1st year winerizing ???s, yes I searched but still got ???s

[liquid0715]

Hey Guys,

There is a lot of info on winterizing but I am uncertain about a couple of thngs. 
I purchased my tank from a fellow GS500 who treated the tank with a sealer.  So I thought I needed to empty the tank.  I emptied the tank with a very slight gasoline left that is really difficult to empty.  I could leave the fill cover open to let it evoperate but that will risk other things from falling in.  I also wanted to paint the tank. that is another reason why I emptied the tank. 
Can I paint the tank at this point without risking rusting of any kind in the tank?

Do I need to train the carbs?  If so, do I do anything else after I empty them?  If I need to spray WD-40 please tell me exactly where since I do not know.

The oil was changed fairly recently, but is the oil change a must? 

How much WD-40 do you spray from the spark plug holes?  Like a second or two or more like 10 seconds?  How do I turn the cylinders over since I do not have a battery or a tank installed?

I am sorry guys if these things have been discussed before but I couldnt find exact scenarios as mine and all the other posts seem to be pretty old so I figured a refresher woudl not hurt anyone. 

THanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

[GeeP]

I wouldn't worry about the oil.

Draining the carbs, yes.  Very easy.  Look under the carbs, on either side you should see a little hose barb like thing, and a screw.  Loosen the screw to drain the float bowl.  (Two bowls, two screws.)  Use a spray-can lid to catch the gas.

Don't spray WD-40 into the cylinders, it will evaporate.  It isn't a lubricant anyway.  Put a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder and crank it for a few seconds after draining the float bowls.  Reinstall the plugs and plug the exhaust and intake.

[liquid0715]

I would love to add the oil into the cylinders however, should I still do that if I can not start the engine?  I already have the battery and the tank apart??

[GeeP]

You don't need (or want) to start the engine.  After draining the carbs, put a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder, install the plugs, and crank the engine for a few seconds to disperse it around the cylinder walls.   

[Pigeonroost]

If the battery is out, you can put the bike on center stand in 4th or higher gear with spark plugs out and very slowly turn the rear wheel to turn the engine over -- go slow or the oil will shoot right back out of the head.

I would not go to all that trouble unless I was storing the bike for a year or more.  Use a good dose of stabil in a full tank of fresh fuel and take that last short ride, have clean motor oil, clean and lube what should be cleaned and lubed, wax the paint/chrome, put battery on a Battery Tender and store bike in a dry steady temp place.  Then again, we get enough bluebird days in winter to ride on occasion, so its a non-issue here.

prs

[905mike]

You don't need (or want) to start the engine.  After draining the carbs, put a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder, install the plugs, and crank the engine for a few seconds to disperse it around the cylinder walls.   

serisously? oil into the cylinder via the spark plug holes?
i thot only 2-stroke engines burn an oil-gasoline mixture. aren't our GS500's 4-stroke engines and as such isn't oil burnin' (and oil in the cylinders) a bad thing?

[beRto]

You don't need (or want) to start the engine.  After draining the carbs, put a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder, install the plugs, and crank the engine for a few seconds to disperse it around the cylinder walls.   

serisously? oil into the cylinder via the spark plug holes?
i thot only 2-stroke engines burn an oil-gasoline mixture. aren't our GS500's 4-stroke engines and as such isn't oil burnin' (and oil in the cylinders) a bad thing?

You are correct, the 4-stroke GS should not regularly burn oil. That being said, GeeP is suggesting a once-per-year couple-of-drops in the cylinder addition of oil. This will help keep the cylinder walls coated, and will not hurt anything.

[bbq]

serisously? oil into the cylinder via the spark plug holes?
i thot only 2-stroke engines burn an oil-gasoline mixture. aren't our GS500's 4-stroke engines and as such isn't oil burnin' (and oil in the cylinders) a bad thing?

It's a bad thing if oil leaked into the cylinders by itself. On the other hand there is nothing wrong with putting oil  into the cylinder on purpose. In fact this is exactly the procedure recommended in the manual.

[hotrodstu77]

its also a good way to check your compression

[ohgood]

for clarification:

leave your plugs out while after you've poured in the teaspoon of oil.... rotate the engine with the bike in gear via the rear wheel (up on the center stand) a few strokes. you'll hear the shooooosh shwooooosh through the plug holes. then re-install the plugs.

THEN TIE A HUGE PIECE OF PAPER TO THE SPARK PLUGS TO CYCLE THE ENGINE WITH THE PLUGS OUT BEFORE TRYING TO CRANK IT !

^^ This is only because SOME people think "A little oil is good, allot of oil must be bettererererer!" and they destroy their engines by cranking it with 1/2 a quart in the cylinder

as the pistons move they'll blast out almost all the oil (this is the part next spring when you want to play again) through the plug holes.

I'd jack the front of the ibke up also, so the front tire doesn't get all lumpy.

oil the chain with heavy gear oil (just me), drain the float bowls, remove  the battery (put it on a tender), and plug EVERYTHING with latex gloves wehre a varmit might get in

[hotrodstu77]

what about removing the carbs completely