So someone with a Ninja 600 has parked their bike outside my apartment building for the last 3 days. I'm never fast enough to see who it belongs to. Just hear him pull off or find it parked. No, whoever it is hasn't done anything wrong. Just something that'd worry me caught my eye if it were my bike:

His brake fluid in both reservoirs is obviously old, turning dark orange in color.

If we had met and chatted a bit, I'd say something as a tip. "You might get better brake performance if you flush and bleed your brakes" or something. But I don’t know who the owner is.

So what would you do? Leave a note? Try catching up with him?

 

I don't worry about it and go on my way.

Would you like someone that you don't know pointing out minor faults with your bike? If there was a huge gas puddle, leaking fluid, or something dangerous then say something, but dirty fluid...no.

 

If the fluid is old, he probably doesn't have it maintained. Could be many other things wrong with it. Not really your problem, but I'd hate to see another ride get into trouble because of it. Leave a note or try to meet them.

 

I agree with the first response. Sorta rings of being a busy-body(no offense). I however wouldn't mind somebody pointing out what I found on my bike about 20min ago. I just finished changing the oil and was checking for leaks when I noticed something that made my heart stop. One of my front axle pinch bolts was hanging by maybe two threads. I checked the other one on that same side, finger tight. The two on the other side were within spec. I took the front wheel off two weeks ago to change the tire, so I either missed a side(highly doubt it, I do ALL my own work), or my torque wrench is badly out of spec. Either case is not good.

Funny, I just got back from hauling the bike down to Georgia for a week of country road twisties. VERY aggressive riding, mind you.

 

That's the conundrum : feels intrusive. Me? I don't care if the advice is sound and concerns my safety. Had a coworker, who knows absolutely nothing about motorcycles, make the observation my chain looked loose. I looked and fugg it, he was right. Felt right stupid but thanked him and took care of it as soon as I got home.

But we all don't react the same I know. So not important enough to make an issue of?

 

Alerting a fellow rider of an extremly loose chain, or making a driver aware of a flat tire or insecured gas cap at a stoplight, ok. Approaching a stranger about discolored brake fluid and advice on what he/she should do to improve braking performance equals busy-body twit at best. At worst, wacko. Sorry

 

Improving brake performance would be a cover. Severely discolored brake fluid is an unsafe riding condition. I flushed the factory brake fluid out of my 06 f4i and it didn't look anywhere near that bad.

 

To me, seeing as how I'm just getting my bike on the road again and know its a work in progress, I would probably be a little put off if that was an introductory greeting. However, if you manage to catch up with them and talk, perhaps in a subsequent meeting bike performance would come up giving you the opening to mention it?

 

I probably wouldn't say anything unless we had chatted and then I'd mention it in passing. Even then he might not even care, which might be a good possibility since it's that bad in the first place. Either that or he doesn't know enough to.


If you really, REALLY feel the need to make an issue of it, then write him a message on a sticky note and slap it on his brake reservoir.

Again, I prolly wouldn't, but if you really feel that strongly about his safety then that's the way I would do it.