Winterizing my bike

[phoenix63]

Ok... big question:

Should I winterize my bike before transporting it to Chicago when I move on December 3rd?

Aside from putting on mirror extenders, I've not done any wrenching yet, not even changing my own oil. I've been researching how to winterize your bike and, since I've never worked on one before, it's a bit intimidating.

And the steps seem to be a bit different for fuel injected bikes (Bebe is fuel injected).

I'm a bit nervous about doing this by myself, and I'm not sure how to get this done... or when to do it... before the move or - since the riding is still good in Tennessee right now -- after the move to Chicago.

Any suggestions?

[KansasKawboy]

I would wash and wax the bike. Change the oil and filter. Fill the gas tank and add a fuel stabilizer like STA-BIL or Sea Foam and run it for a few minutes to get the stabilizer into the injecter. Make sure the tires are at the proper pressure. If you can it would be good for it to start it and run it for a bit every week or so or use a battery tender to keep it charged.

[phoenix63]

I would wash and wax the bike. Change the oil and filter. Fill the gas tank and add a fuel stabilizer like STA-BIL or Sea Foam and run it for a few minutes to get the stabilizer into the injecter. Make sure the tires are at the proper pressure. If you can it would be good for it to start it and run it for a bit every week or so or use a battery tender to keep it charged.

That's it? Really?

Wow... I thought it was more complicated than that. I just had the oil and filter changed last week, so all I need to do is check the tires and make sure the fuel tank is full and add the stabilizer. Oh, and give her a bath and a good wax!

Coolness.... thanks, KK!

[Cyclone67]

How are you getting her up to Chicago?? If she's going to sit for a while enroute on a truck you'll probably want to disconnect the battery. That's what I do when mine get loaded up with my household goods.

[phoenix63]

She'll be on a trailer behind my CR-V.

Good point, Cy... I'll disconnect the battery and get a battery tender.

[Cyclone67]

If it's just going to be on the trailor for a day or two, you'll be fine. Mine typically are in transit for a month to six weeks! :eek:

[Cyclone67]

That reminds me, I need to winterize my car next time I get a oil change.

[phoenix63]

Yeah, she'll only be on the trailer for about two days. Then, depending on whether I find a place right away, she'll be safely in a garage. Otherwise, I'll have to find some place else to store her. I have a few friends who have offered their garages for the winter, too.

Winter... OY! :brr:

[Luna Tique]

I personally don't use a battery tender.

[phoenix63]

LT, do you just start your bike every week or so during the winter?

[Luna Tique]

I try to ride it at least once a month during the dark days of old man winter:riding: but if not I just leave it alone.

I also would stuff steel wool in the tail pipe and place an open box of moth balls under the cover (which if you are parking inside a garage I use a old sheet rather than a weather proof cover) to keep mice at bay if you are not planning on riding until spring.

I hope this doesn't jinx me by saying this out loud :D:
I have never unhooked a battery over the winter and NEVER had a battery not turn over. :chin: I can remember having to hook up a to a quick start on a charger a few times one winter when I (no other transportation) rode it to work every day.
The poor thing was parked outside and many times the wind would just blow the cover off .:redface1:

Just my cents for what it is worth :shrug:I know my thinking on this goes against the grain but ....... I think if you are not going to run it long enough to burn off the condensation off I would not even start it up until you are ready to ride it.

[ImaSoftT]

I don't know if this is true or not, but a friend told me NOT to start my bike unless I was going to ride it or else stay with it and rev the engine to simulate a ride. He said just idling the engine will not recharge it, and if you start it several times and just let it idle it would drain the battery. He also said taking a lot of little rides would also kill a battery, that you should plan on riding at least 10 miles to fully recharge the battery. Maybe someone here can tell us if this is legit or just an old wives tale. :shrug:

[KansasKawboy]

Some bikes charge at idle and others don't. It would be best to ride but running at higher engine speed would be good too as long as it runs for 10 or 15 minutes.

[maximoto]

IST I was told the same by my riding instructor.

Good to know you only need 10 -15 minutes to charge the bike. I've always been worried when we were on the road and did a lot of starts and stops.
Now I can relax, thanks KK. :thumbsup:

[sweptwingnut]

Weird. Got an email from http://www.bestrestproducts.com/t-adventures.aspx today that contained this very topic.

Winterizing your bike(s)
For most of us the riding season is coming to a close so it's time to think about "winterizing" our bike(s). Here's a few helpful tips (and some painful lessons) we've learned over the years:

A List of Do's:

Fill the gas tank. Partially empty tanks attract condensation, leading to rust and contaminated fuel

Add Sta-Bil fuel treatment, at least 1 ounce per 2.5 gallons. This preserves the fuel and prevents gummy sludge in the carbs or injectors. Cleaning that sludge is a royal pain.

Run the engine after adding Sta-Bil, so the fuel treatment gets into the carbs or injectors

Turn off the fuel petcock. Nothing worse than having an o-ring go bad during the winter and 5 gallons of fuel dribbling onto the garage floor. Been there....

If you have carbs, unscrew the drain valve on bottom of the carb and let the fuel out of the bowls. This prevents the floats from sticking.

Change the engine oil. Run the engine until the oil gets warm, then perform an oil and filter change.

If you have a water cooled engine, make sure it's got enough antifreeze to handle the cold temperatures common to your climate, i.e. if you live in Montana and temps drop to -40, your coolant has to be rated to that level.

Fill tires to recommended highway pressure. Tires lose air all winter long, so a low tire in the fall means a flat tire in the spring. Storing a bike with underinflated tires leads to damaged tires.

Get a trickle charger and run it all winter long. Trickle chargers are a cheap investment -they help your battery last longer, and when you start the bike in the Spring you can be assured the battery will have a full charge. We have one charger for each bike in the stable. If you don't have multiple chargers, then rotate the charger to a different bike every 2 weeks.

A quick coat of wax on the paint, a squirt oil on the chrome, and some vinyl protectant on the seat will keep your bike looking great thru the winter.

Some riders pull the spark plugs and squirt oil into each cylinder. We've never done this because it's too time consuming, but in theory it's a good idea.

Contact your insurance agent about reducing coverage during the non-riding months.

As you perform the above tasks, make a written list of needed minor adjustments, scheduled maintenance, etc. Then when the snow is falling and you're bored out of your mind, you can refer back to the list. We use a large whiteboard in the garage, listing upcoming tasks, crossing them off as they get done.

If you don't do your own wrenching, you can save big bucks if you schedule the work with a dealer during his slow winter months. We've seen discounts as high as 50% - timing is everything.

A list of DON'Ts:

Don't store your bike outside, under a plastic tarp. Tarps collect moisture on the underside - by Spring your bike will be covered with rust. If you must store your bike outside, put a tarp on the ground and park the bike on that tarp. Pull the tarp up around the bike and secure it with bungees, then use a 2nd tarp over the top of the bike and over the 1st tarp. It's a good idea to put an RV dehumidifier bowl (with crystals) inside the tarp - this sucks up any condensation.

Don't change oil while the engine is cold. Oil needs to be warm for the contaminants to be in suspension.

Don't spray Armor-All on the treads of the tires. Come Springtime the tires will be slippery and you'll run a chance of a spill when you round the first corner

Don't start the bike and run it for only a few seconds. If you're gonna run it, let the engine get up to full operating temperature. Short runs don't give the engine a chance to purge contaminants. Moisture develops in the exhaust pipes, leading to rust. Get the bike good and warm before you shut it down.

Don't forget to do a pre-ride inspection, if a warm sunny day comes along and you decide to go for a spin. Check tire pressure, oil and fuel levels, mirrors, controls, lights,etc.

Don't forget to reinstate insurance if you take the bike out for a spin.

Don't forget to renew your registration. It seems that license tabs always come due over the winter - don't get a ticket the next time you go out.

[ImaSoftT]

Thanks Nut that e-mail had a lot of good information. http://www.twowheelfemales.com/forum/images/smilies/TwoThumbs%20Up.gif We don't do a lot of winterizing as such, but it's good to know what should be checked on in case of a real cold snap.

[indianscout]

Great list Nut! I would like to add that if you have a center stand on your bike, use this instead of the side stand. A center stand will keep your bike upright in case a tire goes low or flat.

I also use a 50/50 mix of Seafoam and Sta-Bil in my gas tank, then I then run the bike a few moments to get the mix into the carbs. But this year I am trying something new;

http://indianscout.smugmug.com/Other/misc/i-s8KCW4L/0/M/twf-006-M.jpg

It's not cheap but then 16 oz. treats 256 gallons of fuel so it will last me awhile.

I do pull the plugs and spray in some fogging oil and then kick it over a few times. This will coat the cylinder walls and prevent rust from forming on the cylinder walls due to condensation. It will also help prevent the rings from sticking over the winter (here it is about 5 months and it does get to -40 degrees).

I also use the steel wool in the tail pipe and the moth balls as LT suggested. It's cheap and well worth the prevention!

It only takes me about 10-15 minutes to winterize each bike and saves me $ and the time not to have to haul it to a shop and back. Plus it gives me a great opportunity to go over my bike closely.

[LiLiBug]

But this year I am trying something new;

http://indianscout.smugmug.com/Other/misc/i-s8KCW4L/0/M/twf-006-M.jpg
It's not cheap but then 16 oz. treats 256 gallons of fuel so it will last me awhile.


Us too! This stabilizer has gotten very good reviews from our local dealers!!

[indianscout]

Us too! This stabilizer has gotten very good reviews from our local dealers!!


One of our local dealers tried it out last year and was very pleased with the results. He won't stock items he hasn't personally tried himself and is very honest about his experiences. The small engine repair shop I work at decided to give it a try this fall in winterizing bikes and boats. Some we did with a 50/50 mix of Sta-Bil and Seafoam wile others we did with StarTron. The big test will be next May or so when they bring them back out. I'm confident we won't see much difference but it will be cheaper using the StarTron.

[phoenix63]

This is such great information, guys! Thanks! Since this is my first winter with a bike, I just wasn't sure what to do.

So, while my bike is still here in Tennessee for another 3 weeks, and parked outside in the apartment complex parking lot... should I cover it with the bike cover or not? At least one night this week it is forecasted to get down to 30 degrees.

[Abosit]

Putting steel wool in the exhaust is a very good advise!!

I had once a mice being spit out the exhaust when starting the engine,
and another time had a burning smell from the exhaust.
The smell was so bad, I had to stop driving, thinking something really serious was happening and was afraid to continue.
Found out, it was corn the mice had stored in the exhaust and was making popcorn!!...

[phoenix63]

OMG.... a popcorn popping bike! Wow!

:popcorn1: (sorry, couldn't resist!)

I will definitely put steel wool in the exhaust. Don't want any critters crawling into the tail pipe!

[sweptwingnut]

Disclaimer: Our bikes are garage kept so I really don't have any experience with bike covers.

It is my understanding that Bike covers (vs. Tarps) are usually made from a breathable fabric. Under that presumption, I would not have any hesitation to use one.

[KansasKawboy]

I don't have a garage so my bikes are always outside and I use a bike cover and have never had a problem.

[Abosit]

We put a bike cover in the garage, no problems with rust.
I agree with Nut, most bike covers are somewhat breathable.
In addition in the winter, the air is very dry.
The cover keeps the bike nice and clean for the 5 months storage.
Yes 4-5 MONTHS....:eek:
The last month we have craby cabin fever!:grump:

[Dualsport Chic]

We put a bike cover in the garage, no problems with rust.
The cover keeps the bike nice and clean for the 5 months storage.
Yes 4-5 MONTHS....:eek:
The last month we have craby cabin fever!:grump:

+1 for me on that last sentence. By the time March rolls around I'm quite a bit cranky too as my patience runs dry while waiting for decent riding weather.

[indianscout]

Talking to a friend last night in regards to winterizing bikes and he said he drains his tanks and runs the bike until it quits and doesn't use any fuel stabilizer. Two things come to mind when doing it this way.

#1 The carb(s) still have a little fuel in the sediment bowl and this can still gum up the carb next spring. The only way to completely drain the carb is to remove the bowl.

#2 Draining the carbs will expose some of the rubber components and they will dry out and crack causing major headaches the following spring.


I cover my bikes with old blankets or bed sheets and never had a problem. (No Astir I don't use my white towels for this. They get used in the shop!) :rofl:

[Astir]

:D: I was thinking 600 thread count Egyption sheets. ;):

[indianscout]

:D: I was thinking 600 thread count Egyption sheets. ;):


Wow, now they would make good shop towels now wouldn't they!!!!




:lol:

:hiding:

[ImaSoftT]

I made a promise to myself, to never buy sheets that can count higher than I can. http://www.twowheelfemales.com/forum/images/smilies/Big%20Grin2.gif

[Astir]

Wow, now they would make good shop towels now wouldn't they!!!!




:lol:

:hiding:

:rofl:

:smack: If you and Peaches make it my way I am going to have to hide... oh heck I don't have any good linen to hide. :lol:

I made a promise to myself, to never buy sheets that can count higher than I can. http://www.twowheelfemales.com/forum/images/smilies/Big%20Grin2.gif

:rofl:

[phoenix63]

I made a promise to myself, to never buy sheets that can count higher than I can. http://www.twowheelfemales.com/forum/images/smilies/Big%20Grin2.gif

:rofl: IST, you crack me up, girl!

Good to know the cover I have for Bebe isn't going to hurt. And, it's not like it's going to be sub-zero temps, either. I have marching orders for the leasing company I'm working with:

A fireplace is preferable (and welcome, in Chicago)... but completely optional. A garage is a necessity. Won't even look at condos that don't have access to a garage.

After 7 years in Nashville, I've become somewhat of a winter wimp. But, I gotta protect my baby. :cloud9:

[indianscout]

:smack: If you and Peaches make it my way I am going to have to hide... oh heck I don't have any good linen to hide. :lol:



:rofl:

[ImaSoftT]

A fireplace is preferable (and welcome, in Chicago)... but completely optional. A garage is a necessity.
I gotta protect my baby. :cloud9:

If Phoenix ends up in one room above a well equiped, heated, high tech garage, will we be surprised? :shrug:

[phoenix63]

I have no idea what you mean, IST. :redface1: