Winterizing the bike

[rickyboy]

Not that summer is over yet,.... but I need to think about getting the bike ready for it's first cold winter in an unheated garage.
As some of you might know I'm pretty much moved up to my "retirement home" in the Cariboo District, and the bike is here to stay now.
Depending on what happens in the next week or so, it might be some time before I get back here to "the 108 Ranch" ..... and the cold weather might have started by the time I get back,.... so I want to have things done before that of course. I haven't checked gadget's site out as of yet but I was wondering if any of you in the colder climate areas, have any suggestions or "must do" things you want to suggest. .......
Thx

......and for those of you smart ass's living where you can fry an egg on the sidewalk in Dec. .....save it !!!

[usranger74]

http://vulcanbagger.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19099


This may help.

[rickyboy]

I'll need to read that again but I think I get the picture Bill. One question.......which plugs are the deep well ones??

Thx Bill ....and thx to mac

If anyone else has something .... I'm still listening

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Update;
I probably have answered my own question here and should have gone and checked "gadget's" site first.
http://www.gadgetjq.com/winterprep.htm
But please feel free to contribute just the same. Maybe you have something to add or a different way of doing things.
Thx

[dank]

I just change my oil and attach the batter tender and add Stabil to a full tank of gas the last fill-up. Never had a problem. (Unheated garage, lower peninsula of Michigan) Our lows don't often get out of negative single digits (F). I think if it were getting much colder than that I would probably pull the battery and keep it inside.

[HwyRider]

What I do is fill the tank, add some sat-bil, drive it around for a mile, put it in the shed and hook up the battery tender. I start it once a month and let it run for 10 minutes over the winter. The shed has a wood floor so I'm not concerned with the tires being on cement.

That's all I do unless I want to add an accessory or something.

[redjay]

Add fuel stabilizer, fill the tank, change engine oil and filter. Remove battery and store in the basement. Trickle charge it once a month. I have done that for the last 5 years, Nomad then a Voyager. The bike goes in an unheated shed with a wood floor. I don't start it from October to April. Never had an issue come Spring time.

[jandreu]

lucky I line Hawaii

[vulcanguy]

Originally Posted by redjay

Add fuel stabilizer, fill the tank, change engine oil and filter. Remove battery and store in the basement. Trickle charge it once a month. I have done that for the last 5 years, Nomad then a Voyager. The bike goes in an unheated shed with a wood floor. I don't start it from October to April. Never had an issue come Spring time.

I do all of the above plus I fog the cylinders, bike starts like a charm in late February when
I trailer the bike to Palm Coast Florida for 6 weeks! :)

Cheers

[Bamabrat]

I ride all "winter" if that's what you call November through March in ga. Last year no ice or snow. Just 20 degrees and cold hands. Buying electric gloves this year

[DHACK666]

I live in Ontario and put the bike away at first snow and leave it until a good rain in the spring to wash the salt off the roads. I have had street bikes since 1985 and have never had an issue, never bought a battery ( Mind you I have never kept a bike for more then 5 years). Adding anything to your gas is not necessary but if you feel better, stabilizer would be ok. You have Fuel injection so the only place the gas sits is in the tank. With carburetors I would just run it dry with the petcock off. In the spring turn it to prime or reserve to fill the bowls. I leave very little in the tank and take the battery out (store it in the house) Park the bike on wood or plastic. In the spring I don't need to charge the battery, I just throw it in and start the bike. First stop is the gas station and fill the tank with premium gas. If it is stored in a heated space then leave the tank full so you don't get condensation in the tank. Gas will not go bad in 4 or 6 months.

This is only my opinion but I have never had an issue.

[cnc]

Just park it Rick and start the snowmobiles Rick!

Seriously pretty much the same procedure you used to use would apply for cold weather storage. I assume your coolant is the proper mixture to avoid freezing in the cold. Also if the place is damp for example no floor, put a sheet of plastic under the bike so all the moisture coming out of the ground does not rise up and get trapped under the cover if you use one. I prefer a cotton sheet to keep the dust off and it can breath. Also cold weather storage means you are more subject to larger temperature swings and therefore possible condensation. For that reason and the fact that today's gas is shitty breaking down faster, and contains ethanol which is known to attract moisture, use a stabilizer that helps absorb any moisture that accumulates in the fuel.

[cactusjack]

I guess you don't want to hear how I winterize my bike, eh Rick?

[Kawhead]

This is how I keep my beloved Nomad warm :

[markclark57]

I fill the tank, check the oil, check the psi in the tires, and go for a ride.

[HwyRider]

I think all of us Northerners would like to do that.