Winterizing your bike...

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mwilkins21

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Hi this will be the first winter for my fz and im curious as to what alot of people do pertaining to storing their bike for the winter.. Drain the gas? Start it once in awhile? etc...
 
Hey! Well, here's what I do. I run my tank as low as possible before putting it away. Then I put enough Stabil in the tank for the fillup at the station and go top it off as much as possible. Then I ride it home for at least 3 miles to be sure all the lines are filled with the Stabil-ized gas. Once home, I park it in the garage and attach the Battery Tender Jr. to the SAE connector I put on the bike. I do not start the bike at all through the winter, just leave it sitting on the center stand. Every few weeks, I do rock it back and rotate the front tire. This year, I think I am going to put a block under the exhaust to lift the front enough so that neither tire touches the ground.

Before doing this, I typically wash and wax the bike after a detailed cleaning. I make sure the chain is cleaned and well lubed for the winter months. I always end up doing a small mod or two through the winter so she sees a bit of attention here and there.

All the bikes I've done this with have had no problems in the spring. That first tank of Stabil gas that you have to run out is slightly rough but when you put the first spring tank of fresh gas in, she roars back to life.

Don't skimp on the battery charger. Get the proper one... The Battery Tender Jr. is made just for storage purposes. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S]Amazon.com: Battery Tender 021-0123 Battery Tender Junior 12V Battery Charger: Automotive[/ame] is a steal!
 
Pretty much the same here. Except I use Startron gas stabilizer and I bring the battery inside the house to use with the tender. I start it every few weeks. Here in NJ it's not uncommon to get a seasonably warm day. So I go for a short ride.
 
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I change the oil if I have many mile since the last change, do the gas stabil thing, remove the battery and bring inside and that's about it. You definitely want to put something in the gas to keep it from "souring" even on FI bikes because any gas in the fuel line can degrade while sitting through a winter and here in northern Michigan our winters are forever!
 
I don't. I live in a maritime climate with winter, daytime, temps frequently in the 40's and 50's. The average annual snowfall is below 11 inches. I ride in the winter. So why did i post? Just to say: nah, nah, na-nah, nah.
 
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Polestar said:
I don't. I live in a maritime climate with winter, daytime, temps frequently in the 40's and 50's average annual snowfall below 11 inches. I ride in the winter. So why did i post? Just to say: nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.
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I hate you.... :spank2:










:justkidding: One day in the future, my wife and I have already decided we'll move to a climate that offers next to nothing for "winter" !!! :shine:
 
i'm just resurrecting this thread so anyone else can chime in on what they do to prep the bike for winter storage, if they do anything differently because it is getting to be that time for some of us. i will be calling it quits for this season very soon as it is getting colder and i will have no time to ride as well. i will give it the eric special treatment here in the next couple of weekends if not on sunday.
 
All you F.I. boys got it easy! I won't be "winterizing" anything this year but when I did, I would fill my tank with 89, give it 5.5 ounces of Seafoam and run the engine for 10 minutes. Then I would lift the tank and shut the petcock off and start her up and let her run until she shut off. Then I would start her again to make sure that the floats were empty and thats it. Plug in the tender and keep her on the centerstand. Come Spring I would flip the petcock, cycle the key two or three times to prime the pump and fill the floats and she'd crank over on the first shot. This winter I'll just be dreaming of what I'll be riding come March/April??? Carbed or Fuel Injected?? Sport or Sport Touring?? Clip-ons or Handlebars?? Naked or Fully Faired??? Boy, I have a lot to think about!!!
 
lol winterizing... i ride all year round, just not as much in the winter but we never get snow or ice so if its not raining i'm in the saddle carving up my favorite canyons. I suggest moving "down under" where you can ride all year round and give up on winterizing.:rmwl:
 
LOL
Due to monitary problems - I will be riding my bike this year. Today was the first day below 40 and guess what happened to the battery? It went dead at work. :eek5::eek5:
Just as I was pushing it out of the parking lot to go on a downhill attempt at a roll start - a buddy pulled up and said "Is that there one of those redneck motorcicles that you have to push?". HAHAHA!!! Funny F&*Cker had some jumper cables so he became the greatest friend I had ;)
It was already stated what to do if you are doing to store it. If you have to ride it intermittently - invest in a battery tender of some kind. I never noticed one slow start on my battery before the cold weather hit. Plus - you will be surprised at the added jump you get when you start your bike. It will make your bike literally jump to life so IMHO it's a great investment whether you store you bike, ride it intermittently or ride everyday. :2cents:
 
Given the snow, we are almost a month early. I don't have them permanently parked in their resting places yet nor are they filled and Stabilized but it's looking to be that way! I have the heated grip element kits to install but need time to do it. With the clocks rolling back this weekend, it means that by the time 6pm (my quitting time) rolls around, it will be getting quite chilly for a ride home on the bike. I may chance it these next few days though with temps showing 60+ during the day! I'm from New England and I'm getting old... I'm beginning to really hate winter.
 
Thats a good idea; letting it run itself out like that....here in Texas we don't winterize...no need to....most of our winters are around 50ish degrees; perfect riding weather.....In Texas winter is the best time to ride...In the summer its nearly too hot...lol...
 
Ok since I am a new FZ1 owner and will be doing my first oil chance on the bike for winterizing I have a question (possibly a dumb one). When I went to the Yamaha dealer to pick up oil and a filter for the bike they gave me a metal o-ring but did not explain what it was. I also did not think to ask:doh2:. Is this for the oil drain plug? :confused0024: Do I have to replace this every time I change the oil? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chad
 
I never changed my o ring.......and it never leaked....go to Walmart next time and get your oil and filter....they got what you need there....hell of a lot cheaper...
 
Winterizing

Thank god in the south we simply add a layer of insulation to ourselves to winterize.Though I'll admit that on this bike I'll be adding heated grips. and a taller screen.
 
mgosset1 said:
I never changed my o ring.......and it never leaked....go to Walmart next time and get your oil and filter....they got what you need there....hell of a lot cheaper...
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Ok pardon my ignorance (might have to do this a lot with me) but where does the o-ring go? I am assuming it is for the oil drain plug? I will for sure be buying my filter and oil from Walmart from now on, I like my dealer but they raped me on the price of oil and a filter.:doh2:

Thanks,

Chad
 
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