Written by: Biker Chad
As our winter is fast approaching, cold northern Climates need to consider some winterization tips. Everyone can benefit from the following information so that you can be ready to roll when spring comes around next year.
Every spring my bike shop was flooded with costly repairs that could have easily been prevented with a little winterization. Who can afford to waste money on unnecessary repairs these days? I will cover the two most common spring repairs we did in this article, along with some things I do before parking my bike for the winter.
The most common problem we fixed each spring was dead batteries. Without putting your battery on a charger thru the winter it may not work at all in spring. Even if it does you have shortened the life of it drastically. You can not just put your bike’s battery on any old charger or even a trickle charger; it must be a smart charger. A smart charger will turn itself off when the battery is fully charged and then keep it charged without damaging the battery by overcharging. These chargers run around $30.00 at any bike shop. They usually come with a connector that you can leave hooked up to your battery all the time, so all you have to do is plug the charger in and forget it. So lets review, $30.00 for a good charger paid by you once, or $70.00 – $100.00 for a new battery paid by you every spring? Sounds like a no-brainer when you look at it that way, doesn’t it?
The second most common repair we did every spring, was carburetor rebuilds and fuel injector replacements. When you park your bike all winter with untreated gas in the tank, you are asking for trouble. Within a few weeks gasoline will break down and gum up the fuel system if it is not treated, and the new reformulated gas is even worse at gumming up carburetors and fuel injectors. This leads to some expensive rebuilds at the garage.
So before you park your bike, fill your gas tank to keep internal condensation of water to a minimum over the winter, and add a fuel stabilizer. Follow the directions on the stabilizer bottle to get the correct mix ratio, slosh the tank around to mix the fuel / stabilizer mix. With the stabilizer properly mixed you will need to run the bike to get the stabilizer into the whole fuel system.
If you have a fuel injected bike, start the bike and run it until the engine gets to normal operating temperature (or longer) as this will get the stabilizer all the way through the injectors.
On a carbureted bike (if you have a choke, you have a carburetor) start the bike, run it till it gets to operating temperature (or longer), and then turn the fuel supply to off leaving it run until the engines dies. Now you have successfully taken care of the fuel system for the winter. So again lets review. Spend $10.00 for a bottle of fuel stabilizer, or a few hundred dollars at the garage to rebuild carbs or to change injectors. It’s your call.
Other things I routinely do:
- I stuff steel wool or a shop rags into the end of my mufflers to keep moisture and rodents out of the exhaust, removing them before I start it in spring of course.
- I keep my bike on a bike jack taking the weight off of the tires and suspension, as it will prolong the life of them.
- I always change my engine oil before I park my bike for the winter, and again right after my first spring ride.
- A good thorough wash & dry followed by a detailed waxing of the paint and chrome, will keep the finishes looking good for a long time.
- Last but not least, all that cleaning will be meaningless without a proper breathable bike cover to keep the dust off.
It sounds like a lot to do, but by the time spring rolls around you will be ready to ride. Instead of listening to everyone else ride by your house, as you wait for the repair shop to call. If any one needs any winterization products, smart battery chargers, etc please feel free to contact us at the Road Guardians compound as we can provide almost any motorcycle product you might need. Whether visiting us in person or on the web, we are here for you. If you have any question on this or any of my articles you may e-mail me anytime at bikerchad@roadguardians.org. Thank you and ride safe.
-Biker Chad
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