Bike has been sitting

[GSFRyder]

Bike has been sitting for a few months (maybe 5), what should I do before riding again? I didn't put any Stabil in the tank before it sat, is the gas going to be okay?

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

drain the gas, use it in your lawnmower, fill 'er up with premium (just for the first tank), maybe run some seafoam with that first tank of gas, to clear any gum that may have formed in the carbs (you may need to pull em and clean em... I pulled mine and cleaned em, but much to my chagrin, they were clean as a whistle after about 5 months)... Pull the battery and put it on a battery tender overnight before starting it... uhhh, that's all I can think of now... clean/lube the chain, check/change the oil, make sure your tire pressures are ok...

I'm sure the gurus will hit you with more..

[ducati_nolan]

Nice guy has some good advice. 

In addition, if you pull the plugs and squirt a few drops of oil in there and crank the engine over briefly with the plugs removed, your engine will thank you. It isn't totally necesary but a good idea. something light like wd-40, marvel, 2 stroke oil etc

Also if you don't have a battery tender, a regular charger put on the bike for an hour or so should be fine. A jumpstart will work in a pinch.

everything else has been said. 

[RedShift]

• I agree with dumping the unstabilized gas, especially if your area has an ethanol content requirement.
  
  (I'm curious as to the reasoning behind a tank of high octane fuel -- I'm somewhat lost on the science.  This isn't "better gas", just slightly harder to burn so high-compression engines don't pre-ignite.)
  
  
• I do agree with some "varnish dissolver" -- an appropriate quantity of GUM-OUT or similar additive is a reasonable action.  Helps avoid the more invasive action of carburetor cleaning.
  
  
• Make sure you have enough liquid to cover the battery plates.  Use distilled water if you can find it.  An hour or two on a low Amp car charger should refresh the charge.
  
  
• Change the oil, and filter while at it.
  
  
• Don't forget to check the tires -- air pressure and condition.  Wash the bike, WD-40 the fork seals and go out for a 30-mile ride.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

(I'm curious as to the reasoning behind a tank of high octane fuel -- I'm somewhat lost on the science.  This isn't "better gas", just slightly harder to burn so high-compression engines don't pre-ignite.)

Believe me, I'm no "higher octane = higher power" freak or anything stupid like that. The only reason I suggest it is because it doesn't sound like the OP drained his carbs. So I figure a tank of premium will mix with the residual gas and help up the octane a little bit. It was just a thought.. dunno how accurate it was..

[Kasumi]

As before, check tires and pressures but they should be ok. Check your brakes are working and not siezed. Drain the tank and put fresh fuel in, i wouldn't personally worry about higher octane. Charge the battery. Check the oil and lube the chain.

[groff22]

Isn't a battery that sits 5 months with no charge basically as good as toast? Just wondering because this seems conflicting from what I've read in the past...

Cheers
JG

[GSFRyder]

Thanks for all your replies. The battery was replaced just prior to the bike sitting, should I still pull it out and recharge it? Also, I read something about draining the bowls, is this necessary? If so, how do I accomplish this? Thanks again.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Yes, charge the battery. My GS battery can't sit 2 weeks without getting weak (yes, I know it needs to be replaced, but since I ride daily to work, it's not an issue right now) Your battery will definitely need to be charged.

[RedShift]

(I'm curious as to the reasoning behind a tank of high octane fuel -- I'm somewhat lost on the science.  This isn't "better gas", just slightly harder to burn so high-compression engines don't pre-ignite.)

Believe me, I'm no "higher octane = higher power" freak or anything stupid like that. The only reason I suggest it is because it doesn't sound like the OP drained his carbs. So I figure a tank of premium will mix with the residual gas and help up the octane a little bit. It was just a thought.. dunno how accurate it was..

  Thanks for sharing your reasoning.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

(I'm curious as to the reasoning behind a tank of high octane fuel -- I'm somewhat lost on the science.  This isn't "better gas", just slightly harder to burn so high-compression engines don't pre-ignite.)

Believe me, I'm no "higher octane = higher power" freak or anything stupid like that. The only reason I suggest it is because it doesn't sound like the OP drained his carbs. So I figure a tank of premium will mix with the residual gas and help up the octane a little bit. It was just a thought.. dunno how accurate it was..

  Thanks for sharing your reasoning.

No problem. Thanks for not calling me an idiot before I got to explain myself. Now, is my reasoning accurate, at all? Or just stupid?

[RedShift]

I don't know, but thinking on the physics of the situation, there's 5 gallons of gas in a tank feeding some 6-8 fluid ounces in the carburetors.  I'm figuring "the baby is flushed out by the bathwater".

I'd be more concerned of any deposits formed by evaporation.

[RedShift]

Isn't a battery that sits 5 months with no charge basically as good as toast? Just wondering because this seems conflicting from what I've read in the past...

Cheers
JG

My understanding is that you loose roughly 1% of remaining capacity per day the battery sits.  This would suggest that each day that goes by you loose a little less power than the previous day as it is 1% of the remainder.  As you can imagine, however, there will come a time that you've lost more than is required to start your bike.

The good news is that a tendered battery, one on a 2-Amp car charger for a couple of hours, or a two-hour ride on a GS500 with a charging system in good working order, should bring most any "good" battery back to health.

Here's a link to a Car and Deep Discharge Battery FAQ that I've found to be a good reference on this subject.

[Alphamazing]

One thing about Premium fuel, as I understand, is that it contains more cleaning agents. So dumping in a tank of premium in might help clean some stuff out. I don't know for certain though.

[Egaeus]

cleaning agents are overrated.  If the carb is gummed up, you can put a can of seafoam in the tank, run it until it is definitely in the carbs, let it sit for a few weeks, and they'll still be gummed up.  Ask me how I know....

If you run the bike regularly, there's no reason the carb should be gummed up in the first place. 

If you let the bike sit without any kind of preparation, the carbs will get gummed up, no matter what. 

What's the point?

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

See Eg, I thought that letting it sit for more than a month would gel gas. Mine sat for 5 months after the wreck.. I pulled my carbs, and they were clean as a whistle.. I was utterly confused.. I expected them to be nasty... I imagine that if I'd had a good battery, the bike would have started right up..

[Egaeus]

I let mine sit for about 2 months, and they were full of gelled gas.  The seafoam did squat.

[CBR JOCKEY]

Gas does not need stabilizers if you are only letting your bike sit over the winter season.   Talk to any mechanic and he will tell you its a over kill.  I came from Edmonton and our winters last Sept to May....thats 8 months.  I have owned bikes since 1977.   Your gas should be no issue.   I just started my CBR600 and GS500 last week and they both have been sitting since August.  In the 30 years of owning bikes I have never seen gas go bad up to a year of sitting around... .Just  my 2 cents.

[doublejnyc]

My bike has been sitting too with a tank full of gas.

Can anyone reccommend a battery charger that's powerfull enough to allow me to jumpstart my GS500 over and over until I get it started?

[doublejnyc]

Can anyone recommend a specific charger that's heavy duty enough to jumpstart a GS that's been sitting since the fall?  I really want to avoid jumping it from my mom's car.