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Winterzing Your Bike

7K views 69 replies 26 participants last post by  Samantha750 
#1 ·
found this little write up. Thought Id share. Do you experienced guys agree with all the steps described in the article?

http://www.wikihow.com/Winterize-Your-Motorcycle

winterization said:
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.
 
#3 ·
why not practice on a beater so you dont screw it up when you acquire said dream bike? :dunno
 
#5 ·
quick questions if anyone can answer them:

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?
 
#6 · (Edited)
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.

 
#7 ·
Ah, I see. Thanks for clearing it up :cheers
 
#8 ·
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.
 
#9 ·
When i was deployed, i coated my chain with grease. I also, filled the crankcase with oil all the way to the filler cap.
 
#10 ·
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.
 
#14 ·
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?
 
#11 ·
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.
 
#13 ·
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.
 
#20 ·
Ah, I see said the blind man. Thanks :cheers
 
#22 ·
how significant is changing the oil for winterization? Would I be able to get away with just changing it come first ride in spring?
 
#23 ·
both of my bikes have the same oil as they had on my last ride. it will be changed when i de-winterize. fwiw, my winter storage goes october to april.
 
#24 ·
ok, cool. my time frame is about the same, actually less. i have just read about acids eating engine components, blah, blah. Figured since the storage is only for a few months all I need to do is pull the battery, top off the oil, top off coolant, put on stands, grease chain and good to go. de-winterizing will be the fun part! :suicide
 
#33 ·
I add fuel stabilizer, top up the fuel, unhook the battery and put the bike up on stands. Done.

I would only pour oil in the cylinders if I was storing a bike for long term, like 10+ years. Absolutely no need for that if storing for a few months.
 
#38 ·
Ive Done my part. 1 change oil,2 fill tank with race gas added fuel stabilizer. plastic bag/tapped off my exhaust. 3 lay boards down and parked on them. I can move bike back and forth every other week.4 removed battery. 5 Check and filled all fluids. 6 covered the bike. Now here is my question for u guys i dont have a heated garage and yesterday went out anf d moved my bike and found my brother out in the garage. he was working on his quad.Had a torpedo going and i walked over to my bike. it was sweating up a Storm motor/frame tank. Should i move my bike to the other garage Where rodents can get to it or store outside with it just coverd and on boards. It snows here and is currently 4 inch of snow on the ground what do yall think i need to do?
 
#42 ·
if i disconnect my battery and bring it inside, obviously my power commander, ignition module and quick shifter will lose all power. Will this reset them to factory settings and lose my maps? The bike came without the custom maps so I cant just re-install them unfortunately.
 
#43 ·
No.

But it is a good idea to back up your maps.

All you need is dl the software and then hook up with a mini USB. It is pretty easy.
 
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