Vehicle Knowledge and Maintenance
This domain checks that you can keep a machine safe between services. Most of the questions come down to a handful of checks you can do in two minutes before a ride.
The pre-ride walk-round
Tyres, chain, brakes, lights, mirrors, and any leak under the bike. Catching a soft tyre or a dry chain in the driveway is far cheaper than catching it in a bend.
Tyres
Check pressure when the tyres are cold and set it to the handbook figure, adding a little for a passenger and luggage. Underinflation makes steering heavy, wears the edges and overheats the carcass. Look for cracks, embedded objects, damaged sidewalls and tread below 1 mm.
Chain and sprockets
Check slack at the tightest point against the handbook figure, commonly around 25 to 35 mm. Too tight damages bearings and the gearbox output seal; too loose risks the chain jumping the sprocket. Adjust at the tightest point, and lubricate after a ride while the chain is warm. Hooked or pointed sprocket teeth mean the chain and both sprockets should be replaced as a set, because a new chain on worn sprockets wears out fast.
Brakes and fluids
Check pad thickness, disc wear and the fluid level. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air, so it is normally replaced every two years; a spongy lever or a dark colour is a warning. A clunk from the front end under braking points to steering-head bearings, and a throttle that does not snap back is a fault, not a habit.
Worked example
Your bike feels heavy and vague in corners. The rear tyre is at 1.2 bar instead of the 2.5 bar in the handbook. Correcting the pressure restores the steering and stops the tyre overheating.
Traps that cost marks
Checking pressure after a ride; over-tightening the chain; ignoring brake fluid age because the level looks fine.