Left my bike at home with the woman while deployed

[DELETE-PLEASE]

She can't ride it, but I figured just to keep the engine oil good, battery charged, etc. Is once a week for ten minutes good? Just turn the key, press the start button, and turn the key off after ten minutes.

Alexi

 

[wfooshee]

Idling will probably not be enough to charge it. If you didn't prepare it for storage, you need somebody to take it out for an hour or so every coupla weeks. Best stator output is 4500, 5000 RPM, and it's significantly less at lower RPM, and not much use at all at idle.

There's more to keeping it ready than running it for a few minutes. It should have a fuel stabilizer, especially with the ethanol mixes we get now.

Are you gone, yet? If not, fill the tank and add a stabilizer, change the oil, and remove the battery.

 

[bramfrank]

She can't ride it, but I figured just to keep the engine oil good, battery charged, etc. Is once a week for ten minutes good? Just turn the key, press the start button, and turn the key off after ten minutes.
Alexi

How long will you be overseas? Can you store the bike indoors?

Starting the bike like that will cause a lot of wear to the engine and moisture to collect in the exhausts.

If you are going to be gone for 6 months to a year do an oil change, fill the tank to the top with (if possible) ethanol-free gas. Add stabiliser and ride around to get it circulated through the entire fuel system and put the battery on a GOOD battery tender.

Come back and ride.

 

[iCruze]

Dont sweat it my bike was garaged all winter long in Alaska (8 months) and all I did was throw some sea foam in the tank before I covered it up for the winter, no tender no starting no nothing, it started right up this spring. I changed the oil and ran the old gas out and it has been fine for the first 2000 miles I have on it so far this year.

 

[bikerskier]

I suppose I could probably bring it over to my place and run it around for ya, maybe a couple of hundred miles every week or so, just to keep it happy! Jus sayin..

 

[FJRBluesman]

First off thanks for serving!

I'd be willing to bet like the previous post, anyone of us would have kept it in tip-top shape for you, just ask .

 

[FJRONAMISSION]

Any members live near this guys bike???? maybe could prep it for him considering his job.....

B

 

[FJRBluesman]

Any members live near this guys bike???? maybe could prep it for him considering his job.....
B

He's in Baghdad. Where is his bike in the states?

 

[FJRONAMISSION]

Any members live near this guys bike???? maybe could prep it for him considering his job.....
B

He's in Baghdad. Where is his bike in the states?

I think his bike is in the states or on some military base.... if it was in Baghdad, he could prep it himself.

B

 

[johnny80s]

You two are a real meeting of the minds.

 

[FJRBluesman]

You two are a real meeting of the minds.

Not much help from you, Einstein.

 

[boomerang]

Hopefully you put some kind of stabilizer in it and filled the tank,if nothing else. I live in N. Indiana. The only thing I do is change oil and put seafoam in the gas. I could be wrong but I think starting the bike and letting it run for a few min's. is better then just letting it set. I start mine in the winter normaly about once a week or in between extreme cold periods. I really dont like to just let it set there and run at an idal the whole time,some time I will play with the throtle a little bit,not much just enough to keep things free'd up and lubed. I would think your charging system would replace more juice then a battery tender. Come early spring I ride the old gas out and put fresh in then ride it every chance I get after that. You should be fine.

 

[DELETE-PLEASE]

Hey guys. I'm stationed in TX. I filled up the tank, and warned my girl about maybe needing fuel stabilizer. She's nervous about putting it in cause she doesn't want to mess up anything, so what I'll probably do is just contact someone from the group I ride with and have them stop buy and put the fuel stabilizer in. So I know that can get done. As for the battery, I had my uncle start it up once a week and it started and rode fine after the first 6 months of storage for my two weeks of leave. So I'm hoping that another 6 months of treatment like that will be fine.

For the record, when I return, I intend on bringing it somewhere right away to change the oil, change the fork oil (maybe put it progressive springs at the same time), change the final drive oil, and do the valve clearance checks. It's at 23k, so I figured I'll do it early with the oil change other stuff and just do it at 50, 75, etc. from there. And I'll change final drive and fork oil every clearance check as well.

Alexi

 

[meosborn]

While I was on my deployment last year my wife started my FJR one a month and let it run for about 30 minutes. I did put stabilizer in the tank before I left though. When I got back it started up just fine. It was a 7 month deployment by the way, so, just a little bit longer than you'll be away.

 

[johnny80s]

Running at idle is not enough to charge your battery. You would be better off disconnecting the battery and leaving it alone instead of letting it idle.

 

[FJRBluesman]

Running at idle is not enough to charge your battery. You would be better off disconnecting the battery and leaving it alone instead of letting it idle.

Sounds just like how you ride, at an idle, might as well disconect the battree...

 

[FJR919]

I was scrolling down to see where the bike is located. I see it's in Texas, but had you been within driving range in New York/Connecticut or thereabouts I was going to volunteer to prepare the bike for storage for you. It would have been a pleasure to thank you for your service to the country and to help out a forum member. Stay safe. Chris.

 

[meosborn]

Running at idle is not enough to charge your battery. You would be better off disconnecting the battery and leaving it alone instead of letting it idle.

I've got to call a little BS on this. If it wasn't enough to charge your battery then eventually the bike would discharge the battery while idling and die. I suppose you could argue that it takes too long to make up for the power that is used to start the bike but the bike apparently makes more than enough power at idle.

 

[kolonial72]

Running at idle is not enough to charge your battery. You would be better off disconnecting the battery and leaving it alone instead of letting it idle.

I've got to call a little BS on this. If it wasn't enough to charge your battery then eventually the bike would discharge the battery while idling and die. I suppose you could argue that it takes too long to make up for the power that is used to start the bike but the bike apparently makes more than enough power at idle.

Running the bike at idle is probably enough to provide voltage to the functions your bike needs to run, with a little left over. But to charge the battery you need more voltage, which you are only going to get with the bike at higher revs. My guess is somwhere north of 14V.