Winter is coming

chodatus

chodatus

New member
Weather is dipping to a low of 5 deg C here on the weekend and I got to start thinking about winterization. Need some tips and would like to know how you guys store your bikes in the winter. What do you use for gas tank protection, how you maintain your battery etc. etc.
 
BIGpanda

BIGpanda

New member
Battery tender, that's it I don't worry about the gas tank too much. I run it until it's almost empty and park it.
 
Fazed_and_Confused

Fazed_and_Confused

New member
The title of this post made me laugh. You watch Game of Thrones? Anywho I got a long time to worry about winter. It's still freakin 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Sacramento, CA and it's October. :scratch:
 
Wieb27

Wieb27

New member
1) Battery Tender

2) Sea-foam mixed into a full tank of gas (also make sure the Sea-foam is also ran into the fuel lines, etc).

3) Ideally get both wheels off of the ground to prevent flat spots. If you can't do that, move the bike a little every couple months.

4) Fresh oil change.

That's about all I do besides wash it good and cover it up.
 
Wieb27

Wieb27

New member
BIGpanda said:
Battery tender, that's it I don't worry about the gas tank too much. I run it until it's almost empty and park it.
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Not a good idea. You're better off putting fuel conditioner (Sea Foam) in a full tank of gas when storing it. These gas tanks are metal. If you don't have a full tank of gas you could get rust on the insides of it as condensation can collect inside.

Just my $.02.
 
Wieb27

Wieb27

New member
Wolf_Hook said:
Same here, it's starting to drop to 60f in the am and 90f in the afternoon BbRrrRr. lol :D
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Yeah, I've seen how much hotter climates suck. People run from an air conditioned car right into their air conditioned houses while it's one beautiful day after the next in the Upper Midwest. You can have that stuff.

Besides, I transition from motorcycle to snowmobile in the winter. Gives you something to look forward to from season to season. It's also BEAUTIFUL here in Wisconsin right now with all the fall colors.

You guys really miss out I think.
 
W

Wolf_Hook

New member
Wieb27 said:
Yeah, I've seen how much hotter climates suck. People run from an air conditioned car right into their air conditioned houses while it's one beautiful day after the next in the Upper Midwest. You can have that stuff.

Besides, I transition from motorcycle to snowmobile in the winter. Gives you something to look forward to from season to season. It's also BEAUTIFUL here in Wisconsin right now with all the fall colors.

You guys really miss out I think.
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I'll take it over the cold winters, I moved out here from upstate NY and don't miss it much haha. The 10 month riding season is awesome, you're right though a lot of people just dash from one air conditioned spot to another, you'd think they'd get used to it :p
 
H

Hoover

Guest
You should never leave your gas tank empty. As the temperature fluctuates, condensation forms on the inside of the tank. That leads to rust and water in the fuel. Brim the tank, use a good fuel stabiliser; I use stabil for fi engines. Run the engine for a few minutes to get it into the lines and injectors. I put it in before I fill it, that way it gets mixed in good.
I always pull my battery out and keep it in the basement on a wooden shelf. NEVER store a battery on a concrete floor.
Get both wheels off the ground or on cardboard or plywood. Wax the paint, cover and cry as you walk away!
 
M

mrthompson

New member
Wieb27 said:
1) Battery Tender

2) Sea-foam mixed into a full tank of gas (also make sure the Sea-foam is also ran into the fuel lines, etc).

3) Ideally get both wheels off of the ground to prevent flat spots. If you can't do that, move the bike a little every couple months.

4) Fresh oil change.

That's about all I do besides wash it good and cover it up.
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You know sea foam is not a fuel stabilizer? It is a cleaning agent.
 
V

Vapordan

Guest
I don't really plan on doing all of that. Coming from dallas where winter was all of 2 days, there was no need. I plan on starting it once a week and rolling it for the tires. But that's it. On warm winter days, I'll take it around the block. It'll be fine. I seen bikes run like normal after their open engines sat in the rain for YEARS. Besides winter storage is like 100 bucks per month.
 
DaKow

DaKow

All the Saddlesores
I figure I'll just put the liner in my jacket and ride. No sense in letting that cool, dense air go to waste! I love Florida. :)
 
RnR

RnR

New member
In the past I used Stabil this year I'm going to try Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment. For a battery tender I like CTEK. To protect from humidity damage over the winter either keep it in your living room or use a Bike Bubble. You can also get them from Carcoon or HW Accessories. But with shipping it's about the same price just to grab one from your local Harley dealer. Or on the cheap just use an old bed sheet so it can breath. I've used bike covers in the past until one time I looked under it to see my bike dripping wet.
 
C

Camo

Guest
Man, I can't imagine having to put the bike away for any amount of time. I feel for you guys. We can ride all year round here and to boot, is starting to warm up heading toward summer.
 
RnR

RnR

New member
Camo said:
Man, I can't imagine having to put the bike away for any amount of time. I feel for you guys. We can ride all year round here and to boot, is starting to warm up heading toward summer.
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I feel for bad for you guys that can't go sledding in the winter. :D
 
compensation

compensation

New member
No matter how cold it gets, i will still ride when the road is dry. My zeroturn on the other hand, i will yank the battery out and sit it by the battery charger. Everything gets a full tank of premium even if its a plastic tank. Reason: i dont know what the fuel prices will be in the spring :p
 
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