1) Gather up the tools necessary for winterizing your bike. You will need, cleaning cloths, spark plug wrench, a trickle battery charger, four or five quarts of high quality oil, new oil filter, oil can or device to get oil in the cylinders, chain lube (if you have a chain drive), fuel stabilizer, spray can of WD40, a breathable motorcycle cover, kitchen plastic wrap, rubber bands, vinyl or plastic gloves, items to clean and wax your bike. Lastly a nice location for the bike to spend the winter, a heated secure garage would be ideal. Avoid wind, dripping water, vermin, mildew, and chemical fumes.
2) Give your bike a thorough cleaning. A gentle wash detergent and water will suffice. By removing road grime and insects you will protect the finish of the bike. Avoid spraying water directly into the opening of the muffler. If baffles get wet and are not dried prior storage, internal rust could result. Likewise avoid moisture in the air cleaner housing. If the housing becomes saturated, it could act as a choke, making cycle difficult to start. Dry completely with a good chamois. Clean and polish all aluminum and stainless surfaces with the appropriate metal polish. Finally finish up with a coat of good wax polish on all painted and chrome surfaces. Clean the chain (if you have one). Spray off all the built up residues with WD40. Lube the chain.
3) Add a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank. Fill your tank with gas as full as it can go. This is very important. As fuel ages, more volatile components tend to change, leaving sludge and gummy substances that can affect the carburetor. Run the bike so the gas and fuel stabilizer get to the carburetor and fuel injectors. for carbureted bikes only ---->then turn off the fuel and run it dry
4) If you have a carburetor, drain your float bowls. Shut off the gas petcock and drain the gas from the carburetor bowls. Consult your manual for location of drain screws. Of course if you have a fuel-injected bike, there isn’t anything to drain.
5) Once the engine is warm, you can change the oil and filter. Oil chemistry changes over periods of extended storage. Old oil can develop acidic qualities, which can corrode engine parts.
6) Using an oil-squirting device, put oil over the stationary tubes on the front forks. Get on the bike, hold the front brake and bounce the bike up and down to work the front suspension. This will keep the rubber seals from drying out and protect the exposed fork tubes.
7) Remove spark plug wires, and carefully with a spark plug wrench remove the plugs. With your oil-squirting device, get some motor oil in the cylinders. Approximately one teaspoon of oil will work well. Tuck the plug wires away somewhere safe so they do not arc, then spin the motor with the starter for a few revolutions to get the oil spread around. Remember to keep your face away from the spark plug holes. Oil will squirt out! Clean and gap the plugs and put them back in. Replace plug wires.
8) You may want to remove the battery. Some batteries may require charging every four weeks with a “Battery Tender” type of charger. Built up sulfates on the plates can ruin a battery during cold storage and inactivity. A thin coat of Vaseline to the terminals on the battery can prevent corrosion. This small step will mean an easier spring start up and no extra cost of battery replacement.
9) If your bike has a liquid cooling system, check it’s level of anti-freeze with a hygrometer. Drain, flush and replace antifreeze if necessary. We suggest this replacement be done every two years. Do not leave the antifreeze level low or empty, this could lead to rust or corrosion of the cooling system. Check all other fluid levels at this time.
10) Lube your cables. Lube suspension and pivot points. Lube the drive shaft (if you have one). Check the air cleaner and the fuel filter. Look at brake pads. Give your bike a good once over.
11) Clean and treat all leather with a high quality dressing.
12) If your storage location is bare concrete, we suggest using a piece of plywood, MDF, or old thick carpet. This will insulate the bike from becoming damp. We also suggest storing your bike with all the weight removed from the wheels. A bike stand or some blocking works if you have a wheeled lift. A center stand and some blocking will work too. Do not store your bike near any ozone emitting devices, such as motors, freezers, furnaces or electric heaters. The gasses created by the above will deteriorate rubber parts.
13) With a clean cloth, wipe good quality light machine oil over all the metal surfaces, except the disc brakes. Spray a little WD40 in the tail pipe(s). Cover your tail pipe opening and the air intake with plastic wrap and a rubber band. You can also cover drain hoses as well. This will prevent any opportunistic pests from making a cozy winter home in your bike.
14) Do not run the engine for short periods of time over the storage period, this can lead to condensation due to engine and combustion byproducts in the oil.
Yeah, this is a list that looks like something my dad would write. It's very thorough. When I own one of my dream bikes someday, I'll be doing all of the above.
in number 3, what does it mean by turning off the fuel and running it dry?
Do I locate the fuel on/off/choke switch, turn it to off WHILE the bike is still running and then just let it die due to no fuel getting through? Seems as though that would be bad for the motor?
in number 3, what does it mean by turning off the fuel and running it dry?
Do I locate the fuel on/off/choke switch, turn it to off WHILE the bike is still running and then just let it die due to no fuel getting through? Seems as though that would be bad for the motor?
Pretty much the same as in the owners manual for storage (see below). Number 3 is for carburated bikes. Having fuel sitting in the floats can gum up the needles and cause issues. 3&4 should be combined to lessen confusion on this procedure or have one write up for carbs and one for FI, they are kinda meshed together.
Last edited by Samantha750; 11-15-2012 at 10:43 PM.
I don't remove spark plugs or add fuel stabilizer. All my bikes are injected, so there's no appreciable airspace to hold moisture. I do clean the bike, oil the chain, fill the tank to the top, and try to leave it with a fresh oil change. If it's a track bike, I also make sure to drain the cooling system, since I have to run water. For a street bike, the coolant just stays in. I also remove the battery and bring it indoors.
most of it seems good to go to me. i do take issue with putting oil in the cylinders and cranking the engine. that oil will drain away by the time winter is done, so you are just creating work for yourself. do it in the spring, just like our owner's manuals say. another thing is brake pad and filter inspections. why bother in the winterization phase? that is a springtime thing. finally, the plywood. use a front and rear stand to get the tires off of the floor. sitting for up to 6 months will create flat spots.
so the things that i disagree with are just things that i feel create unnecessary work, but i think that this write-up would be good to copypasta every time someone comes here for the next 2 months asking about winterization.
de-winterization is the time consumer.
fwiw, my winterization consists of a wash, fuel stab, stands, battery tender. the de-winterization of a machine is the retardedly long one.
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I agree with everything except putting oil in the cylinders. It's a pain in the ass to do, I don't think it does much of anything, than you get to foul your plugs when you refire it. The only thing I've done with the cylinders is to spin the motor over for a few seconds without actually firing it after 6 months or so to help keep the cylinders clean. I have the exhaust plugged so it will not actually fire up. I just did it on my K7 the other day since I never started it this season.
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I agree with everything except putting oil in the cylinders. It's a pain in the ass to do, I don't think it does much of anything, than you get to foul your plugs when you refire it. The only thing I've done with the cylinders is to spin the motor over for a few seconds without actually firing it after 6 months or so to help keep the cylinders clean. I have the exhaust plugged so it will not actually fire up. I just did it on my K7 the other day since I never started it this season.
I think the effect of spinning the motor without having it fire up would be this.
1) Unburned gas will be deposited into the cylinders,where there is a lot of air space to facilitate oxidation.
2) A little extra wear on the internals
3) Extra wear on the battery
I'm not sure if any benefits outweigh the downsides on that.
most of it seems good to go to me. i do take issue with putting oil in the cylinders and cranking the engine. that oil will drain away by the time winter is done, so you are just creating work for yourself. do it in the spring, just like our owner's manuals say. another thing is brake pad and filter inspections. why bother in the winterization phase? that is a springtime thing. finally, the plywood. use a front and rear stand to get the tires off of the floor. sitting for up to 6 months will create flat spots.
so the things that i disagree with are just things that i feel create unnecessary work, but i think that this write-up would be good to copypasta every time someone comes here for the next 2 months asking about winterization.
de-winterization is the time consumer.
fwiw, my winterization consists of a wash, fuel stab, stands, battery tender. the de-winterization of a machine is the retardedly long one.
Would you mind elaborating on your de-winterization process? Im truly clueless about this crap and its bout time I learn. My lists consists of put battery back in, change oil, switch to waterwetter, check chain, bleed brakes, and change spark plugs. Yurp thats it. Soooo what do you do?
not exactly understanding the "turn the engine over with the spark plugs and battery removed" thing. how does one do this?
Would you mind elaborating on your de-winterization process? Im truly clueless about this crap and its bout time I learn. My lists consists of put battery back in, change oil, switch to waterwetter, check chain, bleed brakes, and change spark plugs. Yurp thats it. Soooo what do you do?
not exactly understanding the "turn the engine over with the spark plugs and battery removed" thing. how does one do this?
the article said to crank the engine with no plugs, but with the battery still in. my dewinterization consists of changing ALL fluids (brake and fork included), lubing ALL points of rotation, torquing all bolts, and visual inspection of pretty much everything.
the article said to crank the engine with no plugs, but with the battery still in. my dewinterization consists of changing ALL fluids (brake and fork included), lubing ALL points of rotation, torquing all bolts, and visual inspection of pretty much everything.
the service manual shown above lists turning the engine over before re installing the battery
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