76 R90/6 - winterizing....

so time has come to put the bike away for the winter here in the northeast...as far as winterizing my previous bikes i've just filled up the tank, put the battery on a trickle for the winter, and called it a day. anything further that should be done for an airhead?

i do know i should dump the bowls out, but haven't had the opportunity to really open up the carbs yet to get a good look at how they're situated. is it as simple as moving the "arm" underneath the bowl and opening that up to let out residual fuel? or if i do that do i have to worry about any parts falling out? thanks y'all.

concernedparent said:

i do know i should dump the bowls out, but haven't had the opportunity to really open up the carbs yet to get a good look at how they're situated. is it as simple as moving the "arm" underneath the bowl and opening that up to let out residual fuel? or if i do that do i have to worry about any parts falling out? thanks y'all.

Click to expand...

Yes, that's basically it. You may need to use a screwdriver to get the wire to move up/over the hump. Once moved aside, carefully lower the bowl straight down. To replace, slide carefully up and ensure that the edge of the bowl falls into the recess in the top part of the carb. Sometimes, when lowering the bowl, the gasket sticks to the bowl and the gasket is torn. If that happens, you may have to replace the gasket before you ride. The Bing Company or your dealer should be able to sell that to you...often, though, they're part of a rebuild kit.

Some have changed oil after the last ride. This pulls out the oil with the contamination to keep it from just sitting there all winter. Drain the oil and replace with new oil and filter...you're good to go next spring.

Assuming you're filling your tank with ethanol blend gasoline, a per-directions dose of your favorite fuel stabilizer would be a good idea in that full fuel tank, as well.

My practice was empty float bowls, fuel stabilizer, oil & filter change, a squirt of oil in each spark plug hole and then turn the engine over with the starter, put it on the center stand with 40 psi in the tires, put it on the battery tender for a day every few weeks. I also used to plug the exhaust outlets with plastic bags to keep moisture out.

Most of the above is overkill although I never had any problems with my airheads that were related to winter storage. I'd say the most important thing is not to start the bike and warm it up for 10 minutes or so intermittently (as my Harley/Indian neighbors used to do). That does do damage by contaminating the oil.

And this article strikes me as on point. https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/how-not-to-winterize-your-bike-9-mistakes-riders-make

Only my third winter with my airhead, but when I got it I was advised by long-time airheads to winterize by emptying the gas tank, removing the float bowls, and trickle charging the battery. It's worked great, when the bowls go on (w/new gaskets) and fresh gas goes in each spring the bike runs perfectly. YMMV, but it's proven to be good advice for me.

FWIW, Harbor Freight sells a cheap hand-held, battery driven pump that's great for sucking the fuel out of the gas tank.

All good suggestions. I like SeaFoam because it cleans too. After you add it to your tank don't forget to run the bike a bit to get the stabilizer through your carburetors.

Winterizing

My R90s has done well with:

change oil and filter
change all gear oils
change brake fluid
change fork fluid
Sta-bil in the tank
drain float bowls (Dellorto's)

All the above you'll get different opinions on but one thing you should definitely do if you're storing on a concrete floor in a cold garage is place the bike on a piece of Luan or plywood. That will keep the moisture coming up from the floor and etching onto parts.

One year, we had a very damp winter in Detroit and started the bike in the spring only to find when I pulled in the clutch to engage first, that the clutch had fused to the pressure plate.

RPGR90s