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What do i need to do to my motorcycle when storing it over the winter? |
It snows where i live, so i need to store my bike for the winter season. I don't have a garage, so it will be parked under my deck with a cover over it. i already have a trickle charger for the battery. what else should i do to the bike. thanks for all your help. the best thing about a bike is the low maintanace i would say to just remove the battery and put her to rest for the winter and if she gets too wet dry her off this will eliminate rust from occuring The battery monitor is a good thing though you might want to remove it and take it inside if you are not going to ride all winter. Also fill your gas tank full and maybe add a little bit of the Stable additive to prevent rust and keep the gas from going sour. Don't for get to either drain the fuel tank or put fuel stabilizer in it.If you have any rubber hoses put a coat of vaseline on them to keep them from dry rotting.If yo ukeep it cover make sure the cover don't blow off if high winds accure. Steps for storing you motorcycle Clean It! - The first thing that you should do is wash your motorcycle. The last thing that you want to do is let your bike sit for months with dirt, bugs and road grime on it. Come spring you will have a tough time getting it off. Trust me! Chain: - Once the bike is cleaned then you want to thoroughly clean and lube your chain. Lube It! 鈥?As well as the chain all other parts that are prone to rust and corrosion, this would include the bolts, cables, and switches. (WD40 or another rust inhibitor will work here). Oil: - It is a good idea to change your engine oil. Used oil has contaminants in it that can adhere to parts of an engine. Changing your oil will remove these materials. It is important that once you change you oil, you do not run the engine for a long period of time, this will just contaminate the oil again!! Starting it for a brief period will lubricate the parts in the engine. Don't go for a ride however. Gas Tank: - I have heard that it is recommended that you drain your gas tank. This is not a good idea as it allows condensation to form. The tank should be filled to prevent condensation. Once the tank if full you will need to add fuel-stabilizer to keep the gas for going stale. You can purchase fuel-stabilizer at your local bike shop. Carburetors: - If your bike has carburetors then you will need to drain the fuel contained in the float bowls. Fuel left in side them will become stale, and turn into varnish gumming up the inner workings of the carburetors. This will require disassembly and cleaning. To drain the float bowls there are screws located near the bottom of each carburetor, check your owner's manual. Battery: - Remove the battery and place it on a charger. The best kind of charger is a 12 volt charger, which will charge a battery to full (14.4 volts) capacity and then automatically switch to (float/ maintain) insuring that the battery will not be overcharged. A regular charger will also work, but you will have to take care that the batter will no be over charged. If you leave your battery in your motorcycle over the winter, by spring time it will not have a charge. Tires: - Having your motorcycle sitting in one spot for extended periods of time can create flat spots in your tires. The best solution for this is to elevate both wheels off the ground with front and rear stands. If you do not have a set of stands and do not want to spend that kind of money, your other choice is to periodically, (a couple times a month will do) move your bike around so that it is not sitting on the same part of the tires all winter long. I would also recommend that you do an inspection of your tires, making sure that they do not have any punctures. You should also add some extra air (5psi or so) to your tires for storing, because there will be some air loss over that time. Taking the time now to properly store your motorcycle will not only protect it for the ravages of time and Mother Nature, it also makes it easier to get your bike up and running again when the warm weather returns in the spring. http://www.motorcyclebasics.com/maintain... I always drained gas tanks of vehicles and equipment during non-use seasons. But I found a product that absolutely works called Seafoam. You can buy it almost anywhere and you include proper amount with full tank of gas and when you get your bike out it will operate tremendously. Cleaning, covering and storing are givens. CHANGE THE OIL. THIS REMOVES ANY WATER OR CARBOXILIC ACID THAT MAY HAVE FORMED IN THE OIL FROM COMBUSTION TOP OFF THE BATTERY WITH DISTILLED H20, AND PLACE IT ON A BATTERY MAINTAINER. PUT AIR IN THE TIRES, AND MOVE THE BIKE AROUNDDURING THE WINTER. GRAPHITE THE CABLES OIL THE CHAIN CLEAN THE WHOLE BIKE AND WAX IT OPERATE THE BRAKE LEVERS FREQUENTLY WHEN STORED PUT FUEL STABILIZER IN A TOPPED OFF GAS TANK PASS AN OILY RAG ON THE RIMS, FRONT FORK TUBES, SHOCK SPRINGS , NUTS AND BOLTS, HANDLEBARS, ETC |
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