Wash the bike
Give your bike a good wash, clean off any bugs and dry thoroughly to get all the moisture and damp spots that can damage the paint. Give the bike’s painted parts a good waxing with a high quality bike or auto wax. Waxing your bike will provide extra protection against moisture and rust.
Winter is a good time to strip the bike down and do checks on all areas, clean all areas on the bike that you can access. Under the seat and side covers can gather up lots of dirt and bugs.
Best practices might suggest checking calipers and brake pads, good time to replace if necessary. Possibly good time to place spark plugs and SP wires. Another good practice would be to remove the spark plugs and inject about a tablespoon of engine oil into each cylinder and then depress the starter button several times so oil is fully distributed on the heads.
Also check your fluids brake, clutch, and coolant fluids before storage.
WD 40 – Helps stop any rusting, apply a light oil (WD40) to any chrome, unplated steel parts and fasteners, or some other type of corrosion inhibitor. (avoid rubber). Run the bike to heat up the pipes. Shut the bike off and spray WD 40 into the pipes. It will vaporize and coat the pipes.
Boeshield T-9 – Rub it on all the metal parts to prevent corrosion pitting and rust. Amazing product. Unlike WD40 it doesn’t attract dirt. Dries to a beautiful shine and works amazingly well. Bike will look brand new.
To change oil or not to change oil before winter or in the spring, will fill the coffee crowd with chatter for an hour. In this list of recommendations we are going to go with Best Practices to change it because the gas you’ve used might have ethanol in it and used motor oil is acidic, and will slowly eat aluminum engine and trans parts.
If you want to be really anal about winter hibernation you can add a product called Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor (VCI oil) to the crankcase, transmission and final drive. VCI is available from Toromont/CAT.
On the other side of the question some say oil starts to break down after 6 months so forgo the oil change and do it first thing in the spring.
Fuel Stabilizer or Not is another big question?
Fill up your fuel tank far as possible-to the rim with ethanol free gas. Shell Vpower and Chevron Supreme are ethanol free gas and most marinas have it as well. Filling up helps prevent the inner lining of your tank from corroding and helps keep the gas from deteriorating.
Using stabilizer: Fill the tank, add the recommended amount of fuel stabilizer, Stabil-nothing else. (See Fort Nine for a reason)…(or maybe Sea Foam). Take it for a short ride or run the motor till the stabilizer is all through the gas system,
If carbureted, position the bike for storage and set the petcock to ‘OFF’ and run until the carburetors are empty. Old bikes you can probably just drain the carb bowels.
The nice thing about Chevron Supreme, is it has no ethanol and they have a separate hose for Supreme which means you’re not getting any of the cheaper gas the person before you bought and you always meet the bikers at Chevron stations, sad, there are so few. Don’t start it through storage as it won’t get warm enough to evaporate condensation.
One member recommends Berryman B-12 injection cleaner. https://www.berrymanproducts.com/…/b-12-chemtool…/
Stabilizer can also gum up the system so use with caution.
Best Practice
To prevent flat spots from forming while in storage get the tires off the ground so the tires don’t have a flat spot and get the weight off suspension, put on center stand with a jack under the motor to lift the front wheel from touching.Fill your tires to their maximum recommended volume.
No center stand or can’t make one; put your tires on wood or pieces of carpet to keep the rubber off the concrete, this will help keep moisture from seeping into your tires. It’s also good if you can roll your bike back and forth from time to time to rotate your tires over the winter. One thing frequently overlooked is to keep your handle bars straight so there is no pressure on the sidewall, as it can impact the front tire if left sitting for months. Watch for low tires over the winter.
The question; pull the battery and store in cool storage or keep it charged with battery tender?
Depending on the type of bike you have and the computer or/and the security system will need the battery to stay in the bike but will drain the battery, so it needs to be maintained. Trusting a battery tender may leave you sad. If you have to leave the battery in your bike, use a battery tender with a timer, so the tender works for a few hours every week but not necessarily all the time. Alternatively, pull the battery and keep it on a shelf, that if battery acid leaks it wouldn’t bother anything, and hook up the battery tender with a timer.
Noco brand tenders seem to be recommended.
Some say contrary to popular belief, it’s better to store the battery in the cold, as this slows down the chemical reaction that sulfates the battery plates?
Caution with a battery that has bulging sides. Over charging can wreck the battery by heating it up and evaporating the fluid inside.When it’s turned on it shorts and blows up. The new age reminder is Caution … don’t drink the contents of a battery
They can do serious damage, from making a home in your air cleaner, or exhaust pipes, eating wires, or leaving their little discharges all over your bike.
Consider plugging the air intake and exhaust with steel wool, an oily rag or soap to prevent mice from getting in. Remove the seat and covers for the same reason . A few moth balls usually keep critters away. Mouse bait may end up in the food chain and for example poison your cat as well. Pack rats stink and steel and chew. Consider keeping your jackets and gear in a mouse proof enclosure. Make sure you take your riding snacks away from the bike or gear.
Loosely cover with a bike cover, or a thick blanket and tarp. This keeps dust off and moisture out and protects it from falling objects, etc.
Most of the same things as storing inside a heated garage. However make extra effort to top up your antifreeze and make sure it’s good enough for the frigid temperatures it will have to endure outside all alone. Lube your throttle, kickstand, shifter, and clutch cables to avoid rust and moisture. Use the WD 40 on metals.Lightly grease exposed fork stanchions. Remove seat and luggage, store in house.Take the battery into the basement and leave it on a battery tender.
And if you’re frugal you could get 5 to 8 pallets free and build a cover for your poor bike and help protect it from the elements. Also, stare at the bike and pet it every so often so it knows you haven’t forgotten about it (sniff). Feel free to drink heavily until it is time to ride again.
Alternatives could be to rent a climate-controlled storage unit to prevent rusting and damage. Share the cost with a friend.
Other Advice for caring for your bike from experienced Senior Motorcyclists:
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This list is a compilation of ideas from the Canadian Seniors Motorcyclists group.
Edited by Gerry Muza
