Any tips? A lot of what I've read is pretty involved and may not be totally necessary. What are the really important things to remember?
The bike will be covered and I plan to start it for 10-15min a week during the winter.

10/28/2008 3:44:24 PM

change the oil, fill the gas tank (maybe use a fuel stabilizer), take the battery out and keep it in your house connected to a battery tender.

winterizing is mostly about protecting the engine from moisture.

10/28/2008 4:20:02 PM

^

[Edited on October 28, 2008 at 4:20 PM. Reason : ]

10/28/2008 4:20:02 PM

1. Put motorcycle in kitchen.
2. Crank it every once in a while.
That's what I did.

But yeah...Changing the oil is good. Oil becomes acidic as it breaks down, so you might as well put some fresh oil in it now so that it doesn't just sit there eating away at the seals all winter long. It's really not going to hurt anything in the short term if you don't, but it might make a difference if you're keeping the bike for years and years.

Put sta-bil fuel stabilizer in the tank. Run it a little and make sure the stabilized fuel has made it's way through the fuel system. Keep the tank at least 3/4 full. All the water in the air will evaporate and end up at the bottom of the gas tank. The less air you have in there, the better.

As a last step when winterizing a boat, a lot of people drip Marvel Mystery Oil into the intake until it chokes out the engine. It'll protect the cylinder walls all winter long. Cranking it every once in a while is probably a better option, but it's just not feasible for boats that have been winterized. Something to consider if you aren't going to be able to crank it every once in a while though.

[Edited on October 28, 2008 at 4:36 PM. Reason : l]

10/28/2008 4:33:55 PM

this is a motorcycle, not a boat, and all cranking it every once in a while does is increase the number of cold/dry starts adds more wear to everything, and fouls the plugs, oh and

Quote :

"All the water in the air will evaporate condense"

all you need to do is warm it up, change the oil, and put some stabilizer in the tank when you fill it up

or you could just ride it all winter like i do

10/28/2008 4:48:16 PM

i was wondering about this...if i ride 15-20 miles once a week, is that sufficient? or do i still need to winterize it?

it's being stored in my "crawlspace", which is about 65-68°F and dry all winter long (if that makes any difference)

10/28/2008 4:55:51 PM

^ No need to do any winterization procedures if you're riding it. Make sure you have coolant mix in your radiator if you have a liquid cooled bike.

Quote :

"this is a motorcycle, not a boat"

Point? It's still an engine with pistons, cylinders, and valves that need lubrication and protection from moisture.

Quote :

"all cranking it every once in a while does is increase the number of cold/dry starts adds more wear to everything, and fouls the plugs"

I hardly think starting it once a month and letting it warm up is going to do anything except re-circulate the oil throughout the engine. We're talking about cranking it four to five times over the course of the whole winter. It won't contribute any notable amount of wear over the life of the bike.

But yeah, I fucked up on the condensate/evaporate bit.

[Edited on October 28, 2008 at 5:09 PM. Reason : l]

10/28/2008 5:06:39 PM

^ the oil never gets warm enough to evaporate off the moisture, so yes the wear can be significant, one dry start after a month of sitting can equal as much as 500 miles of wear on the engine

second you will foul the plugs by starting it, letting it warm up, and shutting it off, this isn't a debate, its a fact, hell repeated trips of les than a mile or two will even do that, best thing to do is put some fuel stablier in it, and let it sit

hell my bikes have sat outside several winters, without a damn thing done to them, and they fire right up in the spring

10/29/2008 8:15:51 AM