ATV Maintenance Tips

Whether you use your ATV for work or recreational riding purposes, it’s important to keep it well-maintained. While you may think that this means frequent trips to the service department at your local dealer, the truth is that you can do a lot of maintenance at home on your own, given the right tools and knowledge. You’ll save yourself expensive repairs by doing these small tasks and your ATV will perform better, too.

Maxey's Motorsports in OKC is your Sooner State ATV dealer. Here are some simple maintenance tasks that you can easily perform in your garage to keep your ATV in good working order so that you’re always ready for your next ride.

1. Consult Your Owner’s Manual

While the tips below are generally useful for ATVs, it’s always wise to know how your particular ATV functions and what the manufacturer recommends in terms of maintenance tasks. To that end, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve browsed your owner’s manual and that you keep it somewhere where you can easily refer to it when needed. 

While you don’t have to read it cover-to-cover, it’s important to know what products are recommended and how often you should perform certain tasks. You can even use the manual to keep track of maintenance and repairs.

2. Check Tire Pressure & Condition

Your first order of business is to check your ATV’s tires and the condition they’re in. Riding on bad tires is never advisable: you could suffer a blowout on the trail that leads to a collision, which could harm your ATV and worse, injure you. So make sure that your tires are always in peak condition. Use a tire-pressure gauge to check the pressure of each wheel and use an air compressor to air them up to the correct psi levels specified in your owner’s manual or printed on the tire’s sidewall.

While you’re down there, inspect each tire for signs of uneven wear, worn treads or objects embedded in the rubber, like nails or screws that could be causing a slow leak. Repair or replace any worn tires promptly.

3. Change Oil & Filters

The oil in your ATV keeps the engine running smoothly and it needs to be checked and changed just as you check and change the oil in your car or truck. Remove the dipstick, wipe it with a soft cloth, reinsert it and remove it again to check the color and consistency of your oil. Sludgy, opaque oil needs a change, but clear and runny oil can simply be topped off. Watch for metal particles in your oil; these can indicate that parts of your engine are grinding together.

When you change your oil, change the oil filter at the same time. Also, check your air filter and replace it if it’s dirty; you may need to replace the air filter more often if you ride in particularly dusty conditions.

4. Fill Up The Gas Tank

Fuel is an essential resource for your ATV. Always fill up your gas tank before every ride so that you don’t get stuck out in the wilderness with an empty tank. Use high-octane fuel rather than gasoline with ethanol in it. If you have to use ethanol gasoline, add a fuel stabilizer to prevent water separation that can corrode your gas tank.

If you need some professional assistance with ATV maintenance, contact the Maxey’s Motorsports service department. We can schedule you an appointment with our mechanics so that any issues can be immediately addressed before your next ride. Seeking an ATV for sale in Oklahoma? Check out the fine selection of new and used ATVs for sale at our Oklahoma City dealership on our website. You can also talk to our staff about our trade and financing options if you’d like to use them. Maxey’s Motorsports proudly serves the cities of Tulsa and Edmond, OK.