Hello everybody,
Temperatures dropped in last few weeks and it became cold.
Since this is my first winter with my GS500,I would like to know what should I do to keep it in good condition?
I can't garage it,since I live in apartment,so it's parked in front of my building.
Will I have to ride it every once in a while,or would turning it on and keeping it running for few minutes do the job?
Is draining the fuel really necessary and most importantly-will I have to clean carbs once the season starts and weather gets better (early spring)?
As for battery,I know I need to take it out and recharge it.
EDIT:I have one question tho.
Will running bike constantly with choke on 1/3 hurt engine and internal parts,or does it only foul plugs?
I asked that because it's really cold where I live,and I prefer leave choke at least 1/3 always on even when riding.
Plugs aren't THAT expensive and if I can chose between replacing plugs once in a while or warming up bike for long time,I would chose first one.
Every comment is welcome :thumb:
Battery out is good. But it doesn't have to be on a charger all season. Especially if it's in a living space. Charging batteries (lead acid type) out-gas hydrogen, which as you probably know, can be quite dangerous in concentration. The idea is just to keep it from freezing which you've done just by bringing it inside. If you're leaving the battery out, then a maintenance charger is a good idea.
Cover it if you can. Motorcycle covers are cheap on ebay or amazon. Even a plain old tarp will keep the frost off.
Some say tank empty, some say tank full. Condensation gets in there and since water is heavier than gasoline, it sinks to the bottom and creates rust. If the tank is empty, there's no barrier to re-evaporation. If the tank is full, there's less air space for moist air to infiltrate.
Lubricate anything that needs it. Change the oil if it's due and run it a bit to make sure everything has a good coat.
If you really want to go nuts you can put it on the center stand and elevate the front to keep both tires off the ground. I guess this is to prevent flat spots but I think it would take longer than a few months for that to get started. Maybe there's another reason.
+1 to Kilted's post.
For the tank full vs empty think, if its just for the winter, personally I would fill up the tank, add some fuel stabilizer, go ride for 15-20 minutes, then leave it like that. If it were for long term storage, I would drain the tank and carb bowls entirely.
As for the choke thing, you are correct that leaving the choke on 1/3 will definitely foul up your plugs eventually. Think about it this way: if the richness is leaving residue on the plugs, where else is it leaving residue? You will have buildup on your valves (among other places), which could eventually cause the engine to lose compression, and you could probably damage the valves further if the build-up is never addressed. Normally, this build up is not a problem as the choke is turned off and any build up is burnt off in normal riding. However, if the choke is never turned off, that build up is never burned away, and eventually that will cause problems.
I ride my bike off and on all winter long, temperatures well below freezing, and I never have problems with the bike not warming up properly. Start the bike with choke on full, let it idle until RPMs reach 4-4.5K (maybe 1-2 minutes), then turn the choke down slowly until the bike is idling around its normal range (there may be slight fluctuation) of 1.2-1.4K, then start riding. After around 5 minutes or so of riding, turn the choke all the way off. This is the way the bike is designed to run, and will be healthy for the bike in the long run.
I typically will fill my tank all the way, put some stabilizer in it, and ride for about 15 mins. Then park it on a couple 2x4's to keep the tires off the cement, and that's about all I do. I will then change the oil in the spring most years. This year I didn't do shaZam! so hopefully it starts up when I fire her up this spring. Whoopsies.
Fill tank, double dose with Sta-Bil/MMO, keep carbs full, this will minimize the need for a "Clean Carb" post in the spring.
I wouldnt start without at least purging the carbs first.
Its better to waste a bit of gas and make sure all the crap that decanted goes out first and not in your carbs.
All the advices given are good.
My view:
Cut out fuel from petcock til the carbs are empty, the idea is to leave carb bowls empty, you can either purge them.
Before starting up you purge the lowest part of the tank that is where is the water and crap deposits( reserve petcock position-switching to pri would be good also,not strictly neccesary but gunk will pass through the petcock aswell so moving it helps).
Even better if you do it directly from the hose before carbs and gunk doesnt touch carb bowls purge till its clear. At least 200 ml( you can use it to degrease something, )
You can take out the hose that goes to the carbs from the petcock and put a short hose to purge to a container, Its an 8mm hose.
If you have a mint tank all this is not strictly neccesary. but seems a risk too big for the minor hassle of taking 5 minutes.
Also,if you dont want to use fuel stabilizer or is very expensive ,you can leave bit of fuel(2-3 liters) and purge with new one. I wouldnt leave without fuel the bottom part of the tank, you usually have rust and is more prone to corrosion if you leave it open to the air.
Yes, im paranoid to carb junk, cleaned them many times.