Winter storage

[Oh-Danny-Boy]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm unlikely to ride again until spring What suggestions do you have for winter storage (in a garage) to ensure it's fit and ready to go when the time comes?

 

Thanks  

[Fiddlesticks]

The XJR has been off the road for a while. All I did was top it up with E5, put it under a sheet on an Optimate and start it up every now and again. Last time it did sound rough though. If it's a dry weekend I might give it a run...

[rob m]

Every bike I've owned over the past 30 years has lived outside under a cover. No ACF 50, no trickle charging, no starting during the winter months. I'll give them a good wash before covering for the winter (I've used an Oxford Stormex for years), then lock up and leave. Come the Spring, I take the battery out, charge it up and start the bike. Surprisingly, none of them have crumbled into a pile of rust, blown up or refused to start. I imagine it's easier in a garage. 

 

Also, don't listen to naysayers who say petrol goes off in 4 months. It doesn't. Nor does engine oil. 

Edited November 22, 2023 by rob m

[Trooper74]

My bike lives outside all year round… but is also ridden all year round … maybe only 1 or  2 days a week in January and February .. but ridden … 

don’t understand the put it away approach.. but what works for you is fine …

 

[Capt Sisko]

Give the bike a really good wash (and blow dry if you've got one, they really are good at shifting the water out of the nooks & crannies), spray anything that looks vulnerable with you preferred anti corrosion remedy, put the battery on a tender and cover the bike with an old fitted bottom sheet. Then as long as your garage is dry, leave well alone.

 

As the man said the petrol won't go off, the oil won't congeal and the bike doesn't need starting up every now & then to make it feel better. HOWEVER, if you get withdrawal systems, take all of the above off and go out a for a bloody ride. You know it'll do you the world of good.

[S-Westerly]

Just ride it. Never wrap it up for winter. 

[Nick the wanderer]

Hi,

even E10 fuel will keep a few months, l leave my fuel on the low side so l can easily run fresh through.

Keep the bike as dry as possible, moisture will rot and corrode stuff.

I use a solar battery tender to keep the battery topped up and in good shape.

 

Winter is shit and as soon as they salt the roads that will rip the finish of any nice bike. Cold and wet and ice on top? I'd rather take the missis shoe shopping, yes l hate it that much.

[S-Westerly]

Nah, I'm still riding it although sometimes it's because I have no choice. After 5 years it's not yet collapsed into a pile of rust.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Last year due to a family crisis my Bobber was laid up from October to March with E10 in it. It fired no problem in March. 

 

Don't start the engine unless you're going for a ride. But it is worth turning the ignition on monthly just to cycle the fuel pump. Mine makes odd noises if left for too long. It always fires but the fuel pump makes a weird noise.

 

Pump the tyres up and if possible raise the wheels off the ground. 

 

I usually change the oil annually and do it before the winter. That way there's less acidic combustion byproducts in the oil over the winter. 

[onesea]

With @Mississippi Bullfrog here don't start it unless your going to ride it.

Also in the camp of ride all year, so don't put it to bed.

 

However acf50 applied generously and salt is washed off at every opportunity.

[Gerontious]

I don’t bother with ACF. Utterly pointless on my bike.  I don’t even bother for that “feel good factor” as throwing my money away on something that’s a waste of time doesn’t exactly encourage my feeling good. 
 

It’s a modern bike. Has no naked mild steel. So nothing to rust, aside from the brake disks and something tells me that nothing will help with them if they start to rust, aside from riding the bike and using the brakes. Friction (ooh mrs)

 

if we have a cold snap and the roads are gritted. Well, I’m not going to be rushing to ride the bike anyway. Usually I will wait until it rains. Washes the salt and grit away. And then go for a ride if so motivated.

 

been doing this for 5 winters now. No rust. Bike lives outside under an Oxford cover.

 

i fail miserably at exuberant paranoia.

 

i blame my mother.

[Tinkicker]

On 22/11/2023 at 19:50, Oh-Danny-Boy said:

Hi everyone!

 

I'm unlikely to ride again until spring What suggestions do you have for winter storage (in a garage) to ensure it's fit and ready to go when the time comes?

 

Thanks  

 

You do not state what bike you have which has a distinct bearing on the matter.

 

If you have a two stroke, you can spray liberally with something like silicone spray, put it under an old bed sheet and ( essential) start it every couple of months to keep the cylinder and rings from starting to rust.  Two strokes have very little oil on the bores and if the piston stopped on a open exhaust port...

 

Alternatively you can spray fogging oil down the plug hole, or up the intake, drain the carb, remove the battery and leave it.  Fogging oil is designed for laying engines up long term.  It is called inhibiting oil.  You will need to top up the tank to the brim to prevent condensation and rust inside the tank.

 

If you have a watercoolled four stroke on carbs.  Ditto with the sheet and spray.  Start it up once a month and get it good and hot.  The carbs can get full of water from the phase separation of the fuel in the carbs.  It pulls it in through the float chamber vents and through the intake.

Most important bit is HOT.  The poor headers glow a dull red in the dark sometimes.

I adjust my idle to 2000 rpm and leave it running for about half an hour.  2000 rpm will ensure the generator is charging and the engine gets hot enough to warm the crankcases thoroughly.  You do not want a high moisture content in the oil.  Hot oil evaporates out the moisture.

 

Also with 2000 rpm, the cooling fan keeps kicking in and out, exercising the fan motor bearings and the hot air from the rad drying out any moisture laying under the bodywork.  The exhaust also gets good and hot throughout.  You do not want to promote rot by leaving condensation in the exhaust.

 

Modern bike on fuel injection? Closed fuel system.  No fuel worries, the fuel will not go bad in the system.  Just fill the tank to the brim to prevent condensation forming in the airspace and add a bit of Stabil.  Remove the battery and check its charge level once a month.  As with the rest, spray and cover if you want a showroom fresh bike.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by Tinkicker