The Pre-Ride Checklist ALL Electric Dirt Bike Owners Should Learn

The Pre-Ride Checklist ALL Electric Dirt Bike Owners Should Learn

How to Prevent Catastrophic Failures and Improve Reliability and Rider Safety (in Under 10 Minutes)


Pre-Ride Checklist: Inspect & Maintain

Let’s cut the fluff. If you ride an electric dirt bike — E-Ride Pro, Altis Sigma, Arctic Leopard, Sur-Ron, Talaria, RAWRR or any high performance electric dirt bike—you’ve got power, torque, and fun on your side. But if you’re skipping the inspections and maintenance -- you’re just asking for breakdowns, broken parts, or worse.

Every rider should learn and use this 13-point electric dirt bike pre-ride inspection.

It’s the same 13-point inspection we use to help prevent unwanted breakdowns and part failures, and keep our dirt bikes reliable and safe. It’s quick. It’s effective. It works. Whether you’re prepping for a trail run, a track session, or just mobbing around town. It's important to inspect your electric dirt bike before every ride, and perform regular, routine maintenance.

Watch the full breakdown here on YouTube, or skim the key steps below. Think of this as E-Moto Maintenance 101, and the ultimate 13-point pre-ride checklist for electric dirt bike riders. A checklist that will soon be as familiar to you as learning your ABC's!

 

Maintenance Matters (Even If You Think It Doesn’t)

Here’s the truth — Electric dirt bikes aren’t maintenance-free.  They require less maintenance than gas, yes — but if you ignore the basics, you’ll eat through chains, shred brake pads, and will be busy working on your bike while your friends are riding theirs. Not to mention the safety implications of not performing regularly scheduled bike maintenance.

This pre-ride checklist takes less than 10 minutes to perform. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain from it!

 

REV Rides 13-Step Pre-Ride Checklist for Electric Dirt Bikes

(Do This Before Every Ride. No Exceptions.)

1. Starting With the ABC's - "Always Be Checking"

Give your bike a walk-around. Look for anything loose, missing, cracked, or sketchy. Handlebar bolts. Levers. Pegs. If it looks off, it probably is. Many riders even do their ABC's during breaks on ride days. Whenever we look at our bikes, we're looking for things that may be wrong or out of place.

Visual cues are your first line of defense. Train your eye. Don't just stare at your bike because it's sexy. Stare at it because it's both sexy and necessary.

2. Install the Battery (Correctly)

Your battery should be fully charged and secured in the bike. Cables connected and locked in tight. Loose power leads are a one-way ticket to a dead throttle at 30mph plus.

Make sure your bike is turned OFF before continuing to the next step.

3. Check Tire Pressure

Look at the sidewall for max PSI. Use that as your baseline, then adjust for terrain. Low pressure = flats and faster tire wear. Don’t ride squishy, but experiment with adjusting tire PSI for your weight and the terrain you're riding on. But don't veer too far away from the max PSI stated on your tire's sidewall.

Rule of thumb: Hard surfaces/Heavy Rider = Higher PSI. Soft surfaces/Light Rider = Lower PSI.

4. Inspect Your Tires

Check for punctures, sidewall or tread damage, worn tread, thorns, glass, or anything that looks wrong. Fix or replace the tire before riding.

5. Check Brake Rotors

Spin the wheels. Listen for rubbing. Look for rotor wobble. If your rotor’s slightly warped, fix it. If it's toast, replace it. Brake fade sucks when you need to stop in an instant. Letting your rotors rub the pads will lead to premature and uneven wearing of the pads, which can lead to unpredictable stopping characteristics. 

6. Tighten the Essentials

Torque down axles, caliper brackets, and cable mounts. Front and rear. Wiggle check everything. If it moves when it shouldn’t, that’s your sign.

7. Measure Brake Pads

If your brake pads are thinner than a dime (<1.3-1.5mm), it’s time to replace them. Worn pads damage rotors and wreck stopping power. Swap early. Prevent damaged rotors and calipers. Ride safe and thank yourself later.

8. Check the Drivetrain

  • Chain bikes: Should have some slack, but not floppy. (It's best to refer to your owners manual for chain slack specifications)
  • Belt bikes: Look for broken or worn teeth, cracking, fraying, mud/debris, good tension.
    Either way, clean and inspect.

9. Clean and Lube That Chain

Use Muc-Off Chain Cleaner and the Oinker Mess Free Applicator. No mess, no fuss. Follow up with all-weather lube, and wipe away the excess.

10. Inspect Sprockets

Look for sharp gears (shark teeth), broken teeth, damage or uneven wear. Bad sprockets = drivetrain death spiral. Replace both together when needed. If you have sprocket damage, it's common to see chain damage as well, so be on the lookout for that.

11. Test Brakes and Throttle

Squeeze brake levers. They should feel firm, not squishy, and the brakes should rebound forward completely.

Twist throttle wide open, let go. If it's slow or sticks when closing, fix it. Sticking throttles are a recipe for disaster.

Any delay in braking or throttle = unsafe ride.

12. Check Bars and Suspension

Grab your handlebars. Push. Pull. Twist. No movement? Good. Movement? Tighten them up!

Then compress the front and rear suspension. Should be smooth and reactive to force. No weird sounds, no stickiness. Afterwards, the suspension should rebound strong and fast.

13. Power Up and Scan for Errors

Turn on the bike. Look for error codes on the display. Check headlight, tail light, brake light, horn—whatever your setup includes. Make sure they're all functioning properly.


Bonus: Optimize Your Setup

Looking to level up?

We stock parts for all the top models — E Ride Pro, Altis Sigma, Sur-Ron, Talaria, RAWRR, Electro & Co ETM RTR — including:

Shop curated performance parts at REVrides.com. You’ll find what works. No fluff, no gimmicks.

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