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Winter Storage Tips

sudani

New member
This is the first winter I won't be putting my bike in storage for winter. I've been reading about how to store it properly and have been given a few tips here and there. So far the tips are: use Stabil, fill the tank, cover the bike, plug the exhaust, battery tender, put it on the centerstand, and cover the ground with cardboard. Most recent tip was to put a light coat of WD40 on the chrome. Am I missing anything?

I'm sure there are many threads out there but this thread is for the ladies; especially the ladies that don't have someone to do it for them.

Thanks!
 
Storage tips

I like to remove the spark plugs and add a little oil tot he cylinder. Otherwise all of the tips you have been given work.:thumb
 
I hates winter more and more.

Gonna be doing all that, and my K100, sits in a stand in a heated insulated garage.
 
It is a good idea to have fairly fresh oil in the bike if you are going to store it for a few months. Well used motor oil, with the by products of combustion in it, can get acidic and harm the machined metal surfaces in the engine. I do not know if there is a definitive limit on the number of miles the oil should have on it when it goes in storage, but I try to have less than 2-300 miles.
 
outside

I've always kept my bikes in my unheated, unattached garage in the winter. I usually poll them over some cardboard or floor mats since moisture tends to come up from garage floors in the winter.

I also try to get the bike out at least one time a month for 30-40 minutes as long as its dry (snow messes this plan up often)
 
In addition to everything.....

Also you may also want to block up the intake(s)

Depending how cold it gets you may just want to remove the battery and keep it charged in a nicer environment.

If you can keep both tires up of the ground that will minimize any flat spots later when you get ready to ride it

I plan to have mine on the centerstand and the front wheel stand GT and for my wife's ST I plan to put it on the center stand and then lift up on the engine a bit.

A nice coat of fresh wax and you should be all set.
 
I'm paying attention...

and planning on doing many of your suggestions. Thanks for sharing. I'd like to think that preparing for the winter will make Spring that much easier.

All tips accepted!

*L* I've done the warm year round thing. Not sure I'm ready to do it again, just yet. :)
 
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There is also the advice I often receive and made immortal by this fine gentleman......

MOVE!!!! (to a warmer climate)
 

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There is also the advice I often receive and made immortal by this fine gentleman......

MOVE!!!! (to a warmer climate)

After spending a week in Payson, it's mighty tempting! The roads up there are just crazy. A few more years of practice is in order before heading there on the bike.

Have you ever gone to the "too broke for sturgis" rally?
 
From Shameless Trolling For Touring Tips

I love travel whether two wheels, four wheels or two jet engines on a commercial aircraft. For all around excellence covering the BMW world it's hard to beat our own Owners News and the RA's OTL.

But for Touring, RoadRUNNER magazine fills a special niche. It's one of my top three along with Motorcycle Consumer News. RoadRUNNER also has a monthly newsletter and a cool new book coming out in December. If touring is in your blood their new book available in December would make a wonderful gift.

From the latest newsletter is some great advice for those of us who live north of the Mason Dixon line and hook our bikes up to battery tenders.

Touring Tip: Checklist for Winterizing Your Bike


"Because most mechanical systems perform best when they're used regularly, the most effective way of preparing your bike for winter is to simply keep riding and maintaining it. But most of us, unfortunately, don't live in a climate that allows a 365-day riding year. Consequently, we need to prepare our rides for some period of winter storage. Here's a quick checklist to help you make sure the job gets done properly:

  • Store Properly: Indoor (heated if possible) storage is best for guarding against moisture and rust. To prevent flat spots from developing on tires, store the bike on its centerstand with most of its weight off of the wheels. If that's not possible, move the motorcycle slightly every month.
  • Stabilize the Fuel: Fill gas tank and add fuel stabilizer to the gas. With fuel-injected bikes, run the engine so the treated fuel gets into the injectors. With carburetor(s) turn off petcock, drain float bowl(s).
  • Tend to the Battery: Attach maintenance charger to battery. If battery is a non-sealed type, check fluid levels and add distilled water if needed. Avoid using trickle chargers, which overcharge batteries in storage
  • Lubricate Controls and Other Mechanical Parts: Lubricate cables, change front fork oil as required by owner's manual and oil other exterior unsealed moving parts.
  • Change Engine Oil and Filter: Because old oil can develop acidic qualities and cause corrosion, change it prior to storage and possibly again in the spring.
  • Inspect/Lubricate Final Drive: Chains should be cleaned, checked for proper tension and lubricated. Check the oil level on shaft drive bikes and add or replace it as Inspect/Service Cooling System: For water-cooled bikes, test the coolant for freeze protection. Look for any signs of rust or leakage, ensure that coolant level is at the proper level--drain and flush and replace coolant every two years.
  • Inspect/Service Brakes: Remove the brake pads and check the calipers for corrosion. If left unchecked, corroded parts can eventually cause brakes to seize up. Replace faulty parts as necessary.
  • Inspect/Replace Tires: Check condition of tires, including tread depth. Tires with wear bars showing or 3/32 or less of tread remaining, or older than six years should be replaced.
  • Inspect/Service Electrical System: Look for any signs of corrosion on exposed electrical connections. A thin coating of silicone dielectric grease can help prevent corrosion.
  • Replace Brake/Clutch Fluids: Brake fluid can absorb moisture over time, causing corrosion and loss of braking effectiveness. It's best to replace those fluids yearly, but be sure to use only the recommended fluid from a sealed container.
  • Check Torque of Threaded Fasteners: Ensuring that key nuts and bolts (i.e., those that could threaten life or limb if they became loose) are at their proper tightness is especially important.
  • Clean/Protect Surfaces: Give your bike a thorough cleaning and then polish and wax all painted and chrome surfaces; clean and polish aluminum and stainless steel surfaces with the appropriate metal polish and then apply a protective coating.
  • Inspect/Replace Air Filter: Inspect the air filter to determine if it needs cleaning or replacement.
  • Clean and Treat Leather: Using a high quality dressing to clean and preserve all leather surfaces.
  • Treat Cylinder Walls: To help prevent cylinder wall and piston ring corrosion, remove spark plug(s) and add 25cc of motor oil. Then, with plugs removed, use the starter to turn the motor over several times to distribute the oil. Reinstall spark plugs and tighten to the specified torque.
  • Consult Owner's Manual: As a final check to make sure you haven't missed anything, review the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual to determine if any other services are required.
Many, if not most, of the above procedures will be within the mechanical knowledge and skill level of the owner. However, if you're ever in doubt about something, it's always advisable to consult a trained professional technician.

Ride safe and we'll see you again next month."

"Reprinted courtesy of RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel magazine (www.roadrunner.travel)"


Check out RoadRUNNER's website at RoadRUNNER Magazine.
 
Paul,

I enjoy RoadRUNNER magazine. What got me to order it were the maps and the gps downloads available online.
 
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For the Touring Community, RoadRUNNER is one fine magazine. Of course Owners News is in a special class.
 
Nobody thinks this, Kitty,kitty!

I do:). A nice CAT to keep your seat warm and the rodents away. My outdoor cat haves her own heating pad in the garage, very near my bikes:). If your cat has seat access, make sure her/his claws are gone! My little girl has her fronts out, but does no damage with her rear claws. Still quite the killer too, with no fronts:). We live in the country and rodents are ever present. Disconnect your ground from battery! Randy
 
winterizing

I've read on this forum that trickle chargers shouldn't be used as they overcharge the battery. I s there a difference between a battery tender and a trickle charger ? Have my battery on a 1.5 amp "Battery Companion" and it reads 13.4 volts -steady. In my experience this is not overcharged. The advice supposedly came from Roadrunner magazine.
 
I've read on this forum that trickle chargers shouldn't be used as they overcharge the battery. I s there a difference between a battery tender and a trickle charger ? Have my battery on a 1.5 amp "Battery Companion" and it reads 13.4 volts -steady. In my experience this is not overcharged. The advice supposedly came from Roadrunner magazine.

It is a matter of terminology. Most folks consider a "trickle" charger to be a dumb charger that just keeps on charging regardless of the battery's state of charge. Most of today's "smart" chargers are maintenance chargers designed to reduce the current flow to maintain the state of charge rather than to recharge a discharged battery.

Battery Tender, Optimate, and others are smart chargers and the Schumacher Battery Companion claims to be a smart charger.

In any event, 24 hours every 3 weeks or so is plenty of connect time is sufficient to keep a good battery sufficiently charged in storage in my experience. My several smart chargers are connected to outlets on a wall switch so they are eady to turn on and off.
 
I've been reading about how to store it properly and have been given a few tips here and there.

The most neglected part on any vehicle, and the failure rates prove it, is the battery.

The problem is, even "smart" chargers aren't as smart as they should be and this is due to the manufacturer not being all that smart about battery maintenance. Having tested many at work, if there is one thing they are good at, its making claims on the packaging.

I take it it gets down to near freezing temperatures where you are storing it (unless it is in a heated garage). If so, chances are very good the battery is being undercharged.

Some of the charger/maintainers claim to have temperature compensation (to adjust charge voltage based on temperature), but I'd like to see that to what voltages in their specs. Battery Tender refused to give me that data...said it would be too confusing :rolleyes ...which is why I do not take that company too seriously.

If you don't already have one, a better bet is a CTEK 3300 smart charger.

And now for something totally non-technical...rotate the engine so that both valve springs aren't tensioned during storage...at TDC of compression.
 
Have my battery on a 1.5 amp "Battery Companion" and it reads 13.4 volts -steady.

There are a few thoughts on this.

Some battery charger/maintainer manufacturers will charge a battery leaving it in the absorption mode till the current reaches a very low set point at which time it switches off till the battery self discharges to 12.5V and then starts the process all over. There is no float mode being employed. This is a smart 2-stage charger.

Other battery charger/maintainer manufacturers will place a battery in float mode (smart 3 -stage charger) and keep it there.

My batteries have always lasted much longer using the non-float mode method of battery maintenance.
 
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