Winter storage.

blaine · 10-04-2013, 09:26 AM

Motorcycle Storage Tips

It happens for some of us yearly, some of us at random times - storing our bike for some amounts of time. The preparation done to the bike before it’s stored will determine how easily it is to bring the machine back to life at the end of the hiatus. There are as many different storage theories as bike makes, and each of those have different ways of handling things like ‘cold’ vs ‘heated’ storage and short term vs long term storage. To try to cover any case, I will break apart each bike system, then give recommendations for short term vs long term and cold vs heated. Make a checklist of what you did to store the bike, and keep it with the bike so that you don’t lose it.

The most problematic system on the bike when not stored properly, and therefore the first system, will be the fuel system.

You will want to fill up your fuel tank before any storage - cold, warm, short or long. This will help to prevent any condensation inside the tank that will cause rust, and ensure you're starting your storage with the freshest availble fuel. If you’re going to be storing the bike for a ‘long’ period of time, add a fuel stabilizer and run the bike long enough to make sure that the carburetor bowls (if applicable) have stabilized fuel in them, then shut off the fuel petcock. Drain bowls vs don’t drain bowls. Seals can shrink when left dry for a long period of time, but even stabilized fuel will evaporate. This one is a tough call - I don’t drain my fuel bowls. For any storage where the hassle doesn’t outweigh the benefit, cover the intake and exhaust to make sure critters don’t make a home there - smoked rats don’t smell too good. Cling wrap makes a good cover for the intake, rags for the exhaust - just don’t forget to remove them! To further prevent critter nesting, a drop or two of oil on the rag will make it undesirable as bedding material.

Electrical System - next most problematic. Batteries will lose their charge over time - even without any load on them. A battery can also freeze, causing the case to crack, and allowing acid to leak out all over the place. If you’re storing a bike in the cold, remove the battery and keep it somewhere warm, especially if you can't put it on a battery tender. Here are the freezing points of batteries: At 100% charge, a battery will freeze at -77F. At 75%, -35F. At 50%, -10F. At 25%, 5F. At 0% (totally discharged), 20F. In the olden day of batteries, you weren’t supposed to store them on concrete, but the modern casings don’t suffer the same problems, and a concrete floor won’t kill your battery. I store mine on a plastic shelf and in a plastic bin (think plastic dishpan) - so that if there is some leakage, the plastic isn’t affected by the acid (which I neutralize with baking soda). Remember - the battery can give off an explosive gas - keep that in mind when selecting a storage location! A battery tender will help a removed battery or a bike stored in warmth - the pulse charges that the tender provide prevent plate sulfation and extend the life of the battery. Keeping it charged also means it’s ready to go when you are! This is also a good time to check the electrolyte (also called water) level in your battery (if you have a serviceable battery), and add DISTILLED water to the cells to bring the level up to between the lines on the side of the battery case. Tap water or any other bottled water will introduce impurities and chemicals to your battery that will shorten it’s life. Never hurts to have some distilled water handy - if you’re not sure, check the water that gets put in the iron - it should be distilled too!

Oil. If you’re due an oil change, change it (and the filter)! The oil not only provides lubrication to the engine, it also traps combustion blowby which turns acidic when mixed with normal condensation. If left in the engine, this will attack bearings, and that’s bad. My rule of thumb is that if the bike’s halfway to it’s next oil change when it comes time for storage, it’s time to change the oil. There’s another sticky here to cover "which oil". For longer term storages, ‘fog’ the cylinders with a protective oil to prevent cylinder wall rust. There are commercially available products to do this with - you simply remove a spark plug and spray it inside. For shorter term storages, the engine oil that’s normally on the cylinder walls should be sufficient.

Don’t forget to check the coolant level if you’ve got a water cooled bike.

For longer storages, lube the cables. Should be part of the Preventive Maintenance anyways.

Painted parts / Chrome. For longer storages, give your bike a good wash and quality wax - you can wax the chrome too. Don't forget the frame! This will ensure it comes out of storage looking as good as it did when it went in!

Chain / Belt. If it’s time to service the chain or belt, do so before storage - this applies to long or short storage. For chains, a light coat of lightweight grease can help to keep it looking and working like new - just don’t forget to write that on your list so you remember to clean it up, and put something underneath it to catch any drips. For the belt drive bikes, a good wash of the belt to remove any road grime or oils will help it to keep pulling strong.

Clean the windshield if you’ve got one - with a plastic safe cleaner. Bugs and other grime start to destroy the windshield as soon as they’ve hit it, so this applies to long or short term storage.

Don’t forget to treat the leather and vinyl things - seats, bags, etc.

Set the air pressure in the tires - but do not apply a "tire shine" product. If your bike is stored out of direct sunlight, the chance of UV dryrotting is quite reduced, however, don’t forget to check both pressure and condition of the tire when you take the bike out of storage. Parking on wood planks might help to minimize the thermal transfer from the floor to the kickstand, but rubber is it's own insulator. If you have to park the bike outside, you will definitely want to park it on something solid so it doesn't fall over while hibernating.

This is the point where you put the cover on your bike, and begin longing for riding season to return. Breathable covers work best - they allow the bike to stay protected, while keeping dirt and dust from making it’s home there. They also help to prevent any rust causing condensation - and this applies to both cold and warm storage. Some of us may have to deal with "sweating" - caused by the metal of the bike being below the condensation point of the air surrounding it. You will see the sweat on the outside of the bike, but it will sweat (to a lesser degree due to less available moisture) inside things like fuel tank, carb bowls, forks, etc. I've dealt with this in the past by using a small fan to circulate air around the bike - it keeps the condensation evaporated and also helps to prevent it by keeping the bike the same temperature as the air.

If your bike has to live outside while stored, follow the tips here, paying special attention to the waxing (don’t forget the frame) parts, and at least put a tarp over the bike cover.

When riding season comes, pull out your checklist, check anything indicated there, put the battery back in if you took it out, double check the checklist, and you should be good to go!
__________________

Water Warrior 2 · 10-04-2013, 01:40 PM

:2tup: :2tup:

Fawlty · 10-04-2013, 04:45 PM

Thanks for posting this Blaine. We don't have winters here as you know them, but this is very good advice nonetheless.

Water Warrior 2 · 10-04-2013, 09:01 PM

I would like to add that even without a cold winter storage scenario any bike that is laid up for a long period could use these tips. I don't know if it helped but a couple times during the winter I would roll the bikes a foot or two to prevent flat spotting of the tires.

10-04-2013, 09:26 AM	#1
blaine Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: P.E.I. Canada Posts: 3,784	Winter storage. Motorcycle Storage Tips It happens for some of us yearly, some of us at random times - storing our bike for some amounts of time. The preparation done to the bike before it’s stored will determine how easily it is to bring the machine back to life at the end of the hiatus. There are as many different storage theories as bike makes, and each of those have different ways of handling things like ‘cold’ vs ‘heated’ storage and short term vs long term storage. To try to cover any case, I will break apart each bike system, then give recommendations for short term vs long term and cold vs heated. Make a checklist of what you did to store the bike, and keep it with the bike so that you don’t lose it. The most problematic system on the bike when not stored properly, and therefore the first system, will be the fuel system. You will want to fill up your fuel tank before any storage - cold, warm, short or long. This will help to prevent any condensation inside the tank that will cause rust, and ensure you're starting your storage with the freshest availble fuel. If you’re going to be storing the bike for a ‘long’ period of time, add a fuel stabilizer and run the bike long enough to make sure that the carburetor bowls (if applicable) have stabilized fuel in them, then shut off the fuel petcock. Drain bowls vs don’t drain bowls. Seals can shrink when left dry for a long period of time, but even stabilized fuel will evaporate. This one is a tough call - I don’t drain my fuel bowls. For any storage where the hassle doesn’t outweigh the benefit, cover the intake and exhaust to make sure critters don’t make a home there - smoked rats don’t smell too good. Cling wrap makes a good cover for the intake, rags for the exhaust - just don’t forget to remove them! To further prevent critter nesting, a drop or two of oil on the rag will make it undesirable as bedding material. Electrical System - next most problematic. Batteries will lose their charge over time - even without any load on them. A battery can also freeze, causing the case to crack, and allowing acid to leak out all over the place. If you’re storing a bike in the cold, remove the battery and keep it somewhere warm, especially if you can't put it on a battery tender. Here are the freezing points of batteries: At 100% charge, a battery will freeze at -77F. At 75%, -35F. At 50%, -10F. At 25%, 5F. At 0% (totally discharged), 20F. In the olden day of batteries, you weren’t supposed to store them on concrete, but the modern casings don’t suffer the same problems, and a concrete floor won’t kill your battery. I store mine on a plastic shelf and in a plastic bin (think plastic dishpan) - so that if there is some leakage, the plastic isn’t affected by the acid (which I neutralize with baking soda). Remember - the battery can give off an explosive gas - keep that in mind when selecting a storage location! A battery tender will help a removed battery or a bike stored in warmth - the pulse charges that the tender provide prevent plate sulfation and extend the life of the battery. Keeping it charged also means it’s ready to go when you are! This is also a good time to check the electrolyte (also called water) level in your battery (if you have a serviceable battery), and add DISTILLED water to the cells to bring the level up to between the lines on the side of the battery case. Tap water or any other bottled water will introduce impurities and chemicals to your battery that will shorten it’s life. Never hurts to have some distilled water handy - if you’re not sure, check the water that gets put in the iron - it should be distilled too! Oil. If you’re due an oil change, change it (and the filter)! The oil not only provides lubrication to the engine, it also traps combustion blowby which turns acidic when mixed with normal condensation. If left in the engine, this will attack bearings, and that’s bad. My rule of thumb is that if the bike’s halfway to it’s next oil change when it comes time for storage, it’s time to change the oil. There’s another sticky here to cover "which oil". For longer term storages, ‘fog’ the cylinders with a protective oil to prevent cylinder wall rust. There are commercially available products to do this with - you simply remove a spark plug and spray it inside. For shorter term storages, the engine oil that’s normally on the cylinder walls should be sufficient. Don’t forget to check the coolant level if you’ve got a water cooled bike. For longer storages, lube the cables. Should be part of the Preventive Maintenance anyways. Painted parts / Chrome. For longer storages, give your bike a good wash and quality wax - you can wax the chrome too. Don't forget the frame! This will ensure it comes out of storage looking as good as it did when it went in! Chain / Belt. If it’s time to service the chain or belt, do so before storage - this applies to long or short storage. For chains, a light coat of lightweight grease can help to keep it looking and working like new - just don’t forget to write that on your list so you remember to clean it up, and put something underneath it to catch any drips. For the belt drive bikes, a good wash of the belt to remove any road grime or oils will help it to keep pulling strong. Clean the windshield if you’ve got one - with a plastic safe cleaner. Bugs and other grime start to destroy the windshield as soon as they’ve hit it, so this applies to long or short term storage. Don’t forget to treat the leather and vinyl things - seats, bags, etc. Set the air pressure in the tires - but do not apply a "tire shine" product. If your bike is stored out of direct sunlight, the chance of UV dryrotting is quite reduced, however, don’t forget to check both pressure and condition of the tire when you take the bike out of storage. Parking on wood planks might help to minimize the thermal transfer from the floor to the kickstand, but rubber is it's own insulator. If you have to park the bike outside, you will definitely want to park it on something solid so it doesn't fall over while hibernating. This is the point where you put the cover on your bike, and begin longing for riding season to return. Breathable covers work best - they allow the bike to stay protected, while keeping dirt and dust from making it’s home there. They also help to prevent any rust causing condensation - and this applies to both cold and warm storage. Some of us may have to deal with "sweating" - caused by the metal of the bike being below the condensation point of the air surrounding it. You will see the sweat on the outside of the bike, but it will sweat (to a lesser degree due to less available moisture) inside things like fuel tank, carb bowls, forks, etc. I've dealt with this in the past by using a small fan to circulate air around the bike - it keeps the condensation evaporated and also helps to prevent it by keeping the bike the same temperature as the air. If your bike has to live outside while stored, follow the tips here, paying special attention to the waxing (don’t forget the frame) parts, and at least put a tarp over the bike cover. When riding season comes, pull out your checklist, check anything indicated there, put the battery back in if you took it out, double check the checklist, and you should be good to go! __________________ __________________ If at first you do succeed, try not to look surprised. 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10-04-2013, 01:40 PM	#2
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Winter storage. :2tup: :2tup:
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10-04-2013, 04:45 PM	#3
Fawlty Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Murcia, Spain Posts: 683	Re: Winter storage. Thanks for posting this Blaine. We don't have winters here as you know them, but this is very good advice nonetheless. __________________ "It begins here for me on this road. How the whole mess happened I don't know, but I know it couldn't happen again in a million years." (Johnny Strabbler-The Wild One 1953) Login or Register to Remove Ads
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10-04-2013, 09:01 PM	#4
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Winter storage. I would like to add that even without a cold winter storage scenario any bike that is laid up for a long period could use these tips. I don't know if it helped but a couple times during the winter I would roll the bikes a foot or two to prevent flat spotting of the tires.
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