Winter Storage tips
Jason Clishe
It was written with street bikes in mind, but the basics are still there.
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Winter Storage
Moisture can be a motorcycle's worst enemy when being stored. Follow these
simple and easy steps to keep your bike good as new during the winter
months.
Clean the entire vehicle thoroughly
Run engine for a few minutes to warm the oil. Completely drain out the old
oil and replace with fresh engine oil. Dispose of oil properly.
Empty all fuel from the tank and empty the carburetor by unscrewing the
drain screw at the float bowl. (Fuel left in the carburetor will break down
and clog essential components). Dispose of fuel properly.
Remove the empty fuel tank, pour about a half-pint of motor oil into tank
and roll the tank around to coat the inner surfaces thoroughly to prevent
rust. Pour out the excess oil when finished. Dispose of oil properly.
Remove the spark plugs and put several drops of motor oil into each
cylinder. Turn engine over a few times to coat the cylinder walls with oil.
Replace spark plugs to seal out moisture.
Reduce tire pressure by about 20%.
If possible, set the motorcycle on a box or stand so both wheels are
suspended above the ground. If you cannot find a box or stand, just place
boards under the tires to keep moisture from deteriorating the rubber.
Spray lubricant or oil on unpainted metal surfaces to prevent rusting. DO
NOT spray oil on rubber parts and hoses.
Lubricate all cables.
Remove the battery and store it where it will not be exposed to sunlight,
moisture or freezing temperatures. If possible, slow charge (one ampere or
less) once a month. Keep the battery well charged especially during cold
weather.
Tie plastic bags over the exhaust pipes to prevent moisture from entering.
Put a cover over the motorcycle to keep dust and dirt from collecting on it.
Taking out of winter storage:
Remove plastic bags from exhaust pipes
Install the battery. Charge if necessary
Tighten spark plugs.
Fill fuel tank with fuel.
Check air pressure in tires and engine oil level. Fill if necessary.
Check and lubricate cables if necessary.
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Jason Clishe, MCP, A+
Senior Network Engineer, Sequoia Diversified Products
jcl...@wnol.net
www.sequoianet.com
Great Lakes Windows NT Users Group
'98 YZ400F #560
The Clishe Files: www.sequoianet.com/personal/jclishe
Blair
Jason Clishe wrote in message <712gaq$gsp$1...@supernews.com>...
>I found the following winter storage tips at motorcycle.com a few years
ago.
>It was written with street bikes in mind, but the basics are still there.
>
>***********************
>Winter Storage
>
>
>>Empty all fuel from the tank and empty the carburetor by unscrewing the
>drain screw at the float bowl. (Fuel left in the carburetor will break
down
>and clog essential components). Dispose of fuel properly.
>
>Remove the empty fuel tank, pour about a half-pint of motor oil into tank
>and roll the tank around to coat the inner surfaces thoroughly to prevent
>rust.
I cannot disagree with any of this but since I am lazy I like to make things
easier. What has always worked for me in place of running the bike clear
out of fuel, oiling the tank etc. is to run the bike down to about nothing
(maybe just a little fuel left in the carb) and then go to your friendly
local airport and get some 100/130 av gas and fill the tank with that run
the bike enough to get it in the carburetor and leave it. I prefer this
method because I like to start the bike(s) at intervals throughout the
winter and this means you always have gas available to do it with. The
avgas will not breakdown and leave varnish like regular gas and is pretty
cheap. I would not recomend using this fuel on a regular basis in the
summer unless it is setup for it (duh) but it is fine to run it enough to
get your bike warmed up in midwinter. This method has worked very well for
me I never have dirty carbs in the spring or any other problems. However if
you don't like to start your bike in the winter there probably is no
advantage to it.
Blair the guy with all the fun stuff (I wish)
I changed my mind but the new one didn't really work any better........