VJMC Tech Tip

The main problems you are likely to encounter with winter motorcycle storage are a dead battery, congealed fuel, oil corrosion, tire rot, and security. If the motorcycle is stored in a wet, salty environment, such as outside in a parking lot or near an ocean, rust and paint corrosion is also a problem. Most of these problems can be avoided by spending a few hours preparing the motorcycle for storage.
The tools and supplies you will need include rags, screwdrivers (slotted and Phillips), a spark plug wrench, spanners or a socket set, a trickle battery charger, distilled water, four or five quarts of oil, a new oil filter, an oil can with oil in it (the kind with a trigger for squirting out the oil), a can of chain lube, a bottle of fuel stabilizer, a can of WD40, a small piece of 1/2" plywood or similar, some plastic tubing, a chain and lock, and a tarp or motorcycle cover. Some of these tools should be in a tool roll under the seat. The steps to do this winterizing are as follows:
- Find a secure, dry, heated if possible, out of the weather shelter for the motorcycle to sit unobtrusively for several months. Make sure water is not likely to drip on the motorcycle. Note that small animals can nest in places in a motorcycle if given the opportunity and can cause a malfunction and/or crash in the spring.

- Change the oil and filter. Used oil has acids which can corrode engine parts. Besides, in the spring you'll want to ride, not do maintenance. You can do this step before you get the bike to the storage location, but don't go more than 100 miles or so on the fresh oil.

- Wash the motorcycle thoroughly and wax the painted parts. I use cool water and dishwashing detergent for washing. Oil all the moving pivots, like lever and pedal pivots. Stay away from the steering head, wheel bearings and brake pads with the oil. Tighten any loose bolts or screws. Replace any missing fasteners.

- Clean and lube the drive chain if you have one. This should be done on a warm chain, so ride the bike around first. You can clean the chain by centerstanding the bike, and spraying WD40 on the warm chain, holding a rag below where you are spraying to catch the sludge. Turn the back wheel (bike in neutral) as you go along. Once you get all the way around, apply the chain lube (available at bike shops) to the chain, working along by turning the wheel. This operation should actually be done every 200 miles of riding, or every time the chain looks dry.

- Gasoline gums over time, which can cause various fuel system components to need cleaning. To avoid this, buy a bottle of fuel stabilizer ("Stabil" is available at K-mart). Dump half the bottle in the tank and fill the tank completely with gasoline. (This means on the centerstand). Run the engine for a minute or so to get the stabilizer in the carburetors. Alternatively, you can remove the gas tank, dump all the gas out, put a half of a pint of engine oil in the tank, swish it around in there, dump it out, and keep the tank inside your house for the winter. The full tank or the oil coating will keep the inside of the tank from rusting.

- Drain the carburetor float bowls. The carburetor is the doohicky behind the engine cylinder(s), and on the bottom of it you will find the float bowl. There is a screw at the bottom of the float bowl and a little nipple, often with a drain hose attached. The purpose of the float bowl is to give the engine a stable gasoline reservoir and to allow water and dirt to gather at the bottom and not be ingested into the engine. If there is no hose there, attach one temporarily, because gasoline will drain from the nipple. Be sure the petcock on the gas tank is in the OFF position (or RUN on a Kawasaki). Take a suitable screwdriver and loosen the screw until gasoline drains out. If the petcock is in the OFF position, it should stop after a cup or so of fuel drains out. Tighten the screw (don't strip it). This operation removes the main source of potential fuel gumming from the engine. If you don't do this, you will need to ride the motorcycle around for a few minutes (enough for the engine to warm up) once a month over the winter. That's what I do with the Rat Bike. (That's my old KZ550, now deceased.)

- Take your oil can and your finger and spread some oil all over the upper metal-colored part of the front forks. Then hold the front brake and bounce your weight on the front of the bike to work the front suspension. There is oil inside the forks and a rubber fork seal which seals the sliding parts so the oil stays inside. This operation will keep the rubber from drying and protect the exposed metal slider.

- If you are ambitious, you can prevent some possible cylinder corrosion this way: Remove the spark plug(s). (This involves removing the plug wires and unscrewing the plug with a plug wrench. Don't mix up the wires if you have more than one cylinder.) Squirt a teaspoon or so of engine oil (or 2-stroke oil if you have some) in each plug hole. Use the starter to turn the engine over a couple seconds to distribute the oil. Clean and gap the spark plug(s) while it's (they're) out. Replace the plug(s). Do not strip them. Hand tighten, then 1/4 turn more. Re-connect plug wire(s).

- If you have any other scheduled maintenance to do, do it now. In the spring you'll want to ride, not wrench.

- Remove the battery from the motorcycle. Fill it with distilled water up to the marks. Take it home with you and charge it on a trickle charger once a month. If you do not do this you will have a permanently degraded battery in the spring, if not a permanently dead one.

- Put the motorcycle in its storage location on the centerstand. Lower the tire pressure to 5 or 7 psi on both tires. If the motorcycle is resting on concrete or other potentially damp surface, you should get the front tire off the ground either by placing a piece of wood under it (not so high as to make the rear tire touch), or by putting something under the engine case of the proper size to lift the front.

- It's often a good idea to chain the motorcycle to something, Motorcycles are very easy to steal, and sitting over the winter makes them attractive. Get a motorcycle cover to keep the dust and eyes off. Motorcycle covers get stolen, too (ask me how I know), so the chain should secure that as well.

- In the spring, re-connect the battery, fill the tires with air, check the oil, put the petcock ON for a few seconds to fill the floats (or PRIME for Kawasakis), and start the engine. It will take a little cranking to get the engine going, because the all the fuel was drained out. If you have put oil in the plug holes, it will smoke a bit when it starts, but don't worry about it. Don't race the engine until it warms up; there is effectively no oil in the valve head, and you could damage the engine.

- Be extra cautious for a while. Your riding skills are rusty, and drivers aren't accustomed to seeing motorcycles on the road yet.