winterizing help

kbonigut

kbonigut

New Member
Can anyone let me know what I need to do in order to winterize my bike? I have a GSXR 750 track bike (new to Nesba this year and first year track riding). I put Stabile in the tank and am planning on hooking up to a trickle charger to keep the battery, is there anything else I need to think about?

I live in Chicago so it is going to get real cold, not sure if that means I need to worry about other items. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Dave561

Dave561

Control Rider
Director
If you ran water, make sure you switch to antifreeze for storage. also best to store with fresh oil. Other than that check the bike over for loose bolts and maybe lube up linkages in the off season.
 
Thunderace

Thunderace

BIG JIM
Control Rider
My bike sits in an attached garage that gets cool in the winter but not really cold. I haven't switched to anti-freeze in the last four years and I haven't had an issue. I've got friends that keep them outside or in exterior garages and it is necessary for them to switch to anti-freeze.

I also keep my battery on a tender over the winter. I like to start the bike once a week or so to get all the oil in all the right places in the engine. If the bike sits for long periods of time in a cold evironment you may get condensation that could lead to corrosion. Other than antifreeze and oil everything else is just maintenance.
 
hank

hank

Member
Other than the above, I also take out the battery and keep it inside the house and on a trickle charger.
 
HondaGalToo

HondaGalToo

Control Rider
Only thing I'll add is to change the oil prior to storage. Then you can run that oil in the Spring. I also bring the battery inside. I don't start it up periodically.
 
PJZOCC624

PJZOCC624

New Member
Up here in Syracuse it gets REALLY effin' cold...

What I do:
Change oil (sometimes I wait till spring if the oil is fairly fresh)
Gas stabilizer into a full tank of gas and run it for either a couple miles or ~5 minutes to get it through the lines.
Pull the battery and put it in the basement on a block of wood.
Plug the exhaust.
Both wheels off the ground.
Cover it up.

Yes, replace the water with antifreeze (DONT FORGET TO FLUSH IN THE SPRING!). I do not start it periodically unless I'm actually gonna ride it for a few miles (this pertained to when I had a streetbike). Jim ^^ I don't think starting it is necessarily the best thing for it.... I wanna say it can possbily create issues with the seals/gaskets/rings. Something about not gettng to optimal operating temps before cooling down again can cause problems. (too hung over to remember exact reasoning but I know I haven't done it in 4 years).

Instead of starting it, I will get all my gear on, go into the garage, get on the bike and make motorcycle sounds with my mouth from time to time... or I just go sit in a chair, and tell her stories of track days past. We smile, we laugh, we recall with great fondness the occasional fast lap of the day. We reminisce on the first day of the past season, and fight the melancholy of the winter gloom....

Oooops.... started to ramble. Sorry.
 
physicistkev

physicistkev

Control Rider
Not to say that others are not correct. I do very little. Change the oil, add stabil and put it on stands. I will start it once a week and ride it up and down the street for about 5 minutes and/or let it idle with a little throttle for a few minutes.

Since I switched to a gel battery I have not had problems with the battery. I will clean out the carbs at the beginning of the year and replace the plugs, but that's it.

I do the same with my boat, and it has the original, 5 (almost 6) year old battery's in it. It gets stored outside.
 
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