Storing for the winter

[fjerding]

Hello, I need some advice for storing for the winter. I have heard a few ideas but I would like to hear what has worked and what has not from others who own this bike. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks.

[shinyribs]

fjerding wrote

Hello, I need some advice for storing for the winter. I have heard a few ideas but I would like to hear what has worked and what has not from others who own this bike. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks.

Not much to do to an air cooled bike except try to protect the fuel tank.

Fill it to the brim to prevent any bare metal inside the tank being exposed to keep any rust from forming. You can try putting fuel stabilizer in there, too. It may, or may not, actually preserve your fuel over the winter.

Then either drain the carbs or run the bike a few times per months. Pilot jets are extremely small and clog easily. Being parked for a long time will clog them. Fuel stabilizer may or may not help-it's a crapshoot. Running the bike is the best bet IMO.

The number one thing you can do for a bike is to never park it.

Get geared up for cold weather and just keep riding.  

[Re-run]

Maybe late for you, but if the bike is short term storage, 1-6 months, I dump in seafoam and then fill to the brim. Enough so that when I put the cap on, it just about spills.

Turn the petcock off, then drain the carb bowls and fuel line. I tried stabil a couple times and each time ended with dumping all the fuel and rebuilding the carbs. Stuff didn't work worth damn for me. Seafoam has been much better in, imo. I use it in my fi bike and it has worked excellent.

Some change oil before storage, but unless the oil is really used, I don't know if I would bother.

Unless you can run the bike regularly, and your shop/garage stays warm, take out the battery and keep it charged while not used.

I also park my bikes on wood, instead of cold concrete. Supposedly, cold concrete speeds dry rot in tires. Plywood is cheaper than a tire, so I park on it.

I also do not use a cover, but my bike is not outside. Reason I don't is on warmer days, condensation can occur and sit on metal surfaces. A cover can hold that in. However, my bikes sit in my shed in my back yard which can get snow choked. So getting to my shed is pretty hard.

These tips have worked pretty well for me over the years.

[gareth06]

I would change the oil, use fuel stabilizer, clean and re-lube the chain, and remove the battery