how do u winterize your bike

[jambo]

Sooo, wondering how everyone winterizes their bikes. Carb bike I put in stabil, fill the tank, then shut the petcock and let it run till it runs out of gas. Efi put in stabil, fill the tank. I run them both long enough to get the gas with stabil running through them, usually a few miles. That's about it. cover them till it warms up enough to ride.

[rhuff]

Used to toss in Sea Foam last couple of tanks.  Then ride, top off tank and more sea foam.  Change oil for sure (all three if ambitious). Fog cylinders.  Wash, wax and wd-40 or similar product on underside.

Now, just sea foam, wash wax and oil most years.   

[Dogbone45ACP]

I close the lower faring vents and power on.

[gonenorth]

In the frozen north I drop oil, tranny, primary and replace, put Seafoam in the gas and run 5 minutes or so, clean the air filter and put new plugs in it.  A lot of times I will put a cap of oil in cylinder heads and turn the bike over to distribute in cylinder before putting in the new plugs.  Didn't this winter as I am not sure of the value.  Just winterized yesterday.  I always hate it when I have to push it to the wall and let it sit. 

[Admiral Akbar]

I stop washing it..

[gonenorth]

I stop washing it..

[FXDBI]

Move it inside.  Bob

[Nowhereman]

I just warm it up a little more before heading off... I'm in CA.   

[Hossamania]

I push it into the corner and cover it. Have a good drunken party in the middle of winter. Go out into the garage at midnight when it's 0 degrees, say "Watch this", start it, let it warm for 20 seconds, then rev it up to crack the pipes. Tell the cops, "Yes officer, we'll go back inside." Re-cover it and feel bad the next day.

What? Isn't that the way everybody does it?

[jmorton10]

Fill it with gas, change oil and park it.  That's all i've done for 45 years and no harm done yet.

~John

[IronMike113]

I push it into the corner and cover it. Have a good drunken party in the middle of winter. Go out into the garage at midnight when it's 0 degrees, say "Watch this", start it, let it warm for 20 seconds, then rev it up to crack the pipes. Tell the cops, "Yes officer, we'll go back inside." Re-cover it and feel bad the next day.

What? Isn't that the way everybody does it?


This sounds like a true story Hoss,only thing different was the Officer was partying with us,We didn't have to call them......... 

[sandrooney]

Mine never sits more than 3 or 4 weeks. Don't see the need to winterize.

[HarleyHiwayMan]

Mine never sits more than 3 or 4 weeks. Don't see the need to winterize.

Same here, mine may sit 10 days, usually less. I let it sit on a battery tender between rides. I doubt sitting a few months is harmful to a Harley and most over think/work it. Stabil the gas and park it.

[lt1-xjs]

Plug in the tender and throw on the cover.

[runamuck]

I live in the dfw area so to winterize my bike I put the lowers back on and change out the recurve windshield for the stock one. on my wideglide I get my detach windshield down off the shelf. winter here is really crappy only for a short time but we do get a cpl. months of really cold mornings.

[Brrrap]

A good washing, fill the tank, add sta-bil, turn off petcock and run til carb starves. Wait as little as 1 month, drink beer, miss the sound. Start bikes, warm thoroughly, Turn off petcock, starve carb, repeat as drinking requires,,,,, Works for me. 

[HogMike]

Mine never sits more than 3 or 4 weeks. Don't see the need to winterize.

I usually rotate the fleet depending on the ride and BSR
Got one softail on the tender now that hasn't been run for a month, it goes out today.

[Justpassingas]

Same as I do every time I'm done riding...I push it in the shed and plug the battery tender in....I keep the snow clear for a path to the street if we get a warm day so I can get some therapy in....if it sits for a month or two never had any problems come Spring

[BUBBIE]

Normal Heat from the sun keeps well insulated garage WAY above Freezing here in Az. ( no dilly-dally when in and out of garage door, winter time)
Most times by Noon even in the middle of winter, it is warm enough for a leather jacket Run...

That is THE reason I moved here to Az.; to ride the bike ALMOST year around...

In my Washington (state) garage, the Moisture WAS a bigger problem. Plastic under a 4x8 chip board's to keep moisture away from the bikes necessary... Even after 20 years in a dry place, cement passes moisture Up through it.

Placing a heat light under covered bike, even on top the moisture barrier caused More moisture than just leaving it at COLD garage temperatures... 
I used a Big kerosene blower (wash.) to get things heated Up and Dry Before a ride out, maybe once a week or two  I fully heated and dried out the garage...

I Pity some of your COLD weather in other areas now that I easy winter in Az.

signed....BUBBIE

[soggybottom]

ride it into the trailer, tie it down and head for apache junction.

[chopper]

Fill it with gas, change oil and park it.  That's all i've done for 45 years and no harm done yet.

~John

Totally agree! No cylinder fuggin, no fuel crap, and no battery tender, either. Try ti ride it once a month even in the dead of winter...
  Doin that way for 46 years.

[N-gin]

Drain the fluids and tear down for rebuild.
I stop washing it in the spring.

[skunk]

Get it warm, pull an oil sample. Ride it on to the lift do a compression test and a leak down test hopeing for bad numbers so I can justify tearing it down to inspect . Always hoping to need repairs ( insert here; bigger, faster parts).  Just my luck this year 2% front, 4% rear, 180 on both (mile hi elev.). Well maybe that rear rocker is starting to seep............................

[jerite]

I move it out of way to roll another shovel project onto the lift and then back it up to the door in case I get a 40 degree day in January to go for a ride.

jer

[Merc1100sc]

Curious as to why guys change the oil before storage vs. right before the first ride of the new season?