Motorbike and Tricycle Servicing Level 2

Who it is for. People who have finished Motorbike and Tricycle Servicing (Level 1), or who can show the same skills. National Proficiency II covers varied work, mostly routine, under limited supervision.

Bridge from Level 1: what you already know

Level 1 did not cover cleaning a carburettor, testing with a multimeter, compression, tricycle final drive, writing a full quote, road-legal checks, waste oil rules or running a workshop. Level 2 covers all of these.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical.

Every unit ends with Check yourself (three quick questions) and homework. Units with sums have an exercise with worked answers. Do the practical on a real bike or tricycle, with your trainer watching.

Competency standard

Range. Single-cylinder carburetted bikes; one injected bike for awareness. Evidence. Direct observation of a carburettor clean; photographs and labels; oral questions; logbook.

The fuel path

Petrol goes from the tank, through the fuel tap and filter or strainer, along the fuel hose into the float chamber of the carburettor. Air comes through the air cleaner. The two meet in the carburettor and the mixture goes into the cylinder.

The parts you must know:

What the jets do and how a slide carburettor differs inside is covered in your bike's manual. Hot weather can cause vapour lock, where petrol boils in the fuel line.

Rich or lean?

Petrol safety (do this every time)

• Petrol fires are usually serious, even from small spills. Petrol vapour is heavier than air, collects low, and ignites easily.
• Ignition sources include smoking, matches, welding or cutting, heaters and ordinary electrical equipment. Draining petrol into a container can cause static sparks.
• Empty fuel outside the workshop, clear spills at once, keep an extinguisher near, and know how to use it.
• Never work on a leaking fuel system inside a closed room [Teaching practice].
• Do not use petrol as a washing bath indoors. A safe cleaner for Ghana was not verified. Use carburettor cleaner in the open air.

Cleaning a carburettor, step by step

The steps are the same across the guides we read. Float height and screw settings are different for every bike, so read your manual.

Adjusting idle

[Teaching practice] The usual order is:

1. Warm the engine fully. Put the bike on its stand on firm ground, in neutral, outdoors.
2. Turn the idle speed screw until the engine idles steadily. The correct rpm for most Ghana bikes was not verified: use the manual. (The injected Honda example idles at 1,500 plus or minus 100 rpm. That is an injected bike. Do not copy it for a carburetted bike.)
3. Turn the idle mixture screw in or out by small amounts (about a quarter turn) to find where the engine idles smoothest and picks up cleanly.
4. Check that the engine does not stall when you close the throttle quickly, and that it does not run on when you switch off.
5. Re-check the throttle free play and cable (Honda example: 2 to 6 mm at the grip flange, and the throttle must close by itself).

Fuel quality, ethanol and old petrol

• The Honda example bike runs on unleaded petrol of 91 RON or higher, and tolerates up to 10% ethanol; above that, ethanol can damage paint, rubber hoses and the tank. The ethanol content of petrol at Ghana pumps was not verified.
• Petrol left in a bike for weeks can leave a varnish that blocks the small idle jet [Teaching practice]. If a bike has stood for weeks, drain the float chamber and the tank, and clean the idle jet.
• Water in the tank causes sudden stalling and no-start [Teaching practice]. Look for water at the bottom of the float bowl.

Fuel injection: what to know

Many Ghana bikes are carburetted. Some newer bikes are fuel injected. The Honda CBF125M example uses PGM-FI, programmed fuel injection, with a malfunction indicator lamp. On an injected bike:

Your rule for injected bikes: check the basics (petrol in the tank, battery, fuses, connections, air filter, spark plug), then refer to the dealer. The share of injected bikes in Ghana was not verified.

Check yourself

1. Why must you remove O-rings before spraying cleaner?
2. What must you do before taking out the idle mixture screw?
3. What do you do first when an injected bike's warning lamp is on?

Competency standard

Range. 12 V circuits of a motorbike or tricycle. No mains wiring. Evidence. Direct observation; test record sheet; oral questions.

The electrical system in four parts

[Teaching practice] A small bike has:

1. Battery: stores power for starting, lights and the horn.
2. Charging system: a generator (stator) driven by the engine, and a regulator-rectifier that makes direct current and keeps the voltage steady.
3. Starting circuit: starter button, relay, starter motor.
4. Ignition circuit: the pick-up and CDI box (or contact points on older bikes), the ignition coil, the plug cap and the spark plug.

Fuses protect the circuits. On the Honda example the main fuse is 20 A and the others 7.5 A. Always replace a blown fuse with the same rating. A higher rating can damage the circuit. If a fuse blows again and again, there is a fault: find it. Never put a wire or foil in place of a fuse.

Using the multimeter

A multimeter shows voltage, resistance and often continuity.

Battery, starting and charging tests

Reading a fully charged 12 V battery at rest: a figure of about 12.0 V or more is a sign the battery is good; a lower reading means charge it. Finer figures below are [Teaching practice, not source-verified] and differ by bike, so confirm them in your manual.

If the charging voltage is wrong, the next steps are to test the stator and regulator-rectifier. The test values and wire colours differ for every bike: use the bike's manual. Wire colours vary by bike, so do not trust colour alone.

Battery care (from the Honda manual).

• A maintenance-free battery: do not remove its cap seals and do not add water.
• Clean corroded terminals with warm water if light, or a wire brush or sandpaper if heavy; wear safety glasses.
• Charge with a motorcycle charger, with the battery out of the bike. A car charger can overheat a motorcycle battery.
• Jump-starting from a car battery can damage the electrical system.
• Do not throw batteries in household waste.

Ignition and spark test

The no-start order is: crank, switches, spark, fuel and air, compression.

Plug gap differs for each bike. The Honda example is 0.8 to 0.9 mm with an NGK CPR8EA-9; two Bajaj models list 0.6 to 0.8 mm. Always use your own bike's figure, and never swap plug numbers across brands without a chart.

Wiring faults

A wire carries current from the battery, through a switch and a bulb (or other part), and back to the battery through the frame, which is called the earth or ground.

Bulb change on the Honda example: switch off, let the bulb cool, use the same wattage, test before riding, and pull the plate bulb straight out without turning it. Be careful about accessories: extra lights and chargers can overload the system.

"No lights" fault tree

[Teaching practice]

1. Is only one light out? Check that bulb, its holder and its earth.
2. Are all lights out? Check the main fuse and the battery.
3. Do the lights dim when the engine revs and brighten at idle? Suspect the charging system or a loose battery connection.
4. Do the lights go very bright, then a bulb blows? Suspect the regulator.
5. Do the lights flicker when you hit a bump? Look for a loose connector or earth.

Check yourself

1. What reading is a sign of a good battery at rest?
2. Which terminal do you connect first when installing a battery?
3. Why must you never replace a blown fuse with a bigger one or a wire?

Competency standard

Range. Single-cylinder four-stroke air-cooled engines. Evidence. Direct observation of a compression test; oral questions; referral script.

The top end

The "top end" is the cylinder head and the cylinder. [Teaching practice] The parts are: piston and piston rings, cylinder (barrel), cylinder head, valves (inlet and exhaust), camshaft and rocker arms, head gasket, spark plug, timing chain.

In a four-stroke engine the piston goes through four strokes: intake (draws in the mixture), compression (squeezes it), power (spark; the burning gas pushes the piston down), exhaust (pushes out the burnt gas). The valves open and close in time with this through the camshaft. If the valves do not seat well, or the rings are worn, the engine loses compression and power.

What Honda says about valve clearance

On the example bike valve clearance and compression are scheduled items. Honda classes valve clearance as a technical job for the dealer unless you have the tools and are mechanically skilled, and says the procedures are in the Honda Shop Manual. The TVS King three-wheeler schedule also lists valve tappet clearance, decarbonising of the head and piston, compression check, oil strainer cleaning and breather tube.

Specific clearance figures for Chinese 125 to 150 cc bikes were not verified. Use only the figure for your model.

Compression test

A compression test shows how well the piston, rings and valves seal the cylinder. As a rough pointer only, cold compression below about 100 psi suggests a problem. The right figure for your bike is in the manual. Possible causes of low compression are worn rings or cylinder, a leaking head gasket or poor valve seating or clearance.

Reading the plug

Look at the spark plug when you remove it:

A hot plug keeps heat at the tip, and a cold plug conducts heat away. Too hot gives pre-ignition and knock; too cold gives deposits. The heat-range numbers run in different directions for different brands, so do not swap plugs across brands without a chart. Replacing a plug is usually cheaper than cleaning it.

Smoke

• Blue or blue-grey smoke: oil is burning. Causes include worn rings or cylinder, worn valve seals or too much oil. Check the oil level first, then compression.
• Black smoke: too rich. Blocked air filter, choke stuck on, float or needle fault.
• White smoke: a thin vapour on a cold, damp morning is condensation and clears in minutes. Most okadas are air-cooled, so sweet-smelling white smoke from a coolant leak does not apply; persistent white smoke on an air-cooled engine needs checking for water in the fuel and other causes (not verified).

Make sure the bike is a four-stroke: blue smoke from a two-stroke can be normal and is outside this course.

Noise

[Teaching practice, partly from the Honda and plug sources]

Do, do with supervision, or refer?

How to refer a job

Say it honestly and plainly. For example:

"The compression is low. That means the rings or valves are worn. Opening the engine is a bigger job than I can promise today. I can show you the reading and the cost of a proper repair at a bigger workshop, or I can ask a senior mechanic to come and do it with me. Which do you prefer?"

Write the reading and the advice on the job card. Never promise a repair you cannot do. Never hide a wear problem to keep the job.

Check yourself

1. What does a low compression reading suggest?
2. Who does Honda say should do valve clearance on its bike?
3. What does blue smoke from a four-stroke usually mean?

Competency standard

Range. Cargo tricycles with a motorbike-type engine and a rear axle (pragya, aboboyaa, cargo trikes). Evidence. Direct observation of a full tricycle inspection; oral questions; logbook.

What is different about a tricycle?

A cargo tricycle (pragya or aboboyaa) usually has a motorbike-type engine, a chain to the rear axle, a differential on the rear axle, and a loading box. [Teaching practice] The differential lets the two rear wheels turn at different speeds in a turn. Ghana's cargo tricycles are generally a motorbike engine plus a rear axle, but the layout differs by model and was not verified model by model.

Foreign example: a three-wheeler passenger rickshaw, the TVS King Duramax, lists the differential oil as an item to check and top up, and also to replace. Its maintenance schedule also lists: engine oil, brake fluid, coolant, tyre pressure, air filter cleaning, brake shoe check, steering friction plate check, clutch lever end play, fuel strainer, and battery terminals with petroleum jelly. This tells us what to check on any three-wheeler.

What we did not find: the differential oil grade and quantity, axle bearing play limits, and payload limits for Ghana cargo tricycles. Ask the dealer for the oil grade and quantity. Read the payload on the plate. Do not guess.

Raising a tricycle safely

[Teaching practice]

1. Park on firm, level ground. Switch off. Put it in gear or on the parking brake and chock the wheels you are not lifting.
2. Lift one side with a jack at the lifting point in the manual, then put a stand or solid block under the frame. A jack alone is never enough.
3. Never get under a tricycle supported by a jack only. Never put your hands where a falling frame could trap them.
4. If the load box is loaded, unload it first.

Full tricycle inspection

Load handling

A loaded motorbike or three-wheeler has a longer braking distance and slower acceleration. Heavy cargo raises the centre of gravity, so the vehicle is less stable and may overturn. Wobble can come from improper loading, wrong tyre pressure, worn steering or wheel parts, loose bearings or spokes, or a misaligned wheel.

A tricycle that crashed carrying concrete pillars had a brake failure reported, though the cause was not confirmed as mechanical. Whatever the cause, a loaded tricycle with weak brakes is a danger to everyone.

Gearing: why sprockets matter

The chain drives from a small front sprocket to a larger rear one. The ratio is the number of teeth on the big sprocket divided by the number on the small one. Honda's example uses a 14-tooth drive sprocket and a 41-tooth driven sprocket on a 428 chain with 118 links. A bigger rear sprocket gives more pull and lower top speed. Tricycles often use different sprockets from bikes [Teaching practice]. Replace a worn chain and both sprockets together; a new chain on worn sprockets wears quickly.

Check yourself

1. Why must you never work under a tricycle held only by a jack?
2. Where do you find the payload limit?
3. What does oil on brake shoes do?

Competency standard

Range. A small workshop. Evidence. Quote; job card; records; oral questions.

A good quote

A quote is a written price before you start. [Teaching practice] It should show:

Show the old part to the customer when you replace it, so they can see the wear.

Parts sourcing

• Honda warns that non-genuine parts can make a bike unsafe. Honda Ghana notes that many riders use low-cost roadside mechanics who may use low-quality replacement parts.
• Counterfeit and substandard helmets are sold in Ghana.
• The Ghana Standards Authority has named Abossey Okai in Accra as a spare-parts market where it was engaging dealers about helmet standards.
• Parts prices in Takoradi (tyres, tubes, chains, pads, batteries, plugs) were not found. Phone three shops and write down the prices before you set yours.

Asking prices of some bikes and tricycles on Jiji in October 2026 give you a sense of what your customers have invested (asking prices; they are negotiable):

Warranty

You can offer a written, limited warranty on your own work, for example on the carburettor clean or a replaced part. [Teaching practice] A good warranty states:

No Ghana consumer-law rule on a mechanic's warranty was verified here. Do not promise what you cannot give. Parts bought from a shop may carry the shop's own warranty: ask and write it on the job card.

Records

Keep customer details private. Do not share a customer's phone number or papers with others.

Road-legal checks: what to know

A mechanic is not the police or DVLA. But you will often see documents and equipment, and you should not break the law yourself or help a customer break it.

What the law and reports say (verify before relying on them):

1. Helmets. Helmet use is mandatory for rider and pillion under L.I. 2180, but the regulations gave no helmet quality standard; the clause number and penalty were not verified. In February 2026 the Ghana Standards Authority reported a national motorcycle helmet standard, GS 4512:2025, with checks at ports of entry, a moratorium for importers and a Certificate of Conformance for helmets. Whether it equals the international UN ECE 22.06 standard was not verified.
2. Commercial motorcycles and tricycles. Parliament passed the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill on 11 December 2025 to allow commercial use of motorcycles (okada), tricycles (pragya) and quadricycles, with protective gear required. A fuller report says the minimum age for a commercial driver was lowered from 25 to 21 and the alcohol limit lowered from 0.08% to 0.05%.
3. L.I. 2519, Road Traffic Regulations 2026. The Director of Corporate Affairs of DVLA wrote on 31 August 2026 that Regulations 164 to 177 cover commercial motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles. In that piece: a commercial rider's licence from DVLA is needed (reg 164); minimum age 21, a valid National ID, membership of a commercial road transport organisation, and DVLA medical, theory, practical and in-traffic tests (reg 165); renewal every 2 years (reg 166); commercial vehicles must be registered with DVLA and meet roadworthiness standards (regs 168 to 170); riders must wear a crash helmet and provide a helmet for any pillion, and tricycle and quadricycle riders must display rear number plates visibly (reg 174). The exact commencement date and transition period were not verified. In May 2026 the Law Reform Commission said the law was not yet in force and riders needed a valid licence, medical fitness, insurance, union membership and operation in designated zones.
4. Unions from 2027. NRSA's head said that from 1 January 2027 commercial riders must belong to a registered union or company. This is an announced target, not a confirmed legal deadline.
5. Registration. Registering a motorcycle involves an inspection at a DVLA or vehicle testing station with import entry documents, then final registration with payment, biometrics, plates and a roadworthiness certificate, with the Ghana Card as the main ID. Do not use "goro boys". The DVLA registration, roadworthiness and licence fees for motorcycles were not found. Do not quote a fee; send the customer to DVLA to ask.
6. Roadside checks. News reports show police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) operations impounding bikes for no licence, no insurance, no registration numbers, no roadworthiness certificate, no helmet or fake documents. The current fine schedule was not found.

What this means for you (our reasoning, not a quoted rule): demand may rise for roadworthiness repairs: mirrors, indicators, tyres, shocks, helmets and plates.

Check yourself

1. Name three things a good quote shows.
2. Why show the customer the old part?
3. What should you tell a customer who asks how much DVLA charges?

Competency standard

Range. A small workshop and its surroundings. Evidence. Direct observation; waste handling plan; oral questions.

Quality check before handing back

Honda recommends the dealer road-test a vehicle after each periodic maintenance.

Test riding safely

Helmet fit: with the helmet on, try to rotate it while holding your head still. It should not rotate. It must be securely fastened, with no woolly hat underneath. Use only helmets that meet national standards.

After washing, dry brakes by gentle applications at low speed. Wash with low-pressure water and keep it away from the air cleaner, silencer, electrical parts and brakes.

Workshop safety, again

• Petrol and fire. Keep petrol in closed, labelled containers outside. No smoking. Extinguisher ready and everyone knows how to use it.
• Carbon monoxide. Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which is colourless, odourless and can kill. Never run an engine in a closed or partly closed space. Route fumes outside.
• Skin. Contact with used engine oil can cause skin disease (dermatitis). Wear nitrile gloves and wash overalls often.
• Spills. Oil spills are slip hazards. Cover with sand and sweep up at once.
• Battery. Keep away from sparks and flames; wear glasses.
• Hot parts. Let the engine and silencer cool before working.
• Ghana workplace safety law for workshops (Factories Act and Fire Service permits): see Workplace Safety Level 2. Details for small garages were not verified here.

Waste oil, batteries and other waste

Used oil, petrol and solvents are poisonous. Put them in approved containers and take them to a recycling centre. Do not put used oil in the rubbish, pour it down a drain or on the ground. Do not throw batteries in household waste.

Law. The Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124) replaced the earlier Environmental Protection Agency Act and repealed the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Act 2016 (Act 917) on 6 January 2025. The regulator is the Environmental Protection Authority. The EPA can close premises that pollute for up to three weeks.

What was not found: whether used engine oil from a small garage is classed as hazardous waste, whether a garage needs an EPA permit, and where to hand in used oil in Takoradi or Akwidaa. Ask the EPA Western Regional office in Takoradi. Akwidaa is coastal, so a spill can reach the sea and rivers quickly.

Check yourself

1. What is the test for each brake before riding on?
2. Why must you never run an engine in a closed room?
3. What may you never do with used oil?

Competency standard

Range. A small servicing business near Takoradi, Akwidaa or your home town. Evidence. Business plan; marketing page; break-even sheet.

Why there may be work

Parliament passed a bill in December 2025 to legalise commercial motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles, and rules for riders and registered vehicles are being set. If they are fully enforced, more bikes may need roadworthiness repairs. This is our reasoning. The number of bikes and tricycles in Western Region or Akwidaa was not verified.

Location settings that give good returns

Check for: flooding, noise complaints, a landlord's agreement in writing, and the Assembly's permit rules. The Assembly permit for a garage and fire rules for workshops were not verified: ask the Assembly and the Fire Service. A Kumasi study found many auto-rickshaw mechanics worked without licensed garages, and most had learned by apprenticeship.

Business ideas and ingenuity

Training and next steps

The National Apprenticeship Programme lists "Motor Bike Repair" among its mechanical and electrical trades; duration, certificate and entry rules were not on the page. Honda in Ghana runs the "Aoki Juku" motorcycle service training for mechanics at authorised dealers, with skill checks and accreditation. Bike-specific training in Takoradi was not verified: ask dealers.

Break-even

Break-even is the number of jobs that pay all your fixed costs with nothing left over.

Market yourself

• WhatsApp Business. It gives a business profile, and automatic greeting and away messages. Put your name, location, services and hours on it.
• Google Business Profile. A free profile so people searching nearby can find your workshop. Verification can be by phone, email, video call or a postcard (about 14 days).
• Signage. A clear board with your name, services (for example "Carburettor cleaning, electrical, tricycle service") and phone number, readable from the road. A prices board builds trust.
• Referrals. Ask every happy customer to send one friend. Give a small thank-you on the next service.
• Portfolio. Before-and-after photos (with the owner's permission) of a cleaned carburettor, a repaired wiring fault or a serviced tricycle, shown on your phone or in a small album.
• Written quotes and warranties (Unit 5) are the strongest marketing you have.
• Unions and parks. Introduce yourself to union leaders, and leave your number at the stand.
• Never claim a certificate, a dealer link or a warranty that you do not have.

Accessibility

Ghana's Persons with Disability Act 2006 (Act 715) requires accessible public places and bans job discrimination. The Assemblies' disability fund share was reported at 5% from 2026: ask your Assembly about help with tools or training (the figure was not verified in this book).

No Ghana source specific to disabled motorcycle mechanics was found. A 2008 project in Koforidua trained 12 Ghanaians with disabilities in bicycle mechanics to start repair businesses, and a South African paraplegic mechanic completed an apprenticeship and trade test. The suggestions below are [SUGGESTION, not source-verified]:

Check yourself

1. What does break-even mean?
2. Name two ways to market yourself without spending money.
3. Name one task a wheelchair user could do at a bench.

1. Why do you remove O-rings before spraying carburettor cleaner?
2. What do you do before taking out the idle mixture screw?
3. What reading is a sign of a good battery at rest?
4. Which terminal is connected first when installing a battery?
5. Name two things a blown fuse that keeps blowing tells you.
6. What is the usual meaning of low compression on a four-stroke?
7. Name three jobs you would refer to a senior mechanic or the dealer.
8. Why should you never work under a tricycle held only by a jack?
9. Why must you read the payload from the plate?
10. Name four things a good quote shows.
11. Which test must each brake pass before you ride on?
12. What may you never do with used oil?

Best next reads: your bike's own owner's manual and workshop manual from the dealer; the Honda owner's manual for the CBF125M as a worked example; the Transaid instructor's manual for rider training; the EPA Western Regional office on used oil; DVLA on registration and fees.

What this module does not cover: valve clearance setting, cylinder head and piston overhaul, gearbox and clutch repair, brake fluid bleeding, fuel-injection diagnosis with a dealer scanner, wiring in buildings, DVLA fees (not found), parts prices (not found), differential and payload specifications for Ghana cargo tricycles (not found), and the EPA rules for small garages (not found).

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.