Winterizing

[shadetree57]

if they had a few corners without stop lights?

You could come through Georgia Bogus. I have a road with a curve in it.

 

[jellyrug]

Everyone should move to Orlando. End of story.

Those hurricanes scares the shiz out of me.???

Mother nature kicked my butt once too often.

 

[mike1180]

Good info thanks!

 

[Powers739]

Those hurricanes scares the shiz out of me.???

Mother nature kicked my butt once too often.

Hurricanes bad in Orlando... No, you have to be on the Coast to get a real good hit. Orlando doesn't get the direct hits since it's in the center of the state...

 

[Mr Bogus]

Hurricanes bad in Orlando... No, you have to be on the Coast to get a real good hit. Orlando doesn't get the direct hits since it's in the center of the state...

yea but then you gotta buy that really pricey kite string... the stuff that works on the coast is $$$

 

[HiYaBruceA]

Well this time of year sucks…

it is about time to put the winter air in the tires… a few things you might want to consider before storing the bike for the winter.. (if I miss anything, add on!)

the following is just what I have learned to do over the years.. I stored vehicles at my garage over the years in AZ. Customers drop them off, and pick them up 6 months later.. (this was summer storage but same idea as winterizing)

• Parking place for the season: a nice heated garage is probably the best but many if not most do not have this luxury.. I have and attached garage that usually stays within 30 or 40 degrees of the house temp. If you must store the bike outside? Cover it with a cover that can breathe. Trapped humidity will kill the “Shiny†on most bikes.. I would suggest coughing up the $$ for a rental storage area if you can not provide some type of climate controlled area in snow country..

• Service the bike now..
  • Fully warm up the bike engine (go take a ride)
  • flush cooling system
  • flush brake system
  • clean lube the chain,
  • air up the tires to max psi
  • fill the fuel tank (most important) Stabil or like is ok but not really required. The “FULL†tank takes care of most issues. Full tank keeps the air exchange to a minimum and stops the oxidation of the fuel.
  • “FOG†the motor.. there are a number of engine “fogging†products that when sprayed into the motor while running, will coat the cylinder walls and other moving parts with oil.. Briggs and Stratton, Yamaha, Pennzoil, Golden Eagle all have these products
  • Change the oil… (done last) I would suggest not starting the motor when done but a quick start long enough to get oil pressure wont hurt a thing.. Running the motor for any time will remove the fogging oil and also collect condensation in the motor (bad)
  • wash/ wax painted surfaces,
  • Battery Tender: should keep the battery happy, do NOT use a normal charger, you will toast the battery.. Do make sure the battery is full of water if it has caps.
  • Chrome/wheels/leather should all be cleaned and polished.. a bit of spray oil can prevent corrosion on bare metal parts (chains, fort tubes etc)
  • Cover pipe outlets.. I use glad bags with rubber bands. This keeps air exchange to a minimum. Air carries moisture and that is your biggest enemy. Covering velocity stacks would help more.. “air tight†is good
  • Bike on stands.. Most certainly a good idea to get the tires off the ground completely..
  • Cover the bike with a “breathable†cover.. the plastic tarps you find in most stores are terrible options.. they do not allow air exchange and will turn into “sauna’s†and make a total mess of your bike. Waterproof is not a good idea.. I have a “Geeza†cover and love it..

Starting the bike during the winter although practiced by many, is not the best idea.. I suggest if you have winterized your bike correctly, there is no advantage to starting the bike and will most likely be detrimental.. If you must do something? Cleaning is always a good idea..




Think I got the lions share of “To Do’sâ€â€¦ if I missed anything? Post it up!

That level of "winterizing" is too much for me, IMHO. Ancient Egyptians did less when mummifying pharoahs. Even though I live near Pittsburgh we do get a few rideable days during the winter that I want to take advantage of. A level of winterizing where the coolant and brake fluid are flushed, coupled with covering velocity stacks, is an unconditional surrender to winter.

I do keep the bike in the garage with both tires off the ground and use a battery tender, but I run distilled water as a coolant. I may cover the bike with an old cotton sheet, but there is no way I'm covering my exhaust pipe with a glad bag and rubber band. That sounds like a condom, and I'm a Catholic.

 

[hondpwr]

I just keep mine on a battey tender and stands. I ride (local) year round.

 

[outlawbusa]

Everyone should move to Orlando. End of story.

There ya go~!~


Great information here...just curious though since you deal with storage situations (mine still gets ridden at least every couple weeks when cold to keep everything moving)

Oil...I believe most of the time anyone you ask says to go ahead and change the oil. I agree...but my question is, do you have any information on the break down of oil after long periods of storage~?~

Reason I ask is...back in the day (maybe oil has changed a bit) when storing a boat over the winter they would say that if the oil is not changed then the old oil will break down and separate to some extent and some of this separation consists of an acidy type substance that can cause damage to the motor...I haven't heard that in the last few years...

ever heard anything like that~?~


EDIT:::Now that I am thinking back on this information, it may have been for longer storage terms that the oil was separating...not just a few months over the winter. Sounds more logical~!~

 

[BA BUSA]

Winter..."Winterizing" WTF Dude are you talking about

Is this some sort of new maintenance program that Suzuki just came out with...I can barely keep up now with all the tire changes, oil services, cleaning and lubing my chains...I am down to less than 600 miles a week with all this servicing sh!d...and YOU expect me to do MORE...not gonna happen brother...I'll ride YOU can take a break
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[spikyboo]

Can we use just normal mineral oil during the winter storage? I find it cost a bit to put semi-synthetic oil... for not riding it... and why can't we leave the used oil in it and make an oil change before the first ride in spring? Thanks.!

 

[Mr Bogus]

Can we use just normal mineral oil during the winter storage? I find it cost a bit to put semi-synthetic oil... for not riding it... and why can't we leave the used oil in it and make an oil change before the first ride in spring? Thanks.!

I would see no reason to to a "post" winter oil change..

the key here is that the motor is not fired up on the new oil. This keeps the moisture to a minimum..

Another part of the key here is no combustion byproducts that would create sludge or acid.. (also the reason you do not want to leave the old oil in the motor over winter)

any moisture that collects in motor over winter will burn off in the first ride of the new season.. The synthetic oil is not going to degrade in the 4 or 5 months the bike may be idle..

All that noise aside, sure you can use regular petroleum oil.. I would not use mineral oil myself in the slight chance the motor could be started or run.

Mineral oil likely will not have enough film strength for protection. I suppose you could technically not even re-oil the motor but again, what if it gets started?

 

[m_ridgeway]

i like to cover my ram air tubes so spidey and such dont move in. theyre a pita to clean....

also my exhaust i wad up a sock and put it in the pipe then just put another on the outside.

has anyone used or built a storage "bubble" i seen em at a harley shop. seemed like a decent idea for garage storage.

 

[Mr Bogus]

spiders in this part of the country are non existent in the winter time..

 

[Lurch]

i like to cover my ram air tubes so spidey and such dont move in. theyre a pita to clean....

also my exhaust i wad up a sock and put it in the pipe then just put another on the outside.

has anyone used or built a storage "bubble" i seen em at a harley shop. seemed like a decent idea for garage storage.

I read an article a while back about those "Storage Bubbles" now mind you I read it but did not investigate the "facts" I read. Please re-read the previous sentence before flying off and flaming me.

These bubbles while from the outside seem like a good idea, looking closer are really not such a good idea. They are inflated with an air pump/fan much like yard decorations. This is unfiltered, undried, untreated air. So there tends to be a build up of moisture in side the bubble along with dust that has no where to escape to. So now the bike is sleeping in moist dusty air.
I read this and it made sense to me, but again I did not investigate these facts. I had thought about one for my Harley but figured that being in a garage and being loved weekly was just fine for all of my bikes. And heck if it hits 35 degrees in January I will show them some real loving.

 

[Mr Bogus]

I read an article a while back about those "Storage Bubbles" now mind you I read it but did not investigate the "facts" I read. Please re-read the previous sentence before flying off and flaming me.

These bubbles while from the outside seem like a good idea, looking closer are really not such a good idea. They are inflated with an air pump/fan much like yard decorations. This is unfiltered, undried, untreated air. So there tends to be a build up of moisture in side the bubble along with dust that has no where to escape to. So now the bike is sleeping in moist dusty air.
I read this and it made sense to me, but again I did not investigate these facts. I had thought about one for my Harley but figured that being in a garage and being loved weekly was just fine for all of my bikes. And heck if it hits 35 degrees in January I will show them some real loving.

back to the "waterproof" cover... always a bad idea.. (well unless you can vacuum pack the entire bike wonder if the "seal a meal" line has a "bike bag"

 

[outlawbusa]

There ya go~!~


Great information here...just curious though since you deal with storage situations (mine still gets ridden at least every couple weeks when cold to keep everything moving)

Oil...I believe most of the time anyone you ask says to go ahead and change the oil. I agree...but my question is, do you have any information on the break down of oil after long periods of storage~?~

Reason I ask is...back in the day (maybe oil has changed a bit) when storing a boat over the winter they would say that if the oil is not changed then the old oil will break down and separate to some extent and some of this separation consists of an acidy type substance that can cause damage to the motor...I haven't heard that in the last few years...

ever heard anything like that~?~


EDIT:::Now that I am thinking back on this information, it may have been for longer storage terms that the oil was separating...not just a few months over the winter. Sounds more logical~!~

Another part of the key here is no combustion byproducts that would create sludge or acid.. (also the reason you do not want to leave the old oil in the motor over winter)

That does sound like what I was referring to

 

[Mr Bogus]

That does sound like what I was referring to

sort of a recurring theme... "moisture is not your friend" I run a dehumidifier in my garage year round.. it only cycles occasionally during the winter but the summer months in Indiana have a lot of humidity..

 

[Busa Jules]

I would like to suggest you each take turns shipping them to Orlando and I will take each bikes out weekly alllll winter for you.....

Or you can send them to Mississippi with a small stipend (enough to pay my salary for all the days I will have to take off to keep your bikes in top running form ) and I will be happy to teach you rbikes some true southern ettiquette. You may pick your bikes up around Memorial Day...

 

[Mr Bogus]

Or you can send them to Mississippi with a small stipend (enough to pay my salary for all the days I will have to take off to keep your bikes in top running form ) and I will be happy to teach you rbikes some true southern ettiquette. You may pick your bikes up around Memorial Day...

 

[HER-QUE-LES]

dirty SOUTH baby