T-CLOCS: How to Pass Your Base Motorcycle Inspection (on the First Try)

Congratulations on the new motorcycle! Once you have your motorcycle license, a bike, some gear, license plates and insurance, all that's left is a base sticker.

To get permission to ride on base, your bike will have to pass a safety inspection. The specifics might vary from command to command, but there are a few requirements you can count on.

Luckily, this is an open-book test (and you can download the official form ahead of time). The Motorcycle Safety Foundation provides the T-CLOCS checklist that military installations use as a safety standard, and I'm here to break it down into steps you can take to make your bike roadworthy and welcome on base.

Riding on Base Is a Privilege, Not a Right

I'll let you in on a secret: Deep down, most of your command leadership wishes motorcycles never existed. To non-riders, bikes are just another vector for someone to assign them paperwork explaining why a service member is in the hospital. They can't ban everything with a kickstand, but if you give them an excuse to sideline your motorcycle, they will jump on it faster than a MotoGP rider leaving a Formula 1 driver in the dust.

So don't give them any excuses. Make sure your motorcycle is in perfect shape before you even show up.

Follow the T-CLOCS Checklist

The T-CLOCS acronym stands for tires, controls, lights, oil, chassis and stand. There's more to it than those six items, though, so let's dig in.

Tires and Wheels

Start by making sure your tires are properly inflated according to the sticker on your bike's frame, and check the tread depth to make sure your tires aren't getting a flat spot down the center.

That's where most riders stop, but I go a step further. Check the sidewall for a four-digit date code. It's a "WWYY" format, so a date code that reads "0124" means your tire was manufactured in the first week of 2024. A lot of factors can affect how rubber ages, but the experts at Motorcyclist recommend replacing tires that are more than five years old, regardless of tread wear.

Check your wheels, too. Spokes should be tight enough to "ping" if you pluck them like a guitar string. Solid wheels should be free of dents or cracks. If there's any wobble between the wheel and axle, it's time for new bearings.

Before you stand up, take a peek inside your brake calipers. Make sure you have enough pad material (Motorcycle.com recommends a minimum pad thickness of three millimeters) and that the rotors aren't warped or scarred by grooves.

Each brake should easily stop your motorcycle on its own when you roll it by hand.

Controls

Spend some time inspecting your motorcycle's handlebar, levers, pedals, cables and hoses. They should all have a free range of motion with no unintended movement. Look for cracked hoses, frayed or rusty cables, and loose bolts.

Of all these, a sticky throttle might be the most common offender. With the engine off, twist your throttle all the way open and let go. It should immediately snap shut on its own. If it doesn't (and the return spring is still functional), there is grime between the grip and the handlebar or somewhere between the cable and its plastic sheath. Removing the grip and cleaning the handlebar or replacing the cable (a cheap and easy DIY job) should do the trick.

Lights and Electronics

Your base inspector will have a keen eye for electrical issues, so pay extra attention to lights that don't work properly. If you have a headlight, tail light, brake light, license plate light or turn signal that doesn't turn on, don't bother showing up.

These are all easy fixes; A fresh light bulb is typically all you need. In some cases, there could be an electrical gremlin at play, such as a burned-out fuse or relay. Get creative if you have to troubleshoot these issues; I once had a brake light that wouldn't turn off, because a tiny metal plunger fell out from between my brake lever and master cylinder.

Check your mirrors while you're at it. They should be clean, free of cracks and stay put when you adjust them.

Obviously, you need a healthy battery to get to the inspection site in the first place, so the base inspector probably won't check for corrosion around the terminals -- especially if your battery is hard to access. You should still look every now and then to keep battery acid from wreaking havoc on your wiring.

Oil and Fluids

I doubt the inspector will have the ability to test the chemical condition of your bike's various fluids, but you should keep them topped off and replace them often. Changing a motorcycle's oil, brake fluid and coolant (if you have a liquid-cooled engine) is an easy one-person job, and you can save a bunch of money by doing it yourself.

What they will definitely look for is any sign of leaking. With the engine cold, wipe the bottom of your crankcase to check for oil leaks and trace all brake lines to identify any leaking brake fluid. Spotting these problems early won't just help you pass inspection; it could save your life.

Remember that this is a motorcycle, not a CH-53. The "if it's not leaking, it's empty" line isn't going to cut it.

Chassis

Think of the chassis as your motorcycle's skeleton. It includes the frame, subframe, suspension, chain and all the hardware that holds everything together.

Check for cracks, rust and dents. Moving parts will always have some kind of bearing, so check for sloppy movement or leaking grease. Your suspension should move smoothly and not have any leaks. Checking fasteners every so often is a good idea, and you can mark them with a paint pen (draw a line from the fastener to the mounting surface so you can visually tell whether it starts to unscrew) to make things easier.

Most inspectors will focus on your chain, because it's a great indicator of overall motorcycle health. If you don't bother to keep your chain in good order, it's safe to assume you aren't on top of more expensive and labor-intensive maintenance items.

The chain should be clean and lubricated, but not covered in excessive amounts of chain lube. Where and how you ride will determine how often this is necessary. If you wipe your finger along the rolling surface of your chain, you should only find fresh lubricant -- at least on the day of your base inspection.

If you're a BMW or Moto Guzzi weirdo, take a break from slipping "shaft-jacking" into conversation long enough to make sure the rubber boots at each end of your driveshaft aren't cracked or leaking. The inspector has probably never seen such a thing and will want to move on quickly.

Stand

Aside from holding your bike up, your stand should have a working spring and, potentially, a kill switch that prevents the engine from running with the stand down unless the transmission is in neutral.

Do I Really Need to Do All This?

If you're looking for a short answer, it's yes.

Your command isn't going to give you any leniency because, frankly, they're probably looking for an excuse to keep you off your motorcycle. I once failed an inspection because the safety officer (who I believe had never encountered a motorcycle in his life) didn't think my stock turn signals were bright enough while he squinted into the sun.

On a practical note, you should be doing this on your own, whether it's required or not. I'm not suggesting that I grab a clipboard and pen before every ride, but I absolutely know the condition of my bike before I roll out of the driveway.

My advice? Wash your bike every week. When you're going over it inch by inch to get it clean, you'll notice the little details and establish a baseline so you can detect if something starts to go wrong. That way, you can fix potential issues with preventative maintenance rather than scrambling to get your bike running while you're late for work.

It'll look better with regular baths, too. Besides, sipping a cold beer while admiring your freshly detailed motorcycle is one of life's little pleasures.

Knowledge Is Power

If you're new to riding, this might feel like information overload. Fortunately, most motorcycle maintenance items and repairs are easy to handle on your own with basic auto repair tools. Check out Motorcyclist's MC Garage, RevZilla's Common Tread, and the FortNine YouTube channel to study up on everything you need to know.

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