Preparation for winter storage?

Hey guys,

I live in Canada and am about to put my bike away for the winter and wanted to know what steps to take.

She will be parked in my non-heated shed. It gets fairly cold here over the winters so I was wondering what steps I should take. Besides the obvious fuel stabilizers I have never stored a motorcycle. Should I buy a stand for it and keep it raised and off the tires? Any other tips?

Thanks

Hey Shep I too live up here in the cold winter land. Yes indeed the bike should be up off the tires on a stand. Clean the bike and dry it. After your last ride change the oil and filter, clean and lube the chain, clean and oil the air filter. Leave the door to the filter open to discourage the mice, in fact I would put a few traps out due to your storage in a shed. Remove your battery and bring indoors and put it on a charger. Some put a tbsp of oil down the spark plug hole but I don't. You already mentioned the stabil in the gas just remember to run for a bit to get the fuel through the injectors. I performed every thing last week but the battery and ended up riding it all week with the nice weather! It is tough putting it away with the temps still above 10 degrees.

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The number one most important thing when storing a bike with a metal tank in an unheated shed is to fill the tank right to the top !! If you don't, the condensation will rust the inside of the tank in no time. Not good, esspecially on a fuel injected bike.

I've had better luck with Startron than Stabil. The Startron seems to handle ethanal / separation issues better than Stabil.


http://mystarbrite.com/startron/content/view/93/123/lang,en/

Not just your bike, but the spot has to be ready.

Leaky roof or poor ventilation can cause moisture issues.

You will get mice and pests...defend and detour them as well as possible...discourage nesting. Plug air intake to engine well.

If you can chain it well...do it, well.

This is what I do is to store my bikes in an unheated garage:

Fill gas tank full, add stabilizer (Star Tron this year, previously Sea Foam, before that, Sta-Bil), and run the bike for 5 or 10 minutes to make sure the stabilized fuel is through the system
Change oil and oil filter
Clean the bike
Clean and lubricate the chain
Put scrap of 1/2" Styrofoam under the tires
Plug exhaust with wine or champagne corks (depends on size of the holes) to keep mice out
Connect to Battery Tender
Cover with cotton bed sheet

Is it good to occasionally start the bike throughout the winter, or are you just better leaving it on a tender with stabil in the tank?

Like others, I fill my tank to the top with fuel mixed with stabilizer and let the bike run for a bit. The battery gets removed and put on a battery tender. I only change my oil and filter based on mileage. But if you were going to leave the bike for a longgggggggggggggggg time I would put fresh oil in it.

I like to put my dirt bikes/wr on stands when ever I can because I hear stories about flat spots, weak spots, etc etc.. I left my X in storage for 3 months last winter on the kick stand, occasionally moving the bike and checking the tire pressure.

Move down here to Southern California and ride the heck out of it all year... :)

Xanthophyll wrote:

Is it good to occasionally start the bike throughout the winter, or are you just better leaving it on a tender with stabil in the tank?  

you guys opinion on this would interest me as well. Last year I turned the bike on every 2-3 weeks for about 10 minutes. Mine is stored in an underground car park so it doesn't get below 0. I also rode it around a bit in the car park, to get the transmission moving.

this a good or bad habit? is it better to take the battery into my apartment and to just leave the bike sitting 3 months without ever turning it on?

never had a problem with the bike or battery last year doing this...

My preference is to run them and get them up to temp for a bit.

Right now I have 5 bikes. Four of the bikes are street legal and the other one is a 2T woods bike.

I try to ride each of the street legal bikes once per week - usually too and from work (live south of Atlanta so winter is not much of a bother). For the Gas Gas I will try to fire it up about once per month and ride it around the property a bit and I try to make sure that I add Seafoam to the premix whenever I fill it up.

With all my carburetor bikes I shut off the petcock and let the bike idle till it shuts off just in case I need to head out of town for an extended period.

bigg wrote:

Xanthophyll wrote:

Is it good to occasionally start the bike throughout the winter, or are you just better leaving it on a tender with stabil in the tank?  

you guys opinion on this would interest me as well. Last year I turned the bike on every 2-3 weeks for about 10 minutes. Mine is stored in an underground car park so it doesn't get below 0. I also rode it around a bit in the car park, to get the transmission moving.

this a good or bad habit? is it better to take the battery into my apartment and to just leave the bike sitting 3 months without ever turning it on?

never had a problem with the bike or battery last year doing this...

Do one of two things...

1- Most of this stuff has beeen covered.
Add stabilizer to the gas run the bike for a bit so it goes into the injector.
Make sure the tank is completly full to prevent condensation from rusting the tank.
Hook up a batery tender to the battery, I dont see a need to remove it.
Put the bike on a stand this is good for the tires and suspension, you can make a wooden one really easy.
Unless your getting the bike up to temp and riding it around for awhile dont start it untill spring, idleing a motor for 10 mins every couple of weeks is harder on it than setting as it put moisture in the oil, it takes riding it around to get it hot enough to burn the moisure out of the oil, if your going for a ride its all good tho.

2- Put some studs in your tires and come trail riding.

I store my KLR but trail ride the WRR all winter, its a blast but fairly difficult.