Putting it away for the winter!

[Noggin]

I've not had an older bike over here in winter. I brought the 390 over one winter and it just had a flat battery from the cold, but nothing else. But it was new

Someone has said this evening that I should do some stuff before closing the garage door on the bike this winter!

- Full tank of fuel - NOT E10!!

- Drain the carbs

- Fill the oil up to the top then push it in gear to get oil up into the pistons for the winter??


The first two, I get. But the last is freaking me out a bit!!


(Mind you, he's also said I should get the engine rebored cos it sounds 'loose' - even though I don't reckon that's a good thing if I ever do want to race it!!)


It's going to be in a garage but the garage is quite bit and cold - no electric, so can't trickle charge.

So,
- I have a very old single duvet that I've used before to cover the bike so will put that over it and under a cover

- I'll also put it up on stands

- should I take the battery out and keep it in my apartment?


Are the first three right? (Ok, is the third one right!!)

Anything else I should do?

I expect it to be in the garage for 3-5 months depending on the amount of snow we get during the spring!!

[The Spin Doctor]

Clean it. Cover anything that can corrode in waterproof grease - I use a heavy Castrol grease designed for the axles of boat trailers... it needs warming up to soften it, then smear it on with a cloth. If you do nothing else, treat the chrome forks and the damper rod.

[Cousin Jack]

I just put an Optimate on it occasionally. I have read all the stuff about fuel, but have never had a problem, even when (the year I moved house) the bike went off into storage in February and stayed there until September.

[Rockburner]

Battery into the flat, and drain the carbs, is all I'd do, but the grease idea is a good one.
Covering with a duvet will just trap moisture near the metal, leave it uncovered.

[Noggin]

- Fill the oil up to the top then push it in gear to get oil up into the pistons for the winter??

I've never done that and since I keep my bikes for life I would have expected to have had a problem before now if it was really necessary.
I've only had a garage for 5 years so its not that they have been pampered

Spins advice about grease is spot on, I've had the chrome literally fall off the forks of a Suzuki after a few years at the back of the shed without grease

It did sound really odd to me. He said something about there'd be (or could be) a 'line' where the piston stopped and sat for the winter so it could affect the running or something. I got a bit confused!!!

I just put an Optimate on it occasionally. I have read all the stuff about fuel, but have never had a problem, even when (the year I moved house) the bike went off into storage in February and stayed there until September.

I guess the main reason for taking the battery off and keeping in an apartment is -

Its new and I don't want to kill it with cold

The garage is likely to be at minus something for most of December, January and probably February (we often get -20 up where I am at 2000m in January and where the bike will be is about 1600m so a smidge warmer but still cold for something that isn't running for a few months??

Battery into the flat, and drain the carbs, is all I'd do, but the grease idea is a good one.
Covering with a duvet will just trap moisture near the metal, leave it uncovered.

Makes sense - it's a £5 single that doesn't touch the floor either side, just hoped it would help against the cold! But leaving it dry sounds better (luckily, even in winter, the atmosphere up here is very dry )

[dern]

Don't do it. There will be loads of lovely days to ride throughout the winter.

[Yorick]

[Noggin]

Don't do it. There will be loads of lovely days to ride throughout the winter.

I live in a ski resort at 2000m!!! Yes, there have been seasons when it's possible to ride all through February and some days in December/January. Or the odd week here or there. But TBH, this year I am going to seriously enjoy the fact that I can ski properly (should be able to use both poles this year, so ski with more balance and confidence than the last 4 seasons). Add to that that the lifts were closed last season and so we are all suffering from lack of skiing . . . .

It's also the first winter in about 5 that I can both ski AND have days off cos I'm working for someone else instead of myself (or a fuckwit boss that wanted me to do his job as well as drive!!) - any day I'm not working (probably 3 per week) I intend to ski a LOT!!!

Biking can wait till spring proper when the roads are dry and warm by mid morning! When I don't have to wait till the frost/ice on the road has melted!!


Another year I'd have agreed with you, but living here I get to ski all winter and ride bikes all summer - well, I do now that my shoulder/arm is getting stronger!!!

[Noggin]

Muppet!! I'll put up so many photos of sunrise on the piste on top of a mountain I'll make you feel cold!!

[dern]

Don't do it. There will be loads of lovely days to ride throughout the winter.

I live in a ski resort at 2000m!!!

Ah, lol. Oh well, at least you get to ski though which sound pretty good too

Too used to people in southern england posting about lifting the tyres off the floor and using fuel stabiliser :facepalm:

[Supermofo]

I'd fill the bike with non E10 to stop rust. That makes sense. And E10 apparently can start to go off from 3 months so that's an easy understandable precaution. I use Esso non ethanol for winter as I have a plastic tank and E10 can bugger them up.

Drain the carbs I'd say is wise, just removes gummed up carbs from the mix come spring.

I'd remove the battery and leave it in your flat. I do that as I don't have leccy in my garage and it's bloody cold in there, so I bring the battery to live under the stairs and charge it maybe once every 1-2 months to keep it tip top.

The oil thing??? My understanding is that oil in an engine would have pretty much all drained off the surfaces within a couple of weeks max so 2 weeks or 5 months is much of a muchness. I'd skip that he sounds mental. Maybe if you were leaving a bike for years I've heard of people putting oil in the bores but I wouldn't for a few months. I mean dealers have bikes on the show room floor for over 5 months!

Cover - Yes if you have a breathable one it'll keep the dust off, but I wouldn't use a blanket etc for the reasons above. The bikes gonna get bloody cold either way and blanket will make bugger all difference.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Chuck it in the garage, worry about it in the spring

[KungFooBob]

Chuck it in the garage, worry about it in the spring

Works for me.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Chuck it in the garage, worry about it in the spring

Works for me.

I don't even worry about it...

[Dodgy69]

Chucking a loose cotton sheet should be OK, keep it loose around the bottom for air. Battery off or solar charger, ( think they've been invented ) maybe start up once or twice to move petrol through.

My lawnmower manages perfectly well with nothing done.

[weeksy]

Living up there in the cold, i'd give it a coating of ACF-50 with a rag, all over on the metal bits if possible. I'd remove the battery. Ideally i'd put on paddock stands both ends... then just wait till spring.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I'd have thought Noggin's garage is actually better than a UK one over winter in terms of humidty etc. It's gonna be much colder and drier in there so you never get the chance for condensation to form.

[KungFooBob]

Make sure it's got proper anti-freeze coolant in it, not plain water snigger

[v8-powered]

Chuck it in the garage, worry about it in the spring

Works for me.

I don't even worry about it...

I just ride it through winter, no worries then!

[tricol]

I'm freaking out about my 8 month old Trident

My previous experience was with scooters with relatively poor build quality and they turned to crap within a winter or two, but I didn't care for them as much as I'm caring for this.

Its got a new home in the shed now, so that's one worry off my mind. I am hoping to get 1-2 rides in each month over winter on those rare dry days, so hopefully that will be enough to keep the battery alive and everything in order.