How to prepare your bike for winter storage
top tips
Following on from our recent article, Winter Riding – For and Against, this guide is for those who are the latter, and should hopefully provide some tips on storing your bike properly, so that when spring time comes, and it's time to get the bike back out, it can be done as smoothly as possible. We wouldn't want you to be further delayed getting back on the road because you've found your bike needs a lot of work doing to it, that you could have prevented or done earlier.
So, here are Wemoto's Top Tips on Winter Bike Storage
1. Service your bike properly, so that when spring comes, there's less work to do
2. Change the
oil before putting your bike away. (This is optional; some only do it when necessary, while others say that cleaner oil is better for the engine).
Wemoto Tip: Some worry about the carbs/fuel injection "gumming up" due to fuel in the system evaporating, and the possibility of the remaining deposits affecting the running of the engine when the new riding season starts. If you are concerned about this, turn off the fuel tap(s) and run the engine until the carbs (or fuel injection) has run through and the engine stalls, then drain the tank and carbs (fuel injection).
4. Cover painted parts in a thick layer of
polish
5. Apply
ACF 50, or similar, to the exposed metal parts
6. Invest in a good quality
trickle charger for your battery, to maintain it during disuse and prevent it from losing power
7. Pump your tyres up
8. Put your bike on stand,
centre or
paddock, to help raise the tyres off the floors and decrease the pressure point on the tyres
9. Cover your bike with a sheet and say goodnight – you'll need not make a return visit now, until spring (although some do start their bikes up occasionally throughout this time)
10. Spring time: grab your bike, give it a quick servicing - away you go!
Have you got any tips on how you store your bike? Is there anything you think we've missed out? Share your thoughts and ideas with us at
[email protected], and we'll add them into our guide.
Comments
26/11/15 Storage? Get out there and ride it!
26/11/15 1. Keep it on a charger, 2. check tyre pressures, 3. If it's not snowing or icy go for a ride.
26/11/15 ??? what is this hibernate for winter you talk of?????
26/11/15 Just ride it?
26/11/15 Many years ago (1981) I had a car at my disposal for the first time during the winter. I'd always had a trail bike for the winter commutes etc and a big bike for leisure use. However, with having the car and its attractive features like a heater and no kit to put on to use it I forgoe the bikes and didn't use them till Spring. Never again will I do that, the negative impact on my riding skillset was incredible, I couldn't believe how rusty I felt for only a few months outage. The bike actually scared me for a while.
Since then, sure I use the car occasionally but mostly it's my trail bike (currently an F8GS) coated with FS365 to protect it. The one thing I do know is you can have some really good fun in the winter months. I can HIGHLY recommend FS365 for protection from salt etc too.
27/11/15 Bring it into the living room, near a radiator...
27/11/15 That will crack all the seals and the fumes from the bike fluids are not good for you either.
27/11/15 Or!!!! JUST RIDE IT!
27/11/15 Hibernate? WTF?
27/11/15 Taking it around the block once a fortnight will be better than throwing it under a sheet. Keep the battery on a trickle charger. The only thing that will degrade in 3-4 months of storage is the battery and maybe the fork seals drying out. Just bounce on it...
If you think about it, some bikes in dealers are sat for 12 months and then tyre kicked and handed over.
27/11/15 You forgot the important one. Treat the fuel or drain it
27/11/15 Put some Silkolene FST in the tank and run the engine to get it through the carbs. This will help to prevent the carbs from gumming up and will stabilize the petrol in the tank.
Also open the drains in the carb float bowls so that if your fuel tap fails while the bike is parked up you don't end up with a sump full of petrol and ruined oil.
28/11/15 Step 1, remove cover. Step 2, put key in step 3, ride it
28/11/15 Mine spends winter enjoying daily, lengthy rides. It is an important way to keep the skills up and sharpened ready for the warmer/drier times.
Don't put it into hibernation, and don't ride in frosty snowy stuff.
28/11/15 Yep, just keep riding them, good wash, blow off, then squirt of wd4o or similar before you settle down with a brew
28/11/15 For years most of my friends use trickle chargers and have had nothing but problems with there batteries I just start mine once or twice a fortnight on the centre stand & run it through the gears. I use a maxi scooter over the winter to keep my pride & joy in tip top condition
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