Winter storage

[Spud]

I park mine, cover it. It's in a garage--just above 32 degrees in there most of the winter. Always fill the gas tank to tippy-top before storing. About once a month, throw a slow charger on the battery and let it charge up for a few hours, start it. Let it get warm, put it in gear (on center stand) and let the back wheel roll, shift a gear or two. If we get a break in the weather with no snow, I take it around the block.

I've done this with prior bikes--as long as your battery doesn't take a dump, I've never seen any problems. I've also never felt any difference in the gas when I run through that first tank in the spring, so I don't think condensation is occurring. Oh, and my off-season can be pretty long--usually October to April (6-7 months).

YMMV

 

[RaYzerman19]

For those who start their bikes periodically and don't go anywhere, you are heating up the engine and exhaust but not to full operating temperatures or speeds to ensure the products of combustion (water being one) are blown out of the systems. Some raw fuel may make it past the rings into the oil, which would normally be evaporated out on a longer ride. Plus, as the machine cools down, warm moist air is drawn into the exhaust and crankcase (and to some extent into the fuel tank). The moisture you generated and the condensation from cooling stays in your machine. Whether this is enough to bother you is one thing, do what you like, I'm just saying you're not doing your machine any favours. You are better off not starting it at all, unless you intend to go down the highway a few miles and get the whole rig up to temperature.

Some have raised an interesting point about battery tenders... do we trust those things to not overcharge or not? I too, do not leave mine on constantly, but I do try not to let the voltage get below 12.3. If left in the bike, this will occur more rapidly as there is a small current being drawn to maintain odometer memory and the clock settings, etc. So, I tend to plug mine in to full charge, then unplug for a couple of weeks. I haven't had any battery issues doing this, and wonder if those that leave it plugged in all the time have noticed a shorter battery life. If not mistreated, an MC battery should last 4-5 years I would think.

The experts say to keep a lead acid battery fully charged all the time (I am going to interpret that as between 12.5 and 12.8), and that it is not good to cycle them from discharged (below 12.3??) to charged, or to leave them discharged for any length of time of sulphation will start to occur. Smart chargers (and I don't know about the cheapie ones) are supposed to detect certain trigger points of discharge and bump it back up. Any thoughts on the happy medium?

 

[GunMD]

Winter storage photos....

 

[RadioHowie]

Winter storage photos....

GunMD = MY HERO!

 

[blassoff]

Best "winter" treatment?

Just ride the damn thing.

Thats fine if you live in Florida!

So, assuming you count winter from 12/01 to 3/31, you can't find a day here or there to ride your bike in a 121 day period???

Seriously --- not even a few days in there where you can ride?

It's been over 50 years since I lived "up north" so I don't remember how unrideable the roads were around Philly, where I was born.

121 days without a few "rideable" days? Shit, I'd kill myself!

Howie:

Where in Philly? I started in West Philly (near St. Joes).

We can generally ride through Mid January. Once the snow and ice hits, it's usually parked through sometime into Late February or early March.

So you'll never experience walking out to your garage to stare longingly at your bike? You look through the window in the garage door and see snow and ice on the ground and in the trees. The wind is whipping and the temperature is in the 20's. We all think it sucks, but I feel worse for folks living further North. They actually anticipate parking their bikes for 3 or 4 months. That's gotta be rough.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

I,ll be ending my riding for this year this weekend and putting the bike away until March.

MamaYama, in the owner's manual, gives detailed instructions for Short-term and Long-term storage.

In past years I,ve simply let the bike sit attached to the battery tender for 3 months in the garage and just started it occasionally during that period. I,ve never added anything to the gas or made any other considerations.

Several months = Long-term, according to MamaYama.

Some O.M. instructions are:

• Add fuel stabilizer.
  
• There are detailed instructions for adding oil to the engine through the spark-plug holes.
  
• Lube all cables and pivots of levers, pedals, and stands.
  
• Lift the FJR so that the wheels are off the ground or turn the wheels a little every month.
  
• Cover the muffler outlets with plastic bags.
  
• Remove the battery, store in a cool, dry, place, and charge it once a month

.

I,ve never had any problems starting up again in March.

Well, there ya go... :dribble:

Just what is the "accepted" winter storage protocol?

"accepted" by whom? MamaYama may have the final-word?

 

[ionbeam]

Some riding when winter came too early to park my FJR. Riding from the Portsmouth, NH on the coast and across NH to VT with Herfjr and ZOOOMM.

 

[RadioHowie]

Howie:

Where in Philly? I started in West Philly (near St. Joes).

Ridley Park, if that means anything to ya.

 

[oldryder]

may years of experience storing multiple motorized items every year for a 6 month winter:

run the tank near dry

fill with "non-oxygenated" premium (i.e. no alcohol)

treat the fuel with stabil immediately

run the engine long enough to get treated fuel all thru the fuel delivery system

- draining is a bad idea because in some systems a small amount of fuel is left

change the oil and filter

stuff the mufflers and airbox intake with coarse steel wool (mice love airboxes and it can take a loooooonnnggg time to figure out why and engine with spark, air and fuel won't run until it finally fires and blows a mouse nest complete with mouse babies out the exhaust

put a piece of duct tape on the mirror with a note to remove the steel wool come spring

lube the chain if you have one

add any other notes about maint to duct tape on mirror

remove batt and bring inside or add batt maintainer. if you don't have the severe cold like we do in MN maybe you don't need to worry about the battery like the guy in NJ. I KNOW I need to.

put mouse traps on the seat (to keep the cats off)

put on center stand and cover.

wait and wait and wait some more till spring.

this approach has worked on bikes, boats, mowers, snowmobiles, go carts, a tractor, snow blower, garden tiller, and almost anything else you can think of.

maybe it's not all necessary but given the amount of hassle and dollars dirty carbs or injectors when you want to use a piece of equipment or bike it's worth every bit of effort.

 

[Spud]

Well, since we're sharing winter photos too, here's a few of mine:

FJR October 2009 Jackson Pass

On my prior bike, the trusty Bandit 1200. Beartooth Pass in June. It kind of snowed a lot that year :lol:

 

[LAF]

First I have to say when it comes to vehicles I believe in better living through chemicals.

SeaFoam is a carbon remover and I like to run it when on running trips tank empty to full to empty. This is also why they make it as a spray fogger for carbon removal.

Techtron is my favorite fuel injector cleaner.

Staybil for winter, less mile gas burning.

I heard no one mention my most favorite additive Marvel Mystery Oil. When added to gas it lubes top end components that need it when not run.

Since I am a rounder except for maybe this year I dont worry too much.

However my snow blower, tractor gas is a mix of gas, staybil, and Marvel Mystery Oil. Never any issues.

On the bike because of corn welfare gas, I use Marvel and this year for the first time Staybil.

As far as a battery at rest is should show 12.8 or there about. I run a battery tender once a month or so. I paid a bit for mine, it does 2,4,8 AMPs. Has a de-sulfate mode and auto detection of it. And does AGM, gel, and sealed.

If I had to leave a bike sit with no riding, I know I would pull the battery and tend it in the basement. I also would change oil as it has been said used oil is acidic.

Fill the tank to the tippy top, add your chemicals of choice, run the bike the long way home to get it hot and run the chemicals through, change oil, pull the battery and put her to bed.

And the mice, chippy deterrents are to be taken very seriously, I saw a bike so molested by chippys, I could not believe it, wires chewed, mounds of nesting material in every orifice you could think of, I never saw that kind of destruction on a bike in my life.

Me I just plug in the electrics and try to get her out as much as I can in Winter up here in Pennsatucky.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Step 1

Park it

Step 2

Cover it

Step 3

Say goodbye

A season of sitting isn't going to hurt anything.

A good battery will be fine in 3 months, no need to tend it when your not riding it.

Put the tender on a week before you take it out of storage.

+1...although I do plug my battery tender in while stored

 

[mr.paul]

Some great ideas here. Here is my 2 cents.

Storage here is for a long time and the temperatures are harsh. I ride until there is a chance of ice on the road or the salt goes down. The opposite for riding in the Spring. I love my feej too much to pound salt up into places that will only give me fits much later, probably at a very bad time. And falling on the ice to just get that one last, cold, ride in just seems silly. Having said that, I am typically one of the last sane guys on the road each fall/winter.

A fully charged battery will not freeze. Mine stays on a Tender all winter. In the bike. Heck, cold preserves them. Why bring them in warm? In the past I would just hit it with a charger every few weeks and it has never failed me.

I run the last few tanks of the season with Seafoam so that the system is clean and I know the system is treated. I never know when that last day will be. I carry the Seafoam in my saddlebag. Like this year, you can be riding one day and winter is here the next. And the "storage" tank of gas is treated and absolutely full. The less airspace left there to condense, the better. I have never had an issue doing this. Every spring they all start right up. Even the carburated ones (in the past). And we have been the "leader" in the use of Ethanol. yippee.

I don't start the bike until spring and time to ride. It is not good for the bike to start them up but I do understand people starting them occasionally for emotional reasons.

I try and change the oil close to the end of the season, but I don't worry about getting it absolutely at the end. My oil is good. It is not eating my engine magically during the long winter if it is reasonably clean. I also don't change it right away in the spring. Don't see the need. Get on and ride.

I have to push the bike out of the way periodically during the winter to get access to my tools. I haven't done anything special about blocking it up or putting something between the tires and concrete, and I have never had a problem with that either. My bike is on the side sand just like every other day of the year. No flat spots, nothing wierd ever happens. It does just fine.

To summarize, I ride at the end of the season with treated gas. I pull into my garage with a very full tank of gas. I keep the battery charged over the winter. I start it up in the spring and ride it. That is about it. And it has worked perfectly for many years that way. Oh, I do throw some old bedsheets over it to keep the dirt from settling needlessly on it while being stored. I suppose a proper cover woould look nicer, but would accomplish the same. I worry about mice gettng into the bike, yet it has never happened over a lot of years. I think it is probably too cold out there for them.

mr.paul from Minnesota

 

[whataboutbob]

Best "winter" treatment?

Just ride the damn thing.

I agree with Howie

 

[RadioHowie]

Best "winter" treatment?

Just ride the damn thing.

I agree with Howie

You have just cursed yourself into complete lack of credibility for the remainder of your days here on the forum.

But you're right.....ride it if you can.

 

[Andyfjr]

My bike is coming upto 4 years old and in pretty good condition. This is because I park it up in October and start riding again April. I don't mind riding in the cold, what I absolutely hate is the corrosive effect road salt has on my bike. In Britain salt is put down when a cold snap is due. So my bike's best friend is the optimate charger, fully electronic conditioner and charger, I just leave it attached for 5 months. Unfortunately it gives me months of down time where I can perform those maintenance jobs like regreasing the suspension linkage

Andy

 

[FiveG]

I agree -- main problem is salt. They're starting to spray brine on the roads here in New England whenever there is a threat of snow/sleet/cold. Rightly or not, that's a serious deterrent to my riding even when there's no ice, as I'm not excited about getting the residue of that junk all over (and eating into) my Feejer. Unfortunately, Draco's now in hibernation with a nice battery tender, tank full of gas and Stabil and a warm cover, until the earlier of (a) spring or ( B) a winter's day when the salt-crap has been washed away and the air is clear and dry (and the temp is above mid-20s).

 

[mcatrophy]

... what I absolutely hate is the corrosive effect road salt has on my bike....

Andy

I hate not being able to ride even more than corrosive salt. (And the car is The Wife's, not mine.) So I try to hose the bike off whenever I get back from a salty run.

Unfortunately my hose is out of action due to the severe cold we've been having; not only was it frozen but

(click on image for larger view)

the pipe that feeds my hose burst, giving the (then unsalted) FJR a bit of a shower as well as flooding the garage.

And I had some electrics round the battery exposed (I'll hopefully be describing them in another post in a few days).

Note the snow outside the garage, my road was icy, there was no point in even trying to get the bike out until it had thawed some more.

Still, at least I can now ride for a few days until the next load of snow is due on Thursday.

(A few more piccies here for those who enjoy others' misfortunes.)

 

[majicmaker]

... what I absolutely hate is the corrosive effect road salt has on my bike....

Andy

I hate not being able to ride even more than corrosive salt. (And the car is The Wife's, not mine.) So I try to hose the bike off whenever I get back from a salty run.

Unfortunately my hose is out of action due to the severe cold we've been having; not only was it frozen but

(click on image for larger view)

the pipe that feeds my hose burst, giving the (then unsalted) FJR a bit of a shower as well as flooding the garage.

And I had some electrics round the battery exposed (I'll hopefully be describing them in another post in a few days).

Note the snow outside the garage, my road was icy, there was no point in even trying to get the bike out until it had thawed some more.

Still, at least I can now ride for a few days until the next load of snow is due on Thursday.

(A few more piccies here for those who enjoy others' misfortunes.)

Holy Crap! I had no idea it got cold enough to burst pipes in the UK. The last time that happened to me was in 1973 in New York when my (water filled) radiator

Cracked open in three places. That was NO FUN either!

 

[Pierre]

Don't call me anel, but here we go Fresh oil and filter, stabil in full tank, wash and wax, on center stand and battery plugged into tender.Now I can cover and try to time to do all of the other maintenance that I did not get done during my riding season.

And I change the oil in the pumpkin