Winter Storage....

[wallacew]

Time to put her up for the winter (lightweight NC winter)

What am i missing gentlemen.....

- replace water wetter with coolant
- bike on front and rear stands
- battery tender or disconnect battery? (which is better?)
- cover
- fresh oil
- bring suit in the house, apply some type of leather preservative
- start shopping for winter specials on tires



What else?

William

 

[Wawazat]

I was waiting until after winter to do my oil change. What's the difference?

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[wallacew]

Wawazat;223821 wrote: I was waiting until after winter to do my oil change. What's the difference?

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i don't believe there is. it was on the list.

William

 

[Wawazat]

I would say battery tender is better than unplugging it, but I guess both would be best. It's what I'm doing.

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[dj life]

Wawazat;223821 wrote: I was waiting until after winter to do my oil change. What's the difference?

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Put in fresh oil before you store it... The reason you do this is cause contaminates build up while you are using the bike and you really just don't want them sitting in the motor over the whole winter...
BTW you can use regular oil over the winter if youre using synthetic oil while riding as long as you change back at the start of the season..

To the OP. I normally do what you have put but also do the following...
Clean the entire bike
Clean and heavy lube the chain
Take a spoonful or two of oil and put it in the cyclinders via spark plug holes(check plugs at the same time)
Remove air filter and clean or replace it
Use stabil or something like it in the fuel
Stick a rag thats been sprayed with WD40 into the end of the exhaust
For my gear
Clean my helmets let completely dry and put them in small household garbage bags with those air dry packets and put in my closet
Clean gloves and condition
Clean suit and condition or send out to be cleaned
Clean boots and inner linings and condition put in a dryer sheet (like downy or the like)in each boot

Basically all I have to do to prep the bike next season is drop in the battery, change the oil,wipe chain down and spoon on some new tires...

Chris

 

[dlockhart5x]

Wawazat;223821 wrote: I was waiting until after winter to do my oil change. What's the difference?

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you want to remove the combustion by products that build up in the oil during use
some are acidic and can cause issues

really in track bikes with the oil changed often it is probably not a big deal, but choosing between now or later, now in this case may be slightly better

also don't run the bike periodically over the storage time, all that will do is contribute to condensation and water build up in the oil

(it does not get hot enough, long enough to get rid of the water, seen this often in old Porsche 911s improperly stored)

 

[wallacew]

dj life;223827 wrote: Put in fresh oil before you store it... The reason you do this is cause contaminates build up while you are using the bike and you really just don't want them sitting in the motor over the whole winter...
BTW you can use regular oil over the winter if youre using synthetic oil while riding as long as you change back at the start of the season..

To the OP. I normally do what you have put but also do the following...
Clean the entire bike
Clean and heavy lube the chain
Take a spoonful or two of oil and put it in the cyclinders via spark plug holes(check plugs at the same time)
Remove air filter and clean or replace it
Use stabil or something like it in the fuel
Stick a rag thats been sprayed with WD40 into the end of the exhaust
For my gear
Clean my helmets let completely dry and put them in small household garbage bags with those air dry packets and put in my closet
Clean gloves and condition
Clean suit and condition or send out to be cleaned
Clean boots and inner linings and condition put in a dryer sheet (like downy or the like)in each boot

Basically all I have to do to prep the bike next season is drop in the battery, change the oil,wipe chain down and spoon on some new tires...

Chris

Awesome, thanks.

William

 

[pvaultguy]

I'm in NC too, and was wondering if I needed to add anti-freeze. I just had the anti-freeze flushed and water wetter added this year. Is that something that needs to be changed each year anyway, so switching to anti-freeze for the winter is not a waste?

The bike is garaged, and I'm in the Triad.

Thanks!

 

[Wawazat]

Yeah, might as well. It's going to drop below freezing at least once. Do you really want to worry about your shit breaking just because you didn't want to switch the coolant?

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[wallacew]

Yup agreed, there will be a hard freeze at least once in NC.

 

[D-Zum]

Yes, you may have one hard freeze in NC, but that's not going to be enough to matter. Longer sustained periods of freezing weather for a couple of days or longer is more of a concern.

I would drain out a few fluid ounces of the water from your radiator and then add the same amount of anti-freeze back in, start the bike to mix/circulate it, and be done with it until Spring. That should get you to a 10 percent mix and be enough to keep your system from freezing in Southern climates.

Then drain and replace in Spring with fresh distilled water/Water Wetter mix.

 

[Relic]

Don't forget about the trailer: Clean trailer; spray rag with WD 40 and wipe lug nuts and wheel to prevent rusting; WD 40 on hinges; check tire pressure; Bring stuff that needs to be inside (generator) inside; Change oil of generator.