Gday! Got myself a Laro 250 and a bunch of questions

Hi Everyone! Got told this is a great place to learn about bike stuff!
Names Moxy, and I recently moved to Canberra from Sydney, in my move decided to by a bike so I got a 2010 laro 250 cruiser, and boy am I in love. Now I read lots about not buying chinese bikes, but I rode it and its what I wanted so I got it.

Anyway I do have some questions but I have yet to read the forums, I am sure they have been answered, however ill list them anyway.

One, How frequently should I be changing my tyres, and what is a good way to tell?
Two, My chain is covered in black grease, is WD-40/degreaser a move I can make before lubing, or should I wipe it all off with a cloth and then apply chain lube?
Three, when measuring chain tension do I measure it at the bottom of the chain or at the top? (Rotating it still)
Four, Can you recommend a good chrome cleaner? I am using one that came with a cleaning kit, but it left white residue.
Five, Anyone experienced with the Laro, does the exhaust just bolt off so i can change it for something a little louder? She is so quiet it almost feels dangerous.
Six, I got a 51 piece tool set that has all the sockets I need plus pliers a monkey wrench a screw driver and vicegrip pliers, what other tools do you recommend? I intend to learn and do as much work on her as possible, I have been cleaning her every day and desperately want to do more.
Seven, Ive been applying chain lube every second day, is this too frequently or not frequent enough? Its my daily driver.
Eight, How do you go through driver thru and get a paper cup, or do you just not?
Nine, What size headlight can I put in her? So far even my highbeams are pretty dim.
Ten, What can I do to get a fuel gauge fitted? So far im just looking in the tank and guesstimating, which im happy to do.

anyway im going to have a look through and find out what I can.

Thank you in advance guys and I look forwards to joining your community!

 

Wow. Welcome, and I hope you're joking in some bits.

I can help in some bits. Chain cleaner is better than WD40 depending on your chain, available at any bike shop and some servos. Every 2nd day is too often, space it out to every 2nd tank of fuel or 500kmish. Tyres will have a raised indicator in a couple of the treads, when u hit this your tyres are illegal. Specific laro questions would be better answered in a specific laro forum. And look at ram-mounts regarding coffee holder and good luck with that.

Enjoy riding! Oh and a torque wrench, also needed for chain tensioning, which u check from bottom of chain.

Oh @supamodel is your chain wiki in the new forum version yet? Will be useful for @Moxy to read.

 

Well I got my bike about 9 days ago so far, put nearly 1000km on it since then, was a 2400 now at 3200km so 800ish or so, hence every second day, but seems to frequent.
The chain lube I have at the moment is Silkolene chain lube (the brand is fuchs so i laughed and bought it)
HID's are illegal on cars, does the same hold true for a bike? I dont really mind just wanted to be sure.
My bike manual is coming in the mail, Laro dont have a pdf version, which I am hoping to fix by digitizing my copy.

The ride from syd to canberra was pretty long actually, was following my partner who had a trailer and a dog, so we had to stop every 45 too let him run around. Took nearly 12 hours, but 3 of those were sleeping and the large majority was because our dog got motion sickness.
That ride was my first ride other than my carpark training, it was cold, raining, windy and we left after dark. Didnt even have gloves or a proper jacket, so boy was it cold, lesson learned.

I really want a rear wheel stand, I nearly dropped my bike whilst playing around with my footrest height.

@archetypicalone I am pretty new, what parts did you mean by joking? Is it just the fact that I got a Laro?

Another question, What can I use instead of stock interior polish to clean the seats? I found it makes them really slippery.
Also, do any of you feel like giving the finger to the "no seat belt no brains" signs or is that only me?

 

8. Lol wut?!

9. Try adjusting the angle of your lights first. They may just need to be angled up slightly.

10. Don't bother. Reset the trip meter when you fill up, and pay attention to the distance it records when the bike starts to run out of fuel. Switch to reserve, get fuel.

And welcome!

 

Oh, and chain lube intervals will be covered in the manual, but I usually go for every 1000kms or so.

 

Welcome to CR. I think you know a young gentleman by the name of Geoff.

 

I meant the coffee. You're on a bike, concentrate on having both hands on the bar not holding a coffee. Especially whilst you're learning. Don't polish your seat it will be fine without anything. Just use a damp cloth to wipe it down. Slippery seat is bad and polish will transfer to your pants too. I would suggest getting some gear as well. I'm not trying to be AGATT (all the gear all the time) but it is advisable to have at minimum a good helmet, amoured motorcycle jacket made from leather or ripstop textile and a pair of motorcycle gloves. And that 12 hour ride must have been hideous. In time (once off ps and all that) you'll see it get to around 3 hours

Oh and if you're wondering why I suggested ram mounts, they have all sorts of mounts for holding phones, gps, a cup holder, etc. But I still don't recommend doing thru maccas drive thru and getting a take away cup of coffee. More than likely be cold by the time you get anywhere anyway

 

1- When they wear out and are looking bald (anywhere).
2 - WD40 is fine - spray it on a rag and wipe off the junk - go for a spin to spin off any residual then lube with chain lube. Every few weeks at the most.
3 - Bottom in the middle. Ive gone years without tightening a chain as there was no need.
4 - Best chrome cleaner i have come across is megiaurs motorcycle detailing spray - after that for aluminium is mothers mag and alu polish.
5 - Dont change the exhaust on your Laro - just dont. Its not dangerous.
6 - The only tools you need will be the tools that you need. If you need it buy it - if you dont need it dont buy it. Stop cleaning it.
7 - Stop lubing - you are dirtying up your back wheel which will result in more cleaning.
8 - If i see a Laro getting around with the rider holding a cup of coffee, well - you may end up wearing that coffee.
9 - Your headlights already meet ADR. (australian design regs). So they are probably bright enough. You are probably used to a car. Bikes are different. The only thing you can do is change the bulb but that may mean it burns out alot because it is not meant for your electrical system. No harm in trying.
10 - Fill tank, set trip meter. Run out of fuel and note kms on trip meter. This is how many kms you can do before you know you need to get more fuel. Dont count reserve. Its unreliable.

Edit - dont clean your seat with anything other than water.

Stop cleaning your bike. Focus on riding and growing a beard.

 

Number 8: The only true coffee is espresso, so throw it down then put the empty cup back on the counter and ride away.

 

You are completely correct sir!

Awesome thank you, hadnt even considered a GPS.
The 12 hour ride included a 3 hour break for sleep, it hit 4am and couldnt keep going.

Also I currently wear a helmet and have a good jacket, working on gloves should have them this week.

The only true coffee is picked by monkeys.

 

Does that make you someone who works with a devilishly handsome man named geoff?

 

As for the beard, my beard is pretty grand at this stage, about half the length of a 2b pencil (curled) and a full 2b pencil (straightened)

So far I have been just going by mileage and it works.

They are "bright enough" but only with my highbeams on, otherwise I cant see a car more than 20 meters away, maybe that is normal :S

Roger Roger, dont clean it every day.... but I want toooo

 

Quite possibly.

 

Well feel free to come round and check her out. I hear your quite the boss.

 

The Disco Bandit boogies to and fro, hither and yon. Whence comes he? No man knows. Whither strikes he next? All men live in fear of him and his Moxie.

 

Moxie is a brand of tampons. Just sayin'

 

Yeah I know... My partner uses them, oooh the jokes she makes.