Any motocross racer will tell you that results depend a great deal on not just the ability of the rider, but the reliability of the machine, which is why correct motocross maintenance is essential for you to start getting those much deserved results.

Among one of the most important aspects of motocross maintenance is cleaning the air filter on the machine. The air filter is the number one protector for your engine and without it, your bike would be sucking air and particles, straight through to the engine, this may include dust, or general debris. Your air filter basically forms a bubble, not allowing any debris or dust to pass through and can even soak up water if you find yourself in such a situation, so it's always wise to keep it clean.

Motocross Maintenance is overlooked by many people, especially cleaning the air filter on a motocross bike as it is generally a messy job.

This is a fairly simple way to clean a filter,an essential part of motocross maintenance, although other riders prefer to use different methods. You will need to remove the seat from your machine, which will give you access to the airbox. Remove the filter and place it in a bucket. Once in the bucket you can either fill it with hot soapy water, or filter cleaner (make sure you get yourself some latex gloves). Filter cleaner is the wiser option, but some prefer to use hot and soapy, mainly because it's cheaper!

This can be a time consuming part of motocross maintenance, but don't get despondent, it has to be done! Make sure you remove all dirt and oil particles before washing through with cold pure water, and let it dry COMPLETELY. This is essential, if you install a wet filter to a machine, the suction from the engine may drag the water particles through causing top and bottom end damage.

You have nearly finished the air filter section of motocross maintenance!

Once the filter is dry, you have two options; spray on air filter oil or conventional oil. Spray on oil is the easier option, but make sure you coat the filter correctly, as sometimes its easy to miss spots. With the conventional oil, I tend to wear latex gloves and put the filter into a plastic bag with some oil, then slowly knead it into the filter. Which ever way you coat your filter with oil, always make sure you allow the filter to dry for a while, as excess oil could block jets in your carburettor, causing engine failure.

There; a fairly basic job and your ready to go, the air filter section of motocross maintenance is complete!

Important motocross maintenance Points:

Some riders prefer to use petrol. While this is an excellent way to get rid of dirt and grime quickly, the chemicals in petrol can destroy the seams of glue, which can allow dirt particles in and therefore, leaving your engine exposed.

Some riders like to use a coat of grease to seal the filter to the airbox. This is actually something I do myself, as I take no chances. You can use grease made for this exact purpose, or any general grease, just apply a small amount around the rim of the filter and it should create a perfect seal.

Oiling filters is a messy job, but a well worth while part of motocross maintenance. Its wise to try and do a bulk load of filters in one go, once they are done, wrap them up in plastic bags, so you can change the one fitted to your motocross bike quickly, if you hit an extremely muddy or dusty track.

*Do not attempt to start or ride your motocross bike without oiling your air filter. Without oiling your filter, you have not completed the above steps of motocross maintenance. The oil acts like a spiders web, catching all particles that may damage your engine, by running your bike without oil, your running the risk of damaging your engine.*