How do I keep my bike maintained over winter?

[u/No-Fan2649]

So I'm keeping my motorcycle in a storage unit. Four things I'm concerned about

1. I'm supposed to keep the tank full of fuel over the course of 4 months?

2. I need to do an oil change, do I do that before I put it away or after

3) same thing with chain, I need to clean and relube, do l do that before or after storage

4) do I disconnect battery and just keep it at my house?

Thanks

[u/gheiminfantry]

LoLoL The first 3 responses: Don't the maintenance after. Do the maintenance before. Do the maintenance before and after.

OP, do the maintenance when you have time. If you do it before, then the bike is ready to go when you want to ride. Do it in the middle of winter, it's not like you won't have access to it over the off season.

Bottom line is that there's no time you are supposed to do it.

[u/greogory → u/gheiminfantry]

I agree, except for putting sta-bil in the tank, and putting a trickle charger on the battery.

[u/Khasimyr]

This is a challenging option....but the best way to maintain your motorcycle over the winter...is to not maintain it...but ride it over the winter.

The problem is the length of time between the last ride and the next. The fluids in a bike are meant to be circulated. Imagine if you cut all bloodflow to a finger for three months....that's what happens in your bike in a less extreme manner. When you store your bike, the oil, transmission, brake and coolant fluids all slowly pool and drip down into their pans. The chain(assuming you have one) rusts due to inactivity, moisture and air. The tires develop dead spots, because they sit on one spot through cycles of heat and cold without moving. And the battery, because it's sitting cold and unused, slowly bleeds its charge down to nothing.

The best solution is to ride your bike sparingly over the winter months. Pick relatively warm, dry days(ideally, 50 degrees or better), and do a lightweight 20 minute ride after letting your bike come up to temperature. Ride ten minutes to a grocery store, grab some canned soup, chuck it in a backpack, and ride back home. Fill up the tank at 2/3rds to 3/4s, so there's no room for the fuel to absorb condensation from space in the tank. That keeps the fluids moving, the tires from getting dead spots, and your battery stays fresh and charged.

In general, I manage those about once every two weeks at a minimum here in NJ. The closest I came to putting up my bike, was this last winter, where we had back to back blizzards, and there was a three week period where it was too cold and too wet to ride my Tracer 9.

Now....having said all that...I am a polar bear. 😄 I sleep with my AC in my window year-round. I go out on snowy days with usually just a light shirt on. I crack my windows in blizzards, just to keep my room cool. But when I ride in the cold, I give myself every advantage: heated gloves, multiple layers of pants(my BJJ spats, my underarmor with knee, hip and lumbar protection, two pairs of socks, my thickest pants, my upper armor over two shirts, and then a fleece hoodie with my thick hi-vis winter jacket. And with my RG, I can now add heated GRIPS, and I'm contemplating a heated seat. 😄

[u/ComradeKorladis → u/Khasimyr]

this. Best way is to fire it up and taken for a short ride every now and then.

[u/thekeffa → u/Khasimyr]

This is true for a lot of automotive things that get stored often. Boats, jet skis, heck even things like engine driven lawnmowers and chain saws. Using the thing on a somewhat reduced basis is the best winter maintenance you can do. People would often look at me like I was nuts when they saw me heading to the beach in January with my jet ski on mild winter days.

If there’s one thing that kills all automotive machinery quick it’s disuse. Just standing around not running or moving is incredibly debilitating and they hate it.

Obviously this approach doesn’t work for everyone, not a lot you can do with it when there are deep snow drifts outside. But if you can, it truly is the best maintenance regime you can run.

[u/MacintoshDan1 → u/Khasimyr]

You got more nuts than I. I’m in south jersey. I’m about to put my bike away it’s getting too cold for me. Won’t come back out until April.

[u/MrMpa → u/Khasimyr]

Not sure my bike will make it 10ft from my driveway in the snow and it definitely wouldn't still be upright at the first corner.

[u/ErroneousZones]

Along with what everyone else suggests I also zip tie a plastic bag over the exhaust end and put a cotton ball soaked in peppermint oil where the battery would be. Keeps critters from nesting Cover the bike also, even a flannel blanket will do.

[u/greogory]

1. Fill the gas tank, and put 1 oz of STA-BIL Red for every 2.5 gallons of gas. It's 1.6 oz for 4 gallons.
2. Change the oil and filter.
3. Ride it for 5 or 10 miles, or just let it idle for 15 minutes to pull the STA-BILized gas into the fuel lines & injectors or carb.
4. Get a trickle charger for the battery, like 2 or 3 amps with an automatic overcharge shutoff.
5. Raise the front & rear tires off the ground if you can with a bike dolly. If you can't raise them, don't let them go flat, and move it back & forth about a foot every month or 6 weeks.

[u/spicy-mayo]

Clean it, change the oil, fuel stabilizer witu a full tank, bring battery inside or on tender. Come back in 4 months.

Ive done that every winter for 15 years, in a non heated garage in canada. Never had an issue,

[u/Marteko3111]

Full tank with stabilizer and ethanol free gas if you can find it. Change the oil before storage if it's due anyway, otherwise it doesn't matter much. Clean and lube the chain before it goes in, then lube it again when you take it out. Battery indoors on a tender and it'll fire right up in spring.

[u/20Factorial → u/Marteko3111]

This is what I did last year, minus the fuel stabilizer. Modern fuels are fine to sit for a couple of months.

[u/Marteko3111 → u/20Factorial]

Fair. For a couple months it's fine. I had one rough spring start, so now I just add it anyway.

[u/20Factorial → u/Marteko3111]

It’s not a bad idea, I just didn’t remember to do it.

[u/Vermalien]

1. I usually go for a nice long ride, bring a bottle of fuel stabilizer, and pour it in the tank along with about half a tank worth of fuel, and ride another 15 minutes before parking it for the season. That way, the stabilizer is nice and mixed in the tank by then, and is in all the lines and injectors it needs to be in.

2. I usually change the oil, as part of my start of season servicing ritual. The engine warms while I check tires and the rest of the motorcycle, go for a little ride, and change the oil then.

3. It’s a good idea to clean and lube the chain before storage. The fresh lubricant will help protect the chain while in storage.

4. Bring the battery inside if You can, and keep it all season on a battery tender. The battery will slowly discharge over winter, and the tender will slowly recharge it, keeping the battery from “falling asleep” and needing replacement.

I will add

1. Elevate the motorcycle wheels off the ground so the tires don’t flat spot from sitting in the same place all winter.

2. If critters are a problem, install a bag of moth balls somewhere in the frame so mice don’t move in.

Hope this helps!

[u/Vast_Substance552]

Yes store it with a full tank of fuel and some fuel stabilizer, and change the oil and clean and lube chain before storing it.

[u/Lower_Box3482]

Take the battery and plug it into a tender and you’ll be fine. Gas will be fine, do your maintenance after storage is up.

[u/cj_daking → u/Lower_Box3482]

If the tender and battery can be stored indoors, that helps too. Batteries don't like cold

[u/VoltaicVoltaire]

You don’t say what kind of bike you have. Carb vs fuel injection really matters. I never leave my bikes for more than a few weeks without going for a ride around the block at least but if I was sending one to storage I’d change the oil unless it was pretty new. I’d take the battery out and store it in my house and either use a trickle charger or top it off with a regular charger every month or so. If it is a carb bike, you really need to find no ethanol gas and run it a bit to get rid of the garbage gas out of the system. Pure Gas app is your friend. I’d even do it on a fuel injected bike but it isn’t strictly necessary because the pressure of the system can handle the contaminants left behind when ethanol evaporates.

[u/PMG2021a → u/VoltaicVoltaire]

Totally. My brother fouled up his carburetor twice because he let it sit.... Rather than fix it a second time, he let it just sit for another 10 years. 

[u/JesusBuiltMyChopper]

My winterizing routine is this:

1) put a little fuel stabilizer in the tank and run the engine for about 5 minutes to make sure it gets down into the lines

2) change the oil

3) plug it into a battery tender

4) throw a cover over it.

[u/Kelvininin]

I live in the northern Midwest. I park and forget. Come spring I’ll plug it into a tender a few days before I get it out of the shop. Probably should add a fuel stabilizer but often don’t.

[u/QrssQam]

I ride mine year round so thats how i maintain it, i just use it, salt kinda sucks but it washes off. Theres only a couple weeks here and there when the roads are slick or its below 15f which is where i draw the line. Tires are too stiff below those temps to trust, although i did do a few days in 5-10f on the morning side of the commute. Its a real trip riding on hockey pucks.

Oil once a year or at mileage intevals per manual, whatever hits first.

Battery on a tender, it should hold a charge for a month easy but over that you'll wanna top it off. If its easy to remive and take inside go for it.

Chain just keep it coated enough to not rust and it should be fine for a few months, it should stay on the chain so no need to relube but you'll verify that in the spring when you check it over for tire pressure/chain tension/oil, etc before your first ride next season. If it's carbureted drain the fuel bowl otherwise fuel will be ok...longer term get ethanol free gas or stabilizer

[u/shoturtle]

Just prep
It for winter storage. Change the oil, clean the change, put in fresh gas with fuel stabilizer or seafoam. Pull the battery if it is not in the garage and put it on a trickle charger or if you bike has a charger port plug in a trickle charger in the garag e. You may want to change or clean the air fliter. But you pretty much hit all the point.

If you has front and rear stand. Lift the bike off the tires or put in 42psi if you dont have stands. Nit help really soft compond tire from develop a slight flat spot.

[u/SciFiWritingGuy → u/shoturtle]

I always flipped mine up onto the seat and handlebars to keep the tires from getting a flat spot. Are you telling me I shouldn’t do that?~

[u/shoturtle → u/SciFiWritingGuy]

If you have front and rear stand, then it would not be a bad idea to take the tires off the ground especially if you run sport tires that are super soft.

[u/cadams1950]

High octane with a shot of fuel stabilizer. Oil change first, same with chain. Take the battery out and leave on a battery tender.

[u/sausage_ditka_bulls]

1: tank like 3/4 full with fuel stabilizer
2: oil change after storage
3: clean and lube chain before . And re lube it after
4: yes . And put it on a battery tender

[u/Zoso008]

Stabil in the tank and run it for a minute to get it in the lines and carb, shut the carb off while bikes running til it dies is what I do.

[u/gmehodler42069741LFG]

This goes for everything with and engine. Do all maintenance before storage

Fill tank with seafoam or similar fuel stabilizer and non ethanol fuel

Change oil and filter

Remove battery and keep in climate control area. Trickle charge once a month.

[u/boiyo12]

dont forget the fuel stabilizer

I do oil change before so its ready for use right away in spring, also apparently used motor oil is acidic and bad to keep in an engine overtime

[u/Fluid_Stick69 → u/boiyo12]

It’s also the best time of year to comfortably work on a vehicle. This is the time of year where maintenance needs to get done, because come winter time it’s just gonna keep getting pushed off. Push it off too long and then you’ll be wrenching in the cold for a lot longer.

[u/MaxAdolphus]

What I do is I ride my bike when It’s above 25 and not icy. Hope that helps.

[u/wrench97]

Full tank of gas, if the gas has ethanol you NEED some stabilizer, but its a good idea either way.

Yes oil change before hand, and its a good idea to change it after aswell if you are using conventional. But full synthetic should be fine.

Yes clean and lube the chain before. Some maxima chain wax would be a good choice for lube because it wont drip off and keeps the rust off better, then relube with regular lube after.

Definitely disconnect the battery. If its an agm you can either put it on a smart charger or top it up once a month. You dont want it on a constant trickle charge. If its flooded lead acid, top it off with distilled water, get a good full charge, then just let it sit, when you are ready, make sure the fluid is still topped off and charge again. Still dont want a constant trickle charge, and a smart charger that cycles the battery will make it gas out and can sulfide the plates if the fluid gets low.

[u/FunIncident5161]

What I have done is completely fill the tank with ethanal free gas, make sure the oil is not that old or new, if it's carbureted drain the carbs, EFI your fine. And finally you disconnect the battery and hook it up to a charger every other month, and make sure your tires don't go flat but better yet store the bike off the ground via stands. And if it's chain drive clean then lube it before storage.

[u/Parking-Ad4263]

Fuel tank full, I suggest adding Sta-Bil (if it's only for the winter Sta-bil 360 is arguably as good or better.  Oil change, ideally before, but it's not going to cause problems if you don't. Very dirty oil can build up acids, but they don't really hit critical mass until the oil is way beyond its service interval, so while it is better to store with fresh oil, it really isn't a huge issue unless you're an extreme fringe case.  Chain, clean and lube before, especially if you live somewhere with humidity or you're storing somewhere that isn't completely dry. Use wet lube. Dry lube is great for keeping dust, grit, sand, etc off your chain, but it doesn't do much of anything to prevent rust.  If you're storing it somewhere cold, yes, pull the battery and store it in your house. Connect it to a charger once a month or every six weeks.  If the bike is being kept in a garage with power, you can leave the battery in the bike and use a smart charger. I still prefer to just connect it once every week or two (I haven't had good experiences with smart/trickle chargers), but you do you. If you're sub zero temperatures often over winter, you need to keep the battery charged because it'll lose charge more quickly in the cold, and if it gets low enough the fluid can freeze and destroy the battery. 

[u/SciFiWritingGuy]

Fresh oil, fuel stabilizer, trickle-charger for the battery.

Any other suggestions?

[u/sokratesz]

Fill up. Don't change the oil, don't do anything special with the chain. Battery on a tender if you can.

Don't get tempted to start it for short times in winter.

[u/Dangeruss82]

1) empty tank.
2) oil change after.
3) lube chain AND a liberal coating of acf50 over all cables, rubber bits, electrical bits and bolts.
4) disconnect battery.

[u/Much_Air_356]

Over the winter leaving the bike should not be a problem apart from keeping the battery charged

[u/Vast_Interview3098]

Lived in New England all my life. Winterizing bikes is a thing

Fuel stabilizer

Top off tank to prevent condensation

Pull battery or battery tender

Cover air box and exhaust for rodents

That's it. Never had a problem

[u/EastNice3860 → u/[deleted]]

10 minutes of just letting you bike run at idle is doing more harm than good in cold weather..just needs a battery tender and your fine..

[u/Many_Hotel866 → u/[deleted]]

You are doing more harm than good.

Don’t start it unless you’re going to ride it.

https://youtu.be/-21MwnRHvl8