High Performance demands High Maintenance

Husqvarna's TC motorcycles are made straight from the factory race-ready.  The high demands of racing will cause a lot of wear and tear on the engine components.  To limit wear, Husqvarna designed the TC models to have the oil & filter changed along with valves adjusted after every race, no questions asked.  So what do you do if you're like me who owns a TC 450 and only rides on trails for fun?

If you own a TC model and ride it on trails your only option is to keep track of the hours you ride.  A good rule of thumb is to change your oil and check your valves every ten hours of riding.  Doing this not only prolongs the life of your engine but it also keeps your bike in peak operating condition.

Think of your valves as the timing on your car.  If your timing is off just a little, your car will start to run rough and make funny noises.  If your valves are just .002-.003 of an inch out of tolerance, your bike will be hard to start and will backfire all day long.  High RPM's will actually cause the valves to mushroom out and suck up into the head and eventually leads to the valve never closing. 

Engine oil never wears out or breaks down, it just gets dirty and contaminated with harsh carbon deposits.  Your engine oil doesn't only lubricate your engine but it also helps keep your engine clean by removing carbon deposits and allowing the oil filter to separate the two.  Carbon is the hardest element known to man because it never breaks down.  Old carbon-contaminated oil would be similar to having sand in your oil, your engine doesn't stand a chance.

An oil change with valve check every 10 hours seems to be an inconvenience at first, but it is not an inconvenience when compared to rebuilding your engine or breaking down on the trail.  Husqvarna's TC bikes are high performance machines that require high maintenance.  If you screech at the sound of maintenance work, then don't buy a high performance bike or you'll be screeching when you see the maintenance bill.

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