Hello all,
Being a former m/c mechanic, I don't know how many times I have 'fixed' a motorcycle because it wouldn't start in the spring. I would like to outline all the nessessary things needed to do to a motorcycle to prep it for storage (not nessessarily winter, especially for those in the military).
If you can put it in a garage, great! If not, pull the battery out and use a Dow motorcycle cover. Everything else will apply to both situations with the exception of using cloth or bedsheets to cover the bike in the garage.
Battery: Pull it out if you can store it someplace else and charge it periodically, or if your leaving, put it on a trickle charger (.5amp).
At least disconnect the negative terminal. Both preferably.
Feul tank: Fill it completely and add fuel stabilizer, I don't know what kind, I'm an all-season rider, and I don't remember what I used when I was in the military. :)
If the tank has a shut off valve, use it. Turn it off.
The fuel selector should be in the On position.
Carburetors: DRAIN THE FRIGGIN' FLOAT BOWLS!!
Oil: Change the oil.
Tires: Over-inflate. Just a few psi over what you're using now. Don't exceed 42psi, I will not accept any responsibility for what any of you do.
There, there's my disclaimer :nana: .
And ideally, if you can, block up the bike so that both tires are off the ground, but this may be too instable for comfort and peace of mind, especially those in earthquake areas. That's why I suggest over-inflation.
If you're storing outside (you know who you are...college kids, fellow Californians, etc.) close up the bottom of the cover so the neighborhood cats can't get in and minimize the spiders climbing in.
And if you're storing outside and you know it's going to rain, remove the brake pads and the brake levers to prevent the brakes from rusting together.
Did I miss anything? It's late, I'm tired, and my brain hurts.
My apollogies to anybody I offended, I did not mean to.
I hope this helps.
Signing off! Good night!
Good advice. I use Stabil brand stabilizer but any brand will do.
Bump. Seems to be that time of year again. :mrgreen:
nooooooooo...not yet!
F-U-E-L.
Not to be picky or anything. :nana: :mrgreen:
No, no, appreciate it! I spell things phonetically, so when I say fuel out loud it sounds to me like 'feul' (or, I'm sitting too close the stereo speakers). Now, I undadand why dey keep popp'ng balloons do clote do my hed.
Speaking of dusting off old threads.... I think this is the first "first post" I've found that actually has helpful information in it! :lol:
You rawk, scratch! :kiss: ;)
Quote from: scratch.................................
Battery: Pull it out if you can store it someplace else and charge it periodically, or if your leaving, put it on a trickle charger (.5amp).
At least disconnect the negative terminal. Both preferably.
.........................
Nice write-up Scratch.
It may be helpful to some to be a little more specific about the type and capacity of the battery charger.
Something like, "put it on an automatic one amp charger".
The word automatic means that the charger will automatically switch to trickle (maintenance) mode when the battery becomes fully charged. Then will automatically switch back to full charge mode when needed, etc.
This eliminates the need to be there to check and manually charge it.
The ideal capacity of the charger is 1/10 of the amp-hour rating of the battery. In the case of the GS, a 11 amp-hour battery, about 1 amp is the preferred capacity for a charger.
:cheers:
Thank you both.
I agree with using a charger that is automatic, I was understanding that a trickle charger was automatic.
Also, here's that addendum that I keep forgetting: http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=35214#35214
I tought we were supposed to ride no matter what wind/rain/hail we come across with? :dunno:
I even bought new insulated/wateroproof gloves today :thumb:
storage? c'mon! :bs:
Quote from: subcstorage? c'mon! :bs:
:lol: Storage is for the poor folks back east that get buried under 10 feet of snow... I can't even imagine!
I will say, however, that I was a wuss and caged it today. It's supposed to be mega stormy later, so I decided to play it safe (and warm in my heated cage). :roll:
Scratch rides in all weather... I'm unworthy! :(
:mrgreen:
A few days this week have been marginally good riding weather (some very good...*looks longingly out window* like today). Unfortunately, I'm a knucklehead and have been taking the car. It's somewhere in the mid-40's here, and my bike is sitting at home. :(
I think I'm going to ride in tomorrow regardless. I think it's supposed to be nice out. Maybe I'll get some quality seat time on Saturday.
Quote from: BadgerI think I'm going to ride in tomorrow regardless. I think it's supposed to be nice out. Maybe I'll get some quality seat time on Saturday.
:thumb:
I have to admit...if I lived in Boston, I'm not sure how much cold-weather riding I'd do.....
Quote from: pandyQuote from: BadgerI think I'm going to ride in tomorrow regardless. I think it's supposed to be nice out. Maybe I'll get some quality seat time on Saturday.
:thumb:
I have to admit...if I lived in Boston, I'm not sure how much cold-weather riding I'd do.....
Eh. You get used to the cold. In the winter, if it hits mid 40's it feels like t-shirt weather. Mid 40's in the summer and you're dragging wool sweaters out of storage.
I lived in Monterey for a bit and it always seemed to feel chilly in the evenings and early mornings...that was probably 60 degrees. I moved to upstate NY and 25 degrees started to feel balmy during the winter. Comparatively, I guess Boston is fairly moderate. Seattle seems more so in my experience, lacking the extremes we get out here.
Whats the meaning of this word...storage....
hehe just playin, nice write up scratch, good info had there.
Bah. I'm going to be out of town for a month! I'm going to this tiny little Texas town called Plainview, and I won't have the GS. Should I do anything to it while it sits in my garage for a month, or will it be fine if I just leave it be?
At least do the minimum mentioned here: http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18202&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=
Update: I remember some information about tire inflation, I think it was even mentioned here on GStwin, that if you can get both tires off the ground (in a secure fashion), to actually reduce tire pressures; this will help prevent tire cracking (and something else I can't remember (I'm old, bear with me)).
I've been riding on 36-48 degrees F for the past few days.
I must say, is much more fun than I tought, specially if you add some rain, a bit of mist, and wind to the mixture.
I don't really have to, and my gf is reluctant to this (she offers to lend me her car every day), but I figured I better ride in these conditions now that I don't have to, so I'm not surprised or stressed about it when I really have to.
The tires stick pretty good to the wet pavement :thumb: so I'm not that concerned now (except the painted wthite lines/letters on the road, or the manholes...mmm, sure sounds strange).
Anyway. a good pair of insulated/waterproof gloves and the waterproof inner lining for the jacket is all I need to keep me warm now (except for my chin, that gets a bit too cold :lol: )
Oh yeah, and I love that white puffy smoke the GS emits every cold morning :roll: (smells funny too)
darnit... i would ride this winter if I had my license, but they don't offer the MSF course until the spring. Late spring. Like May 22.
I'm tempted just to learn in a parking lot. Hate to have the GS in storage until freaking June...
Not worth a plane ticket. Better to have someone there do it for you, if anything. You already ran fuel stabilizer through the carb, and you took care of the battery; IMO it's not worth the worry. I've done less to a bike in storage for 7 months, outside, under the eaves of a house.
thanks... that's all I was wondering.
I'm sorry but I think you guys are crazy to even consider riding in snow. I live up here in Buffalo NY, and my GS is NOT coming out into the snow/slush/salt. I have had many experiences up here in my car wondering "why doesn't the accelerator work? Am I in neutral?" or even worse, "My brakes just don't seem to be doing anything and that ditch/tree/old lady is getting awfully close!" To have that kind of an experience on a bike would be beyond stupid, because if you lose traction on your front tire, and I guarantee that you WILL in Buffalo snow, you are going to go down. And that is going to suck, because slush in your underpants isn't fun, although I guess it gets the ice on your injuries pretty quick! :cookoo:
Yeah, I'll ride in the winter, but only if the roads are clean.
:laugh: I came to a stop light that was at the bottom of a hill..hit a patch of ice and slid right under the back of a pickup truck...crawled out, truck moved forward, picked my bike up went :o that was bad sorry! and rode home :thumb:
If it snowed in Texas, I'd get an old dual sport (like the old 1980 Yamaha XT250 in our garage) slap some massive knobbies on it, gear up like mad and go ride.
What? Snow? No, f%$k snow!
I think we're getting a little off topic here.
For storage, the jesus guy has most of it covered, I'd recomend squirting a little fogging oil in the spark plug holes, turning the engine over a few times, then spray a little more in there and put the plugs back in. If you don't have any fogging oil, a few tablespoons of engine oil will work fine. This will keep the cylinders and rings from rusting. I had this happen once and it really sucked.
Also rubber band a plastic bag over your tail pipe and air intake. For the ultimate protection, put a silica gell packett or decadesant (sp?) in your exhaust and air intake before you put the bag on.
If you don't have a trickle charger, storing the battery inside a heated area is best.
Cake your chain in lube or wax to prevent rust, and spray nuts, bolts, bare metal, etc with WD-40 to prevent rust.
Have fun :cheers:
Quote from: ducati_nolan on September 27, 2006, 09:56:11 PMput a silica gell packett or decadesant (sp?) in your exhaust and air intake before you put the bag on.
Dessicant.
Thanks for the Spell check :icon_rolleyes:
I forgot to mention the most important part. Tape a note over the ignition saying what you did so when you start it up you don't start a fire :laugh:
Or just keep riding the damn thing :cheers:
Quote from: ducati_nolan on September 27, 2006, 10:56:01 PM
Thanks for the Spell check :icon_rolleyes:
I forgot to mention the most important part. Tape a note over the ignition saying what you did so when you start it up you don't start a fire :laugh:
Or just keep riding the damn thing :cheers:
No problem. No need for the :icon_rolleyes:.. I was just helping out. You asked SP? So I told you.
As for the note... great idea. Like when I change my oil.. I always put my keys with the new oil, so I can't accidentally start the car/bike with no oil in it. I've never come close.. I know people who have.
That's a great post! Thanks for all the info. Q's:
1. I would have thought that using less fuel and adding stabilizer would have been better no? Higher stabilizer to fuel ratio is better isn't it? The just put fresh fuel in the spring.
2. Instead of draining the float bowls (I'm assuming you would do this by running the engine until it stops with the fuel switched off), would it be better to just run some of the fuel mix from Q#1 through the carb?
3. Would it be better to just fill up the oil, leave it over winter, and then get it changed in the spring instead? I'd assume you would want to change the oil in the spring anyway.
4. I've also heard about putting "fogging oil" in the engine and turning it over a few times. What the heck is fogging oil?
5. What about rotors and rust? Does anybody lube/protect the rotors somehow? My garage will go through cool/freezing and dry/high humidity cycles over the winter from weather changes and the car being parked in the garage with snow melting off of it.
:cry: Moving to Calif. sure seems nice right about now.
Quote from: gory on September 28, 2006, 08:25:01 PM1. I would have thought that using less fuel and adding stabilizer would have been better no? Higher stabilizer to fuel ratio is better isn't it? The just put fresh fuel in the spring.
For the GS with its steel tank filling up as high as possible is preferrable to prevent rust.
Quote2. Instead of draining the float bowls (I'm assuming you would do this by running the engine until it stops with the fuel switched off), would it be better to just run some of the fuel mix from Q#1 through the carb?
Nope. Gas has a tendency to deposit varnish, even when stabilized. That wreaks havoc in your carbs. Most problems with bikes misbehaving in spring stem from varnished jets.
Quote3. Would it be better to just fill up the oil, leave it over winter, and then get it changed in the spring instead? I'd assume you would want to change the oil in the spring anyway.
That (changing oil in spring) is sound advice for winter riders. Sissies that store their bikes for the winter better do this with fresh oil, as the old one contains lots of byproducts, some of them corrosive. you don't want your bike to stand around long with this. The new oil will not degrade over winter.
Quote4. I've also heard about putting "fogging oil" in the engine and turning it over a few times. What the heck is fogging oil?
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I take that for WD-40, Caramba and their ilk.
Quote5. What about rotors and rust? Does anybody lube/protect the rotors somehow? My garage will go through cool/freezing and dry/high humidity cycles over the winter from weather changes and the car being parked in the garage with snow melting off of it.
In spring, a few brakings will take care of the rust. Anything that comes close to protecting iron from corrosion is bad news on the rotors, as all these materials are also lubricants.
Fogging oil is a preservative oil that sprays in a "fog" and sticks to the cylinder walls. It's meant to prevent corosion and rust on the cylinders and rings. You can get it at ACE hardware. WD-40 is too thin and will run off of the cylinder walls, doing little good. Engine oil is much better than WD-40, the thicker the better. 50 weight would be best but anything is better than nothing. I once got a bike running at the end of fall, and parked it for the winter, when I got it out in the spring the motor was siezed from the rings rusting to the cylinders.
The fogging oil is especially important if you park your bike in a high humidity or marine environment. It also reduces wear on the first start of the season, it may slightly foul your plugs, but that's easy to clean. It wouldn't be a bad idea to turn the engine over by hand every so often too, to make sure everything still moves.
On the GS there is no OFF position on the petcock so use the drains on the carbs.
I think the stock brakes are stainless, so they shouldn't rust much.
:cheers:
Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on September 27, 2006, 03:34:57 PM
If it snowed in Texas, I'd get an old dual sport (like the old 1980 Yamaha XT250 in our garage) slap some massive knobbies on it, gear up like mad and go ride.
What? Snow? No, f%$k snow!
Alpha, no offense man but you would get f%&ked UP. Especially when it snows here, first you get a 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer of ice on the road, then you cover that with snow.
And then you add all the idiot drivers, and even worse Cali drivers who have never seen snow; neither of which slow for conditions, and winter is a good time for that massive wrenching project you may have been thinking about. (We're talking about people ending up sideways on the freeway doing 75mph, panicing and letting go of the steering wheel because "traction control" will save them...)
Now minus the tards in cages, with some studded beast tires and enough gear that when you hit the ice you bounce, FACK YEAH WITCHES!
Quote from: pandy on November 30, 2005, 02:00:03 PM
Speaking of dusting off old threads....
first good winter storage thread to come across