How do you treat your Bike in the winter? - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

kstateskier · 11-05-2007, 10:19 AM

I'm certainly not done riding this season - as the fall weather here in SW Missouri is just beautiful! However sometime in the next month or so I'm sure my riding will fall off a bit with winter weather arriving and my question is this...

How does everyone treat their bike in the winter?

I have mine wired up for a trickle charger tender and around this time of year I like to use a touch of StaBil when I fill up with gas.

Is it hard on the bike to fire it up once a week and let it idle for 15-20 minutes?

Other than keeping the battery charged - gas tank full and the bike clean and covered up is there anything else I can do to keep the VStar in tip top condition over the winter months when I can't ride her?

What does everyone else do?

jgreth · 11-05-2007, 10:36 AM

I ride

themeatmanlandry · 11-05-2007, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgreth

I ride

. . . and I live around the corner from him, so . . .

**Louis** · 11-05-2007, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstateskier

Is it hard on the bike to fire it up once a week and let it idle for 15-20 minutes?

Yes, it is hard, don't do that. Let it sit completely. My manual says to fill up the tank, put fuel stabilizer in the tank, remove the spark plugs and pour a tablespoon of oil in the cylinder, put the plugs back (unconnected) and top off the oil to the rim.

Wash the bike and cover it with a breathable fabric.

Smurf · 11-05-2007, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

. . . and I live around the corner from him, so . . .

And I live South of both of them.............................................. .

LOL

Apertureguy · 11-05-2007, 11:42 AM

Most I do is the Stabil in the fuel...and then I disconenct the battery.

But, it's right there in my heated garage...so soon as there's a warm day & it's dry..I'm on it.

kstateskier · 11-05-2007, 11:59 AM

Forgive me as I'm no mechanic but how can letting it idle be hard on it?

baltimorebayside · 11-05-2007, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apertureguy

Most I do is the Stabil in the fuel...and then I disconenct the battery.

But, it's right there in my heated garage...so soon as there's a warm day & it's dry..I'm on it.

Just did all that this past Sunday.......tire pressure checked, oil checked......topped off tank with Sta-Bil.......went for a 15 mile ride and tuked her back in my garage.....oh yea, also connected up the pig-tail for my BAttery Tender Plus.....

dan

kay · 11-05-2007, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louis

Yes, it is hard, don't do that. Let it sit completely. My manual says to fill up the tank, put fuel stabilizer in the tank, remove the spark plugs and pour a tablespoon of oil in the cylinder, put the plugs back (unconnected) and top off the oil to the rim.

Wash the bike and cover it with a breathable fabric.

That sounds like a lot of work!

I ride also....

Only with my Kawi which is a carb bike, I get the carb tweeked for colder weather.

It must be hard for those who have to store their bikes every winder....

Apertureguy · 11-05-2007, 12:10 PM

Not really Kay...if you own the garage you're storing it in...you can always still sit on it & make Vroom Vroom noises.

...and trust me, it does help make the withdrawl a little easier.

busa-boy33 · 11-05-2007, 12:12 PM

where I live.. its always good time to ride.. well.. except when a hurricane approaches.. beyond that .. all seasons are open and fair game for riding

jgreth · 11-05-2007, 12:42 PM

We need to meet up in some place in the middle where we can all hang/ride a bit

Mark suggested Birmingham, AL ... opinions? This goes for Scott and Smurf ( and on this side would be Landry and myself ).

jgreth · 11-05-2007, 02:30 PM

BTW anyone else that wants to join ( no dates or w/e yet ) is more than welcome... we're just close so I figured I'd mention specific names.

diamond_jim · 11-05-2007, 02:52 PM

Birmingham sounds great. I'm 45 minutes north of there. Party at my house.

jgreth · 11-05-2007, 03:51 PM

Birmingham is a straight shot for Mark and myself and we stay on one road. Seriously, we should do this sometime ( preferably while all those northerners have their bikes garaged lol ).

Thundurburd · 11-05-2007, 04:11 PM

The strangest hint I have heard is about mice, apparantly they have been known to crawl into the air filter and carburator. A mechanic suggested putting a few moth balls in to a cloth bag and leave in the air filter. The purpose of the bag is to make sure you get all the moth balls back out. Also cover or plug the exhaust ports.

This is something I would have not thought of myself.

Easy Rider · 11-05-2007, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstateskier

Forgive me as I'm no mechanic but how can letting it idle be hard on it?

Unless you are actually riding it, it doesn't really get up to temperature AND lubricants don't flow around completely.

Notice what comes out the exhaust pipe..........LOTS of water vapor. Some of that water stays in the pipes; result: rust. Some of it stays in the crankcase.

IMHO, only do what is REALLY necessary.

If it is about due for an oil change, do that.
Fill tank. Put in Stabil.
Put Tender on battery.
Make sure key is OFF and not PARK.
Make sure petcock is NOT on Prime.
Cover.
Done.

Not necessary to disconnect or otherwise monkey with battery (unless it will be stored outside somewhere north of Detroit).
Not necessary to oil the top end unless the storage period is more than 4 months.
Also probably not a good idea to wash unless you can be sure it is THOROUGHLY dry.

If you have periods of warmth during the winter where moisture might accumulate, a light coating of WD40 or the bare metal parts is good.

Rickster · 11-05-2007, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstateskier

Forgive me as I'm no mechanic but how can letting it idle be hard on it?

Letting it idle is not hard on it, starting it is, and not getting it fully warmed up is.

An article I read a while back said that up to 85% of all engine wear happens in the first 5 seconds of start up, and that number goes up if the engine has been setting for any length of time.

Cold heavy oil, that has had lots of time to run off the cylender walls, equals advanced engine wear at start up.

SNAFU · 11-05-2007, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstateskier

How does everyone treat their bike in the winter?

I yell and point at it and say "What are you good for! I shoulda gotten a snow mobile, but look at you, you just sit there, doin' nothin'.......nothin'!!

frostbitevinnie · 11-05-2007, 08:46 PM

I am thinking about using Lucas oil stabilizer for the winter. I need to research it more but I know that we use a stabilizer in the machines we manufacture. I have seen the demo doodad and NAPA and the effect is obvious. What do the rest of you think?

Funny! I did a spell check and "doodad" must be a word. Google check did not identify it as misspelled.

11-05-2007, 10:19 AM	#1 (permalink)
kstateskier In Training Joined: Feb 2007 Bike: 2006 Yamaha V Star Classic Silverado Location: Springfield, Missouri Posts: 115	How do you treat your Bike in the winter? I'm certainly not done riding this season - as the fall weather here in SW Missouri is just beautiful! However sometime in the next month or so I'm sure my riding will fall off a bit with winter weather arriving and my question is this... How does everyone treat their bike in the winter? I have mine wired up for a trickle charger tender and around this time of year I like to use a touch of StaBil when I fill up with gas. Is it hard on the bike to fire it up once a week and let it idle for 15-20 minutes? Other than keeping the battery charged - gas tank full and the bike clean and covered up is there anything else I can do to keep the VStar in tip top condition over the winter months when I can't ride her? What does everyone else do? __________________ KstateSkier - Springfield, MO - 2006 Yamaha VStar 650

11-05-2007, 10:36 AM	#2 (permalink)
jgreth Mr. Threadjack Joined: Aug 2007 Bike: 2007 Suzuki GS500F Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 3,078	I ride __________________ What the hell am I looking at? When does this happen in the movie? You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now is happening now. What happened to then? We passed then. When? Just now. We're at now now. Go back to then. When? Now! Now? Now! I can't. Why? We missed it. When? Just now. When will then be now? Soon.

11-05-2007, 11:59 AM	#7 (permalink)
kstateskier In Training Joined: Feb 2007 Bike: 2006 Yamaha V Star Classic Silverado Location: Springfield, Missouri Posts: 115	Forgive me as I'm no mechanic but how can letting it idle be hard on it? __________________ KstateSkier - Springfield, MO - 2006 Yamaha VStar 650

11-05-2007, 12:42 PM	#12 (permalink)
jgreth Mr. Threadjack Joined: Aug 2007 Bike: 2007 Suzuki GS500F Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 3,078	We need to meet up in some place in the middle where we can all hang/ride a bit Mark suggested Birmingham, AL ... opinions? This goes for Scott and Smurf ( and on this side would be Landry and myself ). __________________ What the hell am I looking at? When does this happen in the movie? You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now is happening now. What happened to then? We passed then. When? Just now. We're at now now. Go back to then. When? Now! Now? Now! I can't. Why? We missed it. When? Just now. When will then be now? Soon. Last edited by jgreth; 11-05-2007 at 02:30 PM.

11-05-2007, 02:30 PM	#13 (permalink)
jgreth Mr. Threadjack Joined: Aug 2007 Bike: 2007 Suzuki GS500F Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 3,078	BTW anyone else that wants to join ( no dates or w/e yet ) is more than welcome... we're just close so I figured I'd mention specific names. __________________ What the hell am I looking at? When does this happen in the movie? You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now is happening now. What happened to then? We passed then. When? Just now. We're at now now. Go back to then. When? Now! Now? Now! I can't. Why? We missed it. When? Just now. When will then be now? Soon.

11-05-2007, 11:42 AM	#6 (permalink)
Apertureguy Throttle Jockey Joined: Jun 2006 Bike: 2006 Blue M50 Location: New York Posts: 3,185	Most I do is the Stabil in the fuel...and then I disconenct the battery. But, it's right there in my heated garage...so soon as there's a warm day & it's dry..I'm on it.

11-05-2007, 12:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
Apertureguy Throttle Jockey Joined: Jun 2006 Bike: 2006 Blue M50 Location: New York Posts: 3,185	Not really Kay...if you own the garage you're storing it in...you can always still sit on it & make Vroom Vroom noises. ...and trust me, it does help make the withdrawl a little easier.

11-05-2007, 12:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
busa-boy33 M-J.Com Master Poster Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 3,922	where I live.. its always good time to ride.. well.. except when a hurricane approaches.. beyond that .. all seasons are open and fair game for riding

11-05-2007, 02:52 PM	#14 (permalink)
diamond_jim M-J Member of the Month! Joined: Oct 2007 Bike: S4 Scatcat Location: North Alabama Posts: 3,568	Birmingham sounds great. I'm 45 minutes north of there. Party at my house.

11-05-2007, 03:51 PM	#15 (permalink)
jgreth Mr. Threadjack Joined: Aug 2007 Bike: 2007 Suzuki GS500F Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 3,078	Birmingham is a straight shot for Mark and myself and we stay on one road. Seriously, we should do this sometime ( preferably while all those northerners have their bikes garaged lol ). __________________ What the hell am I looking at? When does this happen in the movie? You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now is happening now. What happened to then? We passed then. When? Just now. We're at now now. Go back to then. When? Now! Now? Now! I can't. Why? We missed it. When? Just now. When will then be now? Soon.

11-05-2007, 04:11 PM	#16 (permalink)
Thundurburd U.B's LoveChild Joined: Jul 2007 Bike: 2007 Black S50 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 1,007	The strangest hint I have heard is about mice, apparantly they have been known to crawl into the air filter and carburator. A mechanic suggested putting a few moth balls in to a cloth bag and leave in the air filter. The purpose of the bag is to make sure you get all the moth balls back out. Also cover or plug the exhaust ports. This is something I would have not thought of myself. __________________ The sum of the intelligence on the planet is a constant; it's the population that is growing.

11-05-2007, 08:46 PM	#20 (permalink)
frostbitevinnie In The Zone Joined: Jul 2007 Bike: 07' C90T 76' MT250 Location: 3rd house NW of the Depot Posts: 2,572	I am thinking about using Lucas oil stabilizer for the winter. I need to research it more but I know that we use a stabilizer in the machines we manufacture. I have seen the demo doodad and NAPA and the effect is obvious. What do the rest of you think? Funny! I did a spell check and "doodad" must be a word. Google check did not identify it as misspelled. __________________ Send um to freakin jail without bail.

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