brakes are working properly by spinning each wheel and applying the brakes. If they are not engaging, you need to adjust the brake callipers or tighten the brake cables.

• Schedule regular bike maintenance and opt for the comprehensive checkup and maintenance service. You can schedule services after a certain number of miles or time.

Roadside assistance services are a certain type of add-on or rider added to a motor vehicle insurance plan. It’s an optional coverage that allows the policyholder to get on-the-spot bike breakdown recovery and repair services when their bike suffers a breakdown. If you want the option to recover your bike, TATA AIG’s Roadside Assistance is the right choice to deal with a sudden bike breakdown.

With this essential coverage, help is always a single call away. We offer comprehensive bike breakdown and recovery services. This includes on-the-spot tyre replacement, jumpstart assistance, fuel supply and minor repairs. For major repairs, we ensure your vehicle is safely towed to the nearest garage and arrange for emergency taxi and even hotel accommodation if you can’t reach home.

Getting our roadside assistance cover is easy. Just add this cover to your existing policy or when availing insurance for a new bike. You can also add other riders to your bike policy, including zero depreciation cover, additional personal accident cover, and more.

An unexpected motorcycle breakdown can be a stressful situation. However, you should try to be as calm as possible and get yourself to safety as soon as possible. If your bike has stopped working entirely, avoid doing extensive repairs by yourself, as you could damage it even more. Instead, look for help from either passersby or call a towing company to get it repaired. Having an insurance plan with roadside assistance also helps.

When it comes to securing your bike against losses and damage, there are too many bike insurance plans to easily make a decision. A better way to get the coverage you need is to Compare Bike Insurance with TATA AIG. Simply enter your bike’s registration number to compare TATA AIG’s bike insurance plans and find the best option for your unique needs.