Winter Storage

[jilldwr]

I'm about to put my new-2-me 2000 RSV away for the winter and wanted to know if there was anything in particular you guys do when winterizing your scooters? I plan on taking the battery into the house, and running the carbs dry, draining the bowls, Is there anything else I should be watching for? Do I need to remove the gas tank to get at the carb drain plugs? Oh yes, I put a good wallop of Fuel conditioner into the tank and ran it for a good 10 minutes so the fuel hit the carbs.

Cheers,

D.W.

[Dano]

I usually just put about a 1/3rd of a can of seafoam in the tank, fill it up and take a 10 minute ride to get the treated gas into the carbs. Of course I'll take the bike out on a cold clear day during winter, so it's never REALLY put away. Another trick, if you've got the Carbon One lift adaptor and a motorcycle jack, lift the bike up off the ground a few inches, lock in the jack and keep the tires off the ground, it'll help prevent flat-spotting the tires. Plus you can clean it up easier!

[T.J.]

I always do an oil change before storing for winter. I also use Sea Foam and make sure your gas tank is as full as you can get it. That will stop condensation from forming inside your tank.

 

I have never run the carbs dry on my 04. That is what Sea Foam is for. It eats the tarnish and keeps the gas fresh.

 

I never take the battery out. I have a battery tender that I keep plugged in all winter.

 

I never start the bike in the winter and just let it run for awhile. That will cause more condensation in the engine because you can't burn it out.

 

Some guys put rags in the end of the exhaust to keep the mice out.

 

I am sure you will get more ideas from others on do's and don'ts.

[MidlifeVenture]

I agree dry bowls tend to let seals dry just fuel treatment top off as full as you can get it and if your in an attached garage that temp varies do not putt a cover on it the bike will sweat and cause a vary wet bike under the cover. Battery tender and wait for a nice day.

[myminpins]

I never take the battery out. I have a battery tender that I keep plugged in all winter.

 

[trioak01]

I have no way to plug a battery tender in where I store the bike. Take battery out or leave in? Thanks

Kirk

[Freebird]

In my opinion, take it out and store it in your house.

[V7Goose]

Other posters have already hit the main points - I'm just agreeing here:

 

If the bike is going to sit more than 1 month, the battery needs attention - either keep it on a tender that is specifically rated for an AGM battery (not all of them are - if you do not have the paperwork, better look the model number up on the web to find out), or periodically charge it. This is true no matter if the battery is in the bike or in the house.

 

Be sure to treat the fuel with a good stabilizer, RIDE it for at least 30 minutes to ensure all the fuel in the carbs is treated fuel and the oil has reached full operating temperature, park the bike with a very full tank of gas, shut off the petcock, and forget it. It is actually a good idea to run the carbs dry before leaving it, but not too important. A fresh oil change before this last run is always a good idea to reduce the acids that are always in used oil. And that oil change does not do much good unless you run the engine long enough to completely flush all the oil galleries and bathe all the internal parts in the new clean oil. But then we are right back up the the need to run it long enough to get the oil up to full operating temperature.

 

Also note that the fuel WILL evaporate out of the carbs within a week or two, leaving behind deposits. This happens every time you stop you bike, and it is why you hear the fuel pump click after it has been sitting for only a day or two. But once it is gone, it's gone, and no matter how long it sits, the carbs will not get any worse. But every time you fill up the carbs again, you just allow more fuel to evaporate and more deposits to build up. The fuel left in the tank, lines, and pump will continue to degrade and eventually move more crud into the carbs when the engine is next used, but there is no reason to add to the problem by having lots of gas evaporate over time instead of just the one time. Even treated gas will break down, just slower.

 

As T.J. said above, once you park it, DO NOT start the engine until you are going to actually ride the bike for more than 30 minutes. Combustion creates water, and water not only causes rust, it combines with the combustion byproducts to create acids - both of which are very bad for the engine. When a cold engine is started, water vapor condenses VERY fast on the inside of all the cold metal parts, especially the engine case and the exhaust system. The only way you get rid of this water is from heat, and letting it sit and idle on a cold day, even for 30 minutes, just will not do it. Even after the coolant temp has reached 200 degrees, the engine oil has a long way to go to get hot enough to start flashing off the moisture. You must actually ride the bike to burn more gas and make the engine work harder to create enough heat on a winter day to get there.

 

So just to try and emphasize the point one more time, although there are lots and lots of people who always advise that the engine should be started every week or so and let idle for 10 or 15 minutes, this is very bad advice. Do not start the bike unless you are going to ride the bike for at LEAST 30 minutes, and hour is much better.

Goose