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Winterizing your bike
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kingwj
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Joined: Sep 04, 2005
Posts: 801
Location: Delaware

PostPosted: October 20, 2005, 8:15 am    Post subject: Winterizing your bike

From the Royal Enfield site:

Tech Corner - 5 Steps to Successful Winter Storage

I hate to even think about writing this column,
and debated delaying it for another month or
so, but decided that if I got you thinking about
it early enough, more of you would properly
winterize your bikes. We do not mind the flurry
of parts business in March and April when you
are fixing all of the problems that could have been prevented by
proper storage, but we'd rather see you on the road.

When storing your beloved bike (or car for that matter), an ounce
of prevention really will prevent a pound of cure. Spend a little
time now, or a lot of time and money in the spring. This article is
an overview of what you need to do to insure a smooth spring start
to the riding season.

First - Putting your bike away for the winter without fresh oil and
a bath is like not brushing your teeth before you go to bed. You
KNOW how that feels in the morning. Seriously, engine oil collects
acids and corrosive byproducts of the combustion process.

Why store your bike with that old acidic fluid in it?

We recommend a complete oil change including a filter change.
If it is time to change your transmission and/or primary case oil,
do it now, not after it has been sitting all winter. After you have
changed the oil, start the engine and allow the new oil to circulate
for a few minutes. Then TURN OFF the fuel tap, and let the bike
run until it drains all of the gas from the carburetor and dies. This
prevents any gum from forming in the carburetor over the winter.

Second - After you change your oil, put some Sta-Bil in your
FULL fuel tank. We recommend that you store it with a full tank,
so the least amount of water can condense in the tank, and of
course, start to rust. Sta-Bil will ensure that your gas stays
fresh until spring and will prevent problems caused by "old gas",
which turns to varnish.

Third - Remember, RUST NEVER SLEEPS. It is critical to protect
your piston and cylinder from rust and corrosion over the course
of the winter. Condensation WILL form in the cylinder causing the
rusting process to begin. This is as true as death or taxes! Up
here in the northland, where winter can last up to 6 months long,
we like to protect our cylinders (cars, boats, snowmobiles, etc.)
in the off-season by using a Fogging Oil in the cylinder. Fogging
oil sprayed inside of the cylinder enters as a fog and then sets up
and forms a grease-like protective coating on the cylinder wall.
This will provide great protection during the storage season.

Fourth - Install a new Spark Plug, or better yet, one of our
Stortech Storage Plug Kits. The crystals inside this device will
draw out any moisture that may form in the cylinder, and really
protect it. We recommend this in addition to the fogging oil.

Fifth - Clean your bike. Do not store it dirty. You could wait
until spring to clean it, and spend a lot of time trying to remove
rust, etc. incurred during winter storage, but that would both
waste your time, and let rust get a foothold. If you clean and
protect it now, it will be ready to go in the spring, no problem.

Here are some tips:

A. Clean the bike thoroughly, and

B. Protect all of the exposed surfaces. Use a product to protect
the paint, chrome and rubber. I especially like a new (to us)
Waterless Wash & Wax product from Prowler. We've used it
with good success on everything from plated parts, such as
chrome wheels and spokes, to painted surfaces and glass. It's
loaded with Carnauba Wax, and we've added it to our Supplies
and Lubricants collection for the upcoming year. Some good
tire cleaner from your automotive store will effectively clean
your rubber items like tires and foot pegs.

C. Lubricate the drive chain with Chain Wax, and adjust it
before putting the bike away for the winter.

D. Lubricate all of the cables with Cable Lube to protect
them from corrosion (the leading cause of cable failure).

E. Check and clean the battery terminals with a wire brush if
you see some corrosion. (Some people like to then smear a little
petroleum jelly on them to prevent corrosion. Others like
Permatex Dielectric Grease.) Check the water level. Do
not overfill, and use distilled water if you need to add. Install
an automatic low-current Battery Tender on the battery.
This is a critical step. If you do not keep the battery electrically
active over the course of the winter, the odds of it being usable
in the spring are quite low. Some people tell me that they remove
the battery, and take it inside. Unfortunately, that is still not
beneficial to the battery. When a battery sits idle, its plates
sulphate and eventually ruin the battery. On the other hand,
if you keep a small charge on the battery, you can double or triple
its life. Be sure that whatever you use is automatic, so that it
shuts down when the battery does not need a charge. This is an
often overlooked step that can save you a lot of money and
downtime. One extra season on the battery pays for the
charger, which will work for years and years!

F. Lastly, inflate the tires to the recommended pressures, and ...

G. Invest in a Bike Cover. We sell a very nice cover for only
$59.95. Not only will your bike be clean and shiny in the spring,
it will be protected from bird-droppings, dust, dirt and whatever
else goes on in your storage space.
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650rider
WebMaster
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Joined: Feb 09, 2005
Posts: 431

PostPosted: October 23, 2005, 12:23 am    Post subject: Re: Winterizing your bike

Thanks for posting this.
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nobradovic
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Jun 25, 2008
Posts: 17
Location: Belgrade, Serbia, Europe

PostPosted: November 18, 2008, 8:07 pm    Post subject: Re: Winterizing your bike

Txks !!! It's an excellent "winter storage manual" !!!
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Nikola Obradovic
Yamaha XS650 Special '79
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