The Winter Thread

[omegajim]

and put a battery tender on the battery in the bike in the garage in the house that jack built.

[tricker]

who's jack?

[nativenyerintexas]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

YES....and I really don't mean this as a personal jab....or for it to be offensive.....but it's hard NOT to under the circumstances.

If you are REALLY worried about having "old" oil in there, then just CHANGE IT.....once.....with whatever you want in there in the spring. This business of wasting perfectly good (even if cheap) oil is ....well.....beyond me. It's not only a waste of oil ($$$) but of your time and energy too. There is also a tiny chance that your cheap oil is somehow incompatible with your regular oil.

AND....if your bike is stored inside where the temperature never (or very seldom) goes below 0F, there is ABSOLUTELY no point in removing the battery. If the storage space is partially heated such that the temp. doesn't go below 20F or so, removing the battery is counter-productive. Battieries actually LIKE cool temps. and age slower when it is cold. There again, just a big waste of your time.

Both of those practices are....mmmmm.....unwise.

Well, he does live in Syracuse, NY and it does get cold up there... maybe it isn't a waste of time taking out the battery. Also, the owner's manual suggests when getting ready for winter to change the oil just before storage and just before taking it out of it. So hmm, I guess he's on the money with the owner's manual and being he wants to use a cheaper oil, he'll save $$$. Not trying to be too critical though.

[fargoben67]

maybe we should send Easy an M50 manual so he has a reference guide for our bikes

[FastCougar]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

And the bolded text said "No real need to change the oil if it is not due."

I will agree with your disagree.... IF..... you can explain to me HOW the oil just sitting there cold would be any MORE likely to cause damage than it would be if it was HOT and being used ??? Remember that it is not near the recommended change interval yet. At that point, it is presumably NOT acidic because all the acid inhibitors are not used up yet.

That theory sounds good but I don't think it holds up to careful scrutiny.

Just thought that I would revisit this point since the thread came back up to the top over the last few days. Here is what a Harley dealer recommends:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...U8fJ55SG2kakHQ

I would imagine that they have had to deal with more bikes than you or I or anyone on here for that matter since this is an actual service center recommending the practice.

That being said, replacing before and after winter ... total overkill! But it's your time and money and if it puts your mind at ease, go ahead and knock yourself out.

[Water Warrior]

Change the oil and filter just prior to parking it for the winter. In the spring you have fresh oil waiting in the engine. It does not get used up while the bike is parked. There are no contaminants from combustion when the engine is not running.

[fargoben67]

i agreed with water warrior. oil will not go bad sittin in a motor that isnt running for only 4-6 months. if you change the oil and filter before you put the bike away for the winter, you have fresh oil for the spring. if you only put 5,ooo miles on a bike per year, you only need to change the oil once a year. if you are only changing the oil once a year, i would do it right before you put it into storage. if you ride your bike hard or you put more then 5,ooo miles on your bike per year, i would think about changing the oil twice per year. it doesnt cost that much when you consider the price of a new motorcycle. it'd rather invest in preventative maintence!

[nativenyerintexas]

I think what they're trying to prevent (translation: cover their own a$$) is condensation building up over the few months the bike is sitting. Is the oil being used? No. Doe condensation form inside the engine when parked for that long? It depends on where you park it and how much the temperature fluctuates. If I didn't use my bike all year long, I would be changing it before and after. For the $40 - $50 it costs for even the dealer to do it, it's worth doing it than buying a new engine. As the service tech told me once, "It's cheap insurance".

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by nativenyerintexas

Well, he does live in Syracuse, NY and it does get cold up there... maybe it isn't a waste of time taking out the battery.

Also, the owner's manual suggests when getting ready for winter to change the oil just before storage and just before taking it out of it.

Originally Posted by FastCougar

That being said, replacing before and after winter ... total overkill! But it's your time and money and if it puts your mind at ease, go ahead and knock yourself out.

My comment about removing the battery WAS qualified by how cold it gets.

I don't have a manual to refer to but let me guess just a bit: The manual says to change the oil twice with EXTENDED periods of storage......like YEARS. Now I still have a small problem with that but not nearly as much AND I doubt they ever meant that recommendation to apply when storing for only 3 months.

But now we are getting very close to "you don't know what you are talking about because you don't HAVE a bike like that"..........so I quit.

Have fun wasting your money.

[fargoben67]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

But now we are getting very close to "you don't know what you are talking about because you don't HAVE a bike like that"..........so I quit.

settle down there tiger! there is more then one way to skin a cat!

[vagabond35]

Strangely, in Billings Montana, we don't get all that much snow. Also, the temp can get really cold but usually at least once a month it's warm enough to ride so my plans for "winterizing" is to get warmer clothes.

[FastCougar]

Originally Posted by vagabond35

Strangely, in Billings Montana, we don't get all that much snow. Also, the temp can get really cold but usually at least once a month it's warm enough to ride so my plans for "winterizing" is to get warmer clothes.

[offsetcrank]

Howdy folks,

-Check condition of coolant.
cold here, every winter we see below zero fahrenheit temps. (we had snow 11/5)

-Change oil and filter if it is close to "due".

-Stabil in tankfull of 93 octane.

-Ride it, top off tank to remove air space, avoiding interior rust.

-Clean thoroughly.

-Put 'er to bed for a long winter's nap.

-Formulate plans for next year's riding season

cranky

[omegajim]

-Ride it, top off tank to remove air space, avoiding interior rust.

you know, this is a very good point, one that I usually ignore to my own chagrin.

[womper]

i wonder how i should deal with my tank if i'll be taking it off the bike completely?
i'll be working on the bike, so the tank will be off the bike so that i can re-paint and stuff, but not sure when i'll get to it.
should i empty it and spray something inside? keep it full until i repaint it?

i'm a dolt when it comes to these things.

[omegajim]

if you get it aired out and cleaned out with some kind of solvent, you could keep the tank inside.

[womper]

it'll actually be in an unheated shed. it'll be cold. real cold.
hmm...

another question just popped into my head... how does one actually drain a tank completely properly?

[omegajim]

i usually drain as much out as i can through the fuel valve at the bottom of the tank, then open up the fuel fill cap and tip it upside down and swoosh and swirl it around.

there are several solvents that can be used, although the most readily available would be rubbing alcohol - a small bottle of which is 2 -3 dollars, dump in the tank, and swirl and drain.

this should take out most of the gas residue and then you can store inside without much gas stink.

[daddyo]

Originally Posted by womper

i wonder how i should deal with my tank if i'll be taking it off the bike completely?
i'll be working on the bike, so the tank will be off the bike so that i can re-paint and stuff, but not sure when i'll get to it.
should i empty it and spray something inside? keep it full until i repaint it?

i'm a dolt when it comes to these things.

Empty the tank and store it with the gas cap off. Spray some WD40 inside the tank.

[old new biker]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

YES....and I really don't mean this as a personal jab....or for it to be offensive.....but it's hard NOT to under the circumstances.

If you are REALLY worried about having "old" oil in there, then just CHANGE IT.....once.....with whatever you want in there in the spring. This business of wasting perfectly good (even if cheap) oil is ....well.....beyond me. It's not only a waste of oil ($$$) but of your time and energy too. There is also a tiny chance that your cheap oil is somehow incompatible with your regular oil.

AND....if your bike is stored inside where the temperature never (or very seldom) goes below 0F, there is ABSOLUTELY no point in removing the battery. If the storage space is partially heated such that the temp. doesn't go below 20F or so, removing the battery is counter-productive. Battieries actually LIKE cool temps. and age slower when it is cold. There again, just a big waste of your time.

Both of those practices are....mmmmm.....unwise.

Ouch, I really didn't expect to get flamed here at good ol MJ........Oh well, to each his own............. The geeks over at the computer forums simply don't know any better, but, here, we are all bikers trying to do our best to ride safe, take care of our bikes, and help each other out when we can.

I simply asked for your opinions, as I have never done the oil change thing before, and thought it might be a good idea, based on a lot of things that I have heard and read.

So..... EASY, if you think it is not the right thing to do, just offer your opinion without the kick in the head. That is not what this forum is all about. Again it is about us all trying to help each other out.

Anyway, my bike is stored in the an unheated garage, where it gets damned cold, for at least 4 months, and we get a lot of warm ups throughout the winter as well. I put the battery in my basement with a tender attached, and it stays pretty cool down there.

The only reason that I considered putting in fresh oil now is because it is ready for a change, and I don't want the acids to set in there on the bearings all winter. The reason for using cheap oil now and changing again in the spring is because of the possible condensation that I hear a lot of guys talking about, especially with the very cold temps that we get here, and the multiple warmups that we also get throughout the winter period.