Winter question.
08 Busa
Just wondering....
If started every other day and just idled for say 4 minutes,
Will the bikes charging system keep the battery in good condition?
(Garage kept and no sub 0 temps.)
IMsomewhatHO, that will probably work for the battery but do no good whatsoever for the rest of the bike.
#1 every other day should not be necessary at all to keep the battery up. I have left my 08 sit a couple months without a charge and still started up fine.
#2 Four minutes is probably enough to bring it back up to full charge but I would run it longer to be sure.
#3 Don't know if you are talking subzero C or F but if a battery sits in freezing temps and the battery is discharged , the liquid can freeze and bust the battery shell and you have all that crap all over your bike -----and your battery is shot.
Same goes for antifreeze quality of your coolant. If it is not at a sufficient strength, the coolant could freeze solid if it got extremely cold and damage the thin metal parts of the radiator or even the heftier parts of the engine. Buy a tester and check your coolant for freezing point.
#4 The hardest thing on your motor is starting. Multiply by 4 for extra cold starts. Oil is thick and doesn't circulate. Motor will require more turns on the starter which are non-lubed turns. Takes very long for motor to reach a good operating temp.
#5 Best to store with clean oil. Dirty oil is not the best thing for your clutch and crank case to sit in all winter. You start your bike for 30 seconds that's 30 seconds of combustion. Oil is now less clean. Less clean oil mixes with ......
#6 Water. Water + combustion byproducts = something not good (someone recently told me sulphuric acid?????) for your motor internals. Water by itself causes corrosion of steel parts and oil sludge. Start the bike in the cold and you will get condensation inside the motor and the exhuast. It is very hard to avoid condensation on a cold day even if you let the bike run until it is very thoroughly warmed up. The best chance of not accumulating some water is to go for a long ride on the bike in which case, why store it?
Just get a battery trickle charger like I'm sure everyone is suggesting. That's all you need for the battery.