Topic: Overwintering and Storage

[SteveD CB500F]

It's autumn (fall) here in the Northern Hemisphere and my thoughts are turning to storage of my bikes over the winter (hopefully we've still got a couple of months riding weather in UK...)

This is a good question for a FAQ, so I thought I'd ask you all for recommendations which I will write-up.

Here's a start:

1. Change oil/filter before storage or in the spring?
2. Full fuel tank? Empty tank? Something else in the tank?
3. Drain carbs? Fill them with??
4. Spray chrome with WD40?
5. Battery care?
6. Tyres (tires)?

Anything else?

Cheers and look forward to your pearls of wisdom.

And for you lot in the Southern Hemisphere - you lucky bastards !!

[TwoTired]

Here's a start:

1. Change oil/filter before storage or in the spring?

You want to get rid of any acids in the oil before storage.  Drain hot, refill with fresh, don't run but circulate the new oil with the kick start to flush the oil galleries and bearing surfaces.

Since the engine breathes with temperature and barometic changes, humid air can enter the crankcase, condense on the internal walls during storage.  When water meets organic oil, amino acids form.  When returning to service change the oil again.

2. Full fuel tank? Empty tank? Something else in the tank?

Fill the tank to keep the humid air from entering the tank through the vent and rusting the internal walls.  If storage is for longer than 5-6 mos. add a stabilizer (anti oxidant) so the fuel doesn't lose too much potency.

3. Drain carbs? Fill them with??

Yes.  The carbs are also vented to atmosphere and fuel in the bowls will evaporate leaving a residue.  A squirt of WD-40 into the bowls should keep them fluid and deter corrosion.

4. Spray chrome with WD40?

Wouldn't hurt, but a protective coating of wax would be easier to clean come spring as it won't attract and hold  dust.  While oil or wax on the head pipes will deter corrosion, this also may cause the exhaust chrome to blue if not thoroughly removed before they heat again during run operation.

5. Battery care?

Check electrolyte and use a battery tender.  Or, remove from bike and put in cold non-freezing storage.

6. Tyres (tires)?

Ah, yes the rubber bits on the wheels...
Wax to keep from dry rot.  (I wonder what that blue stuff is that the manufacturer puts on them at the factory for storage?  It is water soluable, but keeps the rubber supple.)  Block the bike so there is no weight on the tires and deflate.
 For the CB550, the engine breather foam at the bottom of the airbox should be cleaned, dried and lightly oiled.  I don't remember if the 750 has something similar.

Anything else?

Wax painted surfaces, Lube the chain, Grease all fittings.  Wouldn't hurt to lube the cables.
You're supposed to clean the bike before storage, as dust will wick any moisture onto the surface and hold it there.

That's all I can think of right now.  I have a book or manual somewhere that outlines storage proceedure.  If I find it, I'll post additions.

[SteveD CB500F]

Thanks Lloyd - I knew I could rely on you when I saw that you were online!

Anyone else?

[Bob Wessner]

The only other thing I might recommend is the use of a cotton cover to help keep dust off, but at the same time allow air circulation. This, of course assumes the bike is stored in a covered, protected environment.

[Jonesy]

I've heard of some people finding a plastic bag that's bike enough to put the bike in and toss in a few bags of dessicant (moisture absorbant) to keep things dry.

Another thought about tire preservation: Since most of us are "shop rats" of one form or another, if you store your bike in a garage where you have a workshop set up, try not to park the bike near any electric motors (air compressors, etc) since they can produce ozone, which degrades rubber.

Also, if you remove the battery from the bike and stash it in the basement during the winter, make sure the case is clean and it is set on a wood board or plastic pan. Setting it directly on concrete can encourage discharge.

For those of us that run in-line fuel filters the spring is a good time to change them since they can trap water that might have formed in the fuel system over the winter.

[Chris Liston]

I try to keep it pretty simple.  I fill the tank with fresh gas and top off with stabilizer.  Make sure the tank is full so air doesn't have anyplace to hang out.  I drain the bowls and leave the drains open alittle as per www.oldmanhonda.com.  I pull my battery and keep it on my batter tender.  First thing in spring I start it up for a few minutes and change oil and filter.  Don't forget to tighten float bowl drains (forgot this year and was wondering where all the gas was coming from   Has been working for alot of years with all my bikes.  I keep the bike covered in my garage too. 

[jotor]

Nice dry climate here with indoor storage and I have a buncha bikes so all I do is change oil, drain tank & carbs, remove batteries and pump the tires up to 50 psi to "maintain roundness".  Forgot to drop pressure on a bike one year and had an exciting first ride!






Read this ....

[Bob Wessner]

Here is a link to one site for the vacuum storage bag Dan mentioned. I did some research on them some time ago, and apparently they work well. The only drawback I see to them is you pretty much have the bike in its cacoon so doing any overwinter putzing would be a pain.

http://www.vac-bags.co.uk/product.htm

I've also heard of folks spraying fogging oil into the cylinders as well as the exausts for winter storage.

[BobbyR]

I would add that you should remove and plug the fuel line to prevent fuel from seeping into the bowls and leaving evaporative deposits on the slides. I flush the carbs with cheap cleaner to purge all of the gas from them. You should fog the cylinders, I use a foam that is used in outboard engines. You can remove the battery and keep it in warm place. If putting it om the floor put a piece of styrofoam under it to reduce sulfite sedementation. Some people simply run the bike every week, which will purge moisture from the engine and keep things loose. I have done that with some bikes. On 40F days I will bundle up and ride for a half hour, good for me and good for the bike. 

[Uncle Ernie]

Never heard of that fog stuff, but I think WD40 works in the cylinders.
I use stabilizer for anything that will sit for more than 2 or 3 weeks.
Drain the float bowls.
Take the battery inside if possible. If you use a Battery Tender, watch the water level ! ! ! Tenders keep
    the water warm and it will evaporate. Learned that the hard way. One easy solution is to just plug the
    Tender in for a day every couple of weeks instead of leaving it on all the time.

Just a suppliment to what TT said.

[heffay]

storage?  i'm selling my 4x4 just in time for winter so i can ride the motorcycles    yes, deez nuts are made for freezin

[Raul CB750K1]

Ok, here my two cents.

When I moved to the States I only had my Suzuki GZ250. It was about oil change time, so I left it with the old oil with the intention of changing it when I came back.

I always use a nylon cover (with two mesh openings at handlebar height) to avoid condensation. I use it to avoid the bikes being dusted, as my parking is a community parking (70 vehicles) and there is a lot of dirt floating around, mostly from exhausts.

I filled the tank to avoid the condensation. Shut off the petcock and started the bike until it stopped, so the bowls were half empty.

The bike has no centerstand, so it laid on the sidestand.

I know positively that with the ignition off the battery has no current draw, so it was pointless to remove it and leave it at home, because nobody was going to charge it, so I left it in the bike. I didn't was any chrome parts, nor did I remove the spark plug, nor I covered any rubber part.

The bike stood like that for six months. When I returned, I opened the gas tank and it smelled like pretty normal gas. I erred in the safe side and discarded it, but I'm positive I could have used it.

The battery kept enough juice to start the bike again after putting some new gas and priming the carbs. The wheels had no flattened surface. Madrid has a dry climate, so no rust on chrome parts. No wonder, as the bike was stationary from June to December, so summer and autumn.

I changed the oil and couldn't find any acid or strange smell or residue.

When I bought my CB750, it has been stationary for 15+ years. Under that condition, the oil acids should have eaten up the engine, isn't it?

I have already mentioned in another post that I have a moped with 2+ year old gasoline in the tank that starts always second kick.

¿My advice? Fill the tank but don't discard the gas later, you can always use it. If stabilizer is not expensive then go for it, but I believe you won't notice any difference in power. If you feel like changing the oil then go for it, but I don't think there is nothing wrong with leaving the old oil for some months. I don't think a piston will seize up for standing quiet during some months, so no need to wd40 or oil in the cylinders. I would dry the carb bowls completely, that's important to avoid the gas drying up and blocking the jets. Better with the drain plug than starting the bike with the petcock off. If you live in a wet climate -that in UK is the normal thing- then a spray of wd40 in the chrome parts is a good idea. Silica-gel bags are also a godsend, I have many of them that I recycle from my job when they come with the electronic boards. If they become rose-tinted, they are doing their job.

The battery, one hour charging every month will be enough to keep it in top shape, to be fully recharged when riding season returns.


As I said, just my two cents.

Raul

[Jonesy]

I'm with BobbyR- keep riding it if you can. I never really "winterized" my bike last winter since we had a few fairly warm days occur throughout the season. I chuckled at my buddy at work who was going around all bummed he couldn't ride his Hardley because he "put it up" for the winter.

[Raul CB750K1]

I have to say that it was the only time I "winterized" my bike. Spain climate is not that bad, in the centre snow is rare and though morning ice is common, it melts and by noon there is no ice whatsoever. As I have to pay insurance for the whole year anyway, I keep my bike and if it is a sunny day, I put 4 or 5 layers of clothes and go out for a spin.

Raul

[Zeke]

I think using fuel stabilizer is the best idea.  I use STA-BIL.  It's cheap. 

I mix up the STA-BIL, and run the engine until you know it's thru.  Then, kill the engine by spraying the fogging oil into the airbox.  This will put a fine layer of oil on all the combustion surfaces.

Oil change before storage is a good idea, but you should be more worried about varnish in gas tank and fogging the cylinders than "acid" in the crankcase.

Zeke

[Mark M]

Just send all hibernating bikes to me and I'll look after them for only a very small fee.

[turtle]

As one of the Southern Hemisphere lucky buggers, I would like some info about laying a bike up. In this case it is a CB750 SuperSport. It is to be laid up over the summer (hot and humid - think Florida) to do some engine repairs. Our concern is with the brakes. Is brake fluid hydroscopic? (Is that the word? - attracts and holds water.) Should we drain the system to prevent corrosion/fill it with something else/leave it as it is? If so, how do we ensure the system is clean when we come to put it back? Any advice would be welcome.

[Ibsen]

Spraying the bike with WD40 will preserve it, but the WD40 can be a bit troublesome to remove in the spring. If you have access to CRC 6-56 or Quaker State QS-14 it is much better. I spray my bikes with QS-14 every fall before winter storage. And I spray everything. Rubber, chrome, paint, engine, wheels, chain. One thing I avoid is to spray it on the brake disk and caliper. I also spray it into the mufflers from the rear.
In the spring I wash it off with a mild degreaser. I have done this for 11 years now, and so have a couple of my friend, so I know it works.
I have my bikes stored in a cold garage btw, and the winter over here in Norway  is 6 months long. 

This bike has been treated this way for 11 years:

http://kz400.com/MY%20KZ400%20bilder/DSCN2441.JPG

[turtle]

Beautiful bike Ibsen. Thanks for your reply.  We were thinking more about the internals of the brake system - master cylinder and brake lines etc. and wondering whether to drain the brake fluid and replace it with something - if so, what?

[Ibsen]

When you live in a country with 6 months of winter, and with big variations in tempereature and air humidity during those months, it is just as important to protect the external parts as the internal parts. One of the worst things that can happen is if the stuff that is packed around the baffles in the mufflers pics up moistre. That will cause rust inside the mufflers and the exhaust system will rotten pretty fast. And since the price of a new exhaust system for a CB750 is at least $2500 over here, you just have to try to take care of them the best you can.

Brake fluid will always pick up some moistre regardless of the time of year. And it should not be used for more than two years before it's drained out and changed anyways, we usually do that in the spring btw, so I have never heard anyone over here having a problem with that. And as far as I know the only thing that should be filled in the brake system is brake fluid. I also take out the spark plugs and pour a couple of teaspoons with full synthetic two stroke oil into each cylinder before I put the bikes away. And I do change the oil and filter.