For us in the cold parts of the country, sadly this time of year means it is time to put the motorcycle away until the warmer days of March or April arrive in the spring. Many people just ride their motorcycle into the carport or garage for winter and leave it parked there. There is a few things that can make spring a little easier and cheaper to get back on the road. That will let enjoy the open freedom we all love to experience.
Your tank should be filled up and Fuel Stabilizer added to your gas tank. Just doing these two items helps a lot. However, you shouldn’t stop there with dealing with the gas. Run your motorcycle until it is almost out of gas, what kind of biker doesn’t this chore? Once you are extremely low on gas add the stabilizer to your tank. Next go for a very short ride to fill up your tank. Then ride your motorcycle back home and park it with the tank full.
Doing this helps with two items, the first would be when gas evaporates it leaves a substance called varnish. Varnish is a bit gummy and can cause your jets to plug up. In mild cases your motorcycle may run a bit rough while extreme cases can plug them up enough to not allow your bike to start. Gas stabilizer helps prevent varnish from building up. The second thing that is prevented by filling the tank is there is no room for condensation to build up in your tank. Condensation can cause the start of rusting on the inside of your tank. That is something none of us want to deal with.
Your motorcycle should be covered for winter, whether it is inside a carport, garage or out in the open. You should have a breathable Motorcycle Cover on your motorcycle. Breathable motorcycle covers allows moisture that could become trapped under your cover to escape. Not using a breathable cover can cause rust and pitting on your motorcycle prematurely.
The battery of your motorcycle is another piece that needs attention. If you are like me and hate buying batteries then making sure your battery is good next year is important. The recommended method for keeping your battery in good health is to bring your battery inside. Make sure you keep your battery charged throughout the winter. Charging it approximately 12 hours every couple of weeks or use a trickle charger. Nothing can ruin you first spring ride more than insuring your motorcycle and when everybody is leaving you’re asking people to help bomb start you bike.
Your tires are one of the most important items on your motorcycle. During winter storage it is often one of the most neglected things than need to be taken care of. Leaving your motorcycle tires on the ground in the same position for months at a time puts pressure on the same position of the tires for an extended period of time. This can shorten the life of your tires. There is a couple of ways you can handle this. You can move your bike around occasionally, I am not meaning once a month either. A better way is to buy a motorcycle lift to keep your tires off the ground.
In some area’s little critters love to find spots to stay warm during winter, to make sure none of those critters move into the pipes of your motorcycle you can take a couple of rags and plugs the end of your pipes. Make sure you leave a portion of the rags sticking out to easily grab them and pull them out come spring. Just don’t forget to remove them before starting your motorcycle in the spring.
Taking care of your motorcycle in the winter makes preparation for the spring much quicker, I want to get on my bike and ride in the spring not spend time fixing it.