Winter Storage for Motorcycles

• Find a proper place to store your bike, away from extreme temperature (inside if possible).
• Purchase some gasoline stabilizer, enough inexpensive oil for an oil change, a new oil filter, cleaning supplies for washing and waxing the bike and any tools needed for removing spark plugs.
• Take your bike out for one last ride – long enough to get the bike nice and hot. This burns off condensation that has built up in the engine and also gets the oil nice and hot so that any by-products are easier to remove when doing an oil change.
• Fill up the gas tank (full) while you are out and add the stabilizer. Make sure you have left yourself at least 5 minutes more of driving to let the stabilized fuel work its way around the entire fuel system.
• Adding the stabilizer is probably the most important part of storing your bike. The stabilizer helps to prevent the gasoline from turning to a hard gummy substance that will reduce the efficiency of the carburetors or even stop them from working altogether.
• Change the oil and filter while the bike is still warm from being run. Do an oil change according to your owners’ manual. There is no need to use expensive oil for this step since you will probably get rid of it in the spring. After changing the oil – run the bike in a well ventilated area for 1-2 minutes, and then move the bike to its winter home.
  * Very important points – Only change the oil and filter if the engine is still warm from step 4 & 5. Changing the oil and filter properly is a very important step and if skipped it could cause permanent damage.
• If you can – remove any dirt from around the spark plugs and holes – remove spark plugs and spray some “fogging oil” into the cylinders to lubricate the cylinder walls. If your bike has been raised off its wheels, put it into top gear and rotate the rear wheel manually to slowly spin the engine. Make sure not to use the starter and that the engine is turned off. 15 turns of the wheel and the cylinder walls should be well coated.(Fogging is a personal choice – talk to your dealer to decide if you want to do this).
• Re-install spark plugs and manually put the bike back into neutral by spinning the rear wheel.
• Let the exhaust pipe cool, then squirt a little WD40 into each exhaust – then cover the tip of each pipe with a plastic bag to prevent moisture from getting into the engine. Make sure it’s airtight. (use rubber elastics).
• Remove and charge the battery inside somewhere above freezing. The battery contains water and during those really cold days could freeze and crack. If you are storing your bike in a heated area, there is no need to remove the battery. Clean the outside of the terminals with baking soda and water and also inside the battery box, follow with warm soapy water. Lube the battery with dielectric grease before starting in the spring.* If you’re carbureted – make sure you drain the flow bolts.
• Wash, dry and wax your bike to remove any road salt. Dry your bike really well. Wax painted sections to prevent oxidization during the winter.
• Spray all rims, chain, frame etc. with WD40 – avoid brake pads, rotors, tires.
• Cover with a breathable cloth.

Tags: bike, motorcycle, storage

This entry was posted on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Self Storage Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.