There are few things more satisfying than an afternoon spent in the garage, tuning up your dirt bike and getting it ready for your next session. The radio blaring your favorite station, a couple of your favorite beverages on hand and a whole lot of grease… that’s the makings of a great few hours, if you ask us.

Of course, to complete your work safely, you need to make sure your bike is properly restrained, and that will involve the use of wheel chocks.

Wheel chocks are an important precautionary measure to use whenever you’re working on your bike. They come in a variety of different styles, but the point is always the same—to prevent wheels from rolling, which might otherwise cause an accident in your garage while you’re working.

Here’s a quick rundown of everything you should know about selecting and using wheel chocks when working on your dirt bike.

Choosing the right wheel chocks for your bike

There are a lot of different factors that go into determining not just the kind of wheel chocks you’ll get for your bike, but also when you will or will not need to use them.

Here’s a quick look at some of those factors.

• Tire size: The size of the chocks you select corresponds with the size of the tires on your bike. Bigger tires means bigger chocks, and smaller tires means smaller chocks. Simple enough.
• Vehicle weight: Most dirt bikes are going to be lighter weight, so you will likely be able to get away with a smaller chock, but in general you can assume heavier weight means larger chocks.
• Surface: The grade of the ground surface will also influence your chock selection and setup. Chocks will be set up in different ways depending on if the ground is level or if it’s on a grade. You’ll also need to consider the conditions of the ground. Is it firm? Soft? Dry? Icy? Wet? Cold? Warm? These are all conditions that could influence your chocking.
• Gloves: Motorcycle gloves can help keep your hands warm and protect them from the elements. You’ll want gloves that let you move your fingers and have an adjustable strap around the wrist to keep them on.
• Tire pressure: How much variance do you experience in your tire pressure? This will depend on the environment—larger temperature swings will mean larger air pressure variance. If you tend to have improperly inflated tires this can cause chocking problems.
• Tire types:Are you working with radial tires or bias-ply tires? You can usually assume radial tires will deflect more than bias-ply tires. There are benefits to this flexibility—it can make for a much smoother ride. However, it also means the tire could wrap around the wheel chock, which will make the chock less effective.

At Black Widow Pro, we’ve got a few options in stock for dirt bike and motorcycle chocks, including chocks that come in fixed or adjustable widths.

Positioning the chocks

Here are a few tips:

• >Make sure the chock is center and square with the tire it’s holding
• Position the chock snugly up against the tire tread>
• If you’re using an adjustable width chock, make sure you’ve got the width at the proper setting for your tires
• Try to use chocks in areas protected from wind and elements (in a garage, for example)
• Make sure the chocks are properly mounted, as they’re not to be used as independent motorcycle stands
• Put the bike into gear to prevent it from rolling backward

Remember—you can’t skip chocks if you’re going to be spending any time working on your bike! Follow all the steps for setting up your chocks and you’ll be able to spend your Saturday tinkering away on your bike without a care in the world.