Winter storage conflicting procedures

[bargovic]

So here's a few conflicting storage procedures that i keep reading both sides of and im not too sure what would be best. Anyone wanna put their 2 cents in?

1. change oil and filter  before storage VS after storage (GS manual)
2. drain the carbs VS run the bike to fill the carbs
3. deflate VS inflate the tires all the way ( GS manual )
4. cover the intake and pipe tape VS oily rag (what kind of oil)?

[Phaedrus]

1. change oil and filter  before storage VS after storage (GS manual)

I change my oil before I store it and then when I pull it out of storage. I don't change the filter for storing it, but I do change it when I pull it out of storage and put the fresh oil in.

2. drain the carbs VS run the bike to fill the carbs

I fill the tank, put Stabil in, and let it run for a little while.

3. deflate VS inflate the tires all the way ( GS manual )

I left my tires inflated, put the bike on the centerstand, and rotate the front wheel manually every so often.

4. cover the intake and pipe tape VS oily rag (what kind of oil)?

I didn't cover the intake (prolly should tho..) but I do cover the exhaust after it is cool with a plastic bag and a rubber band. I also applied a thin coat of WD-40 on all the metal surfaces of the bike to try and prevent corrosion....this includes the exhaust, flange, levers, etc. But not the brakes  

I dunno...thats what I do  :dunno:

[D-Day]

Go to gas station, add Stabil, fill up to top of tank with premium (Stabil reduces the octane rating of the gas a few points) come home, lube chain, change oil and filter, run bike for a few minutes to circulate the fresh oil, remove spark plugs, fog cylinders, replace spark plugs, drain carbs, put Battery Tender on bike and cover it.

In Spring, change oil, not filter, put air in the tires, check battery electrolyte level and ride.

[bargovic]

what do you mean fog the cylinders?  one more Q, the bike has 1100 mi on it, just changed the filter and oil at 600.  I was going to change the oil to some 10w-30 for the winter storage, leave the filter in, and then change the oil back to 40 and filter in the spring.  whats the harm of leaving a filter in.. dirt and debri?

[RedShift]

what do you mean fog the cylinders?  

He's refering to spraying "Fogging Oil" in the cylinders. I do that too.  You can get the stuff at MC dealers.  It's a light penetrating oil that you work into the top end to coat the cylinder walls and rings.  Intended to prevent rusting & sticking of rings for stored engines.

one more Q, the bike has 1100 mi on it, just changed the filter and oil at 600.  I was going to change the oil to some 10w-30 for the winter storage, leave the filter in, and then change the oil back to 40 and filter in the spring.  whats the harm of leaving a filter in.. dirt and debri?

No harm in my opinion.  Run the engine a good 10 minutes with the new oil to dilute out the residual acidic oil, then pack it up for the winter.

[phire]

So here's a few conflicting storage procedures that i keep reading both sides of and im not too sure what would be best. Anyone wanna put their 2 cents in?

1. change oil and filter  before storage VS after storage (GS manual)
2. drain the carbs VS run the bike to fill the carbs
3. deflate VS inflate the tires all the way ( GS manual )
4. cover the intake and pipe tape VS oily rag (what kind of oil)?

1. Do both. Probably won't hurt anything to leave the old filter in for winter storage unless you feel that you should change it and want to spend the extra money. It's just personal preference there, but it is a must that a new filter be in there after storage.

2. Draining isn't the best idea because unless you dismantle every peice of the fuel system, chances are there's going to be some residual fuel left somewhere. So, what's reccomended instead is to buy a bottle of Stabil and go to the gas station on a near empty tank if possible, add Stabil then fill the tank to the brim, ride around for a few minutes and head back home and commence other winter storage procedures.

3. Deflating the tires is generally not such a good idea. Tires hate being deflated. Although, if there were no weight on the tires it wouldn't hurt anything. I can't see any benefits to deflating the tires but I really haven't researched the pros and cons of tire deflation over the winter, so...  :dunno:

4. Covering the intake and exhaust with an oily rag is intended to prevent moisture and condensation from forming inside. Water can't penetrate the oil so that's why they say use an oily rag. My guess is that things would probably start to rust inside after a while. If your bike is stored in a garage then you probably don't have to worry about this. As for the kind of oil... Just any oily shop rag you have laying around. Ya know like, an oily rag you use for oil changes and working on stuff that gets oily.

Oh, and I almost forgot to suggest this as reading material for winter storage. Another member posted it and I bookmarked it because it's so thorough and he does a good job of making sure you understand WHY you do what you do and not just telling you what to do. http://www.clarity.net/~adam/winter-storage.html

[bargovic]

thanks for all the info guys. i actually printed that article earlier today. and after a final day of riding and looking up bike stuff i finally got my storage worries out of the way. so "suzi" is going into the shed tomar.  so heres the noob's storage routine.

1. ride all day like its your last ever
2. stop on the way home, dump stabil in and fill tank
3. let the pipes cool, and change the oil. (replace filter on spring change).
4. drain carbs
5. remove battery and put on a tender in the aprt.
6. cover intake and exaust with plastic to lock out moisture
7. on next free weekend ill put fogging oil in the cylinders
8. mid winter when i miss the bike, go mod something and drink a beer with it.

[500rider]

What's the reason for changing the oil before winter?  I saw one post stating "acidic oil".  I know oil can have alot of fine metal particles in it as parts wear in the engine but didn't know it would become acidic.

[cobalt135]

What's the reason for changing the oil before winter?  I saw one post stating "acidic oil".  I know oil can have alot of fine metal particles in it as parts wear in the engine but didn't know it would become acidic.

You will get most of the crap that has accumulated in the oil out so it does not just settle and sit in the sump until spring getting even nastier.  The acidic part would come from the byproducts of the combustion process.

[phire]

3. let the pipes cool, and change the oil.

Looked great except for this one!! Change the oil with it being as hot as you think you can change it without burning the poop out of your hand because if you let it cool down, all the gunk (if any) will settle down at the bottom. This way it's all still in circulation with the oil and most of it will just come right on out w/ the old oil.

8. mid winter when i miss the bike, go mod something and drink a beer with it.

+1 !

[Wrecent_Wryder]

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