Storing bike for winter

Greetings,

Was just wondering the typical checklist for storing your bikes for winter.

Mine (2010 te 250) will be stored in the basement for 4 - 5 months.

I have put that enzyme gas in it and ran it to the point low gas light came on.

Now what to do with oil? Should there be oil sitting in engine for 4-5 months? Drain it now if it won't be used for 4-5 months? My basement is around 50 degrees..

Thanks

air up the tires, stabil in the gas tank (full tank), battery on a tender amd fresh oil the reason for fresh oil isthat
used
oil can break down and become acidic.

1. Clean & wax the bike, especially get all bug guts off the forks so they don’t cause corrosion.
2. Check antifreeze. Change if required (see manual).
3. For bikes with a metal fuel tank: Top up the fuel tank with premium gas without ethanol (if available) & add fuel stabilizer. This will help avoid condensation & the resulting rust problems.
   1. For Fuel Injected bikes: Top up the fuel tank with premium gas without ethanol (if available) & add fuel stabilizer.
4. Ride the bike 15 minutes to get it up to temperature.
5. Put the bike up on a stand to keep it stable & get the tires off the cement.
6. Lube the chain & wipe off the excess.
7. Change the oil & filter. Used oil is corrosive, so you don’t want it sitting in your engine all winter.
8. For bikes with plastic fuel tank and a carb: Drain the fuel tank completely.
   1. Drain the carb float bowl so it doesn’t get gunked up with fuel residue (varnish).
9. For bikes with a battery; attach a smart charger (Battery Tender, etc).
   1. If the bike is stored where it will freeze; remove the battery, bring it inside and connect the smart charger.
   2. If you have a lithium ion battery, follow the mfg directions. Some smart chargers may damage Li-ion batteries.
10. Lube all cables.
11. Lube foot-peg pivots (WD-40)
12. Change brake fluid if required (see manual).
13. Check wheel-bearings.
    1. Change out wheel-bearings if they have been under water (river-crossings, etc).
14. Check swing-arm & steering-head bearings; replace if necessary.
15. Don’t cover with a tarp or anything waterproof – it will cause water condensation on the bike & lead to corrosion. If you want a cover, use a breathable motorcycle cover or old bed-sheet.
16. Store in a clean dry location. J

I would love to ride in the Vermont woods but would hate to put the bike away! In SoCal the riding is just getting great (rain right now=ride tomorrow). By December/January the mountains are covered in snow but the desert will be the place to be.

Thanks fasteer, nicely put.

Yes Vermont , and I live close to New Hampshire too. Great places to ride and not busy. A little rocky but these bikes handle it so well it's amazing everytime I ride.

But yea I hate putting the bike away! Tho it means ski season too heh!

henson802 and the rest of you, YOUR ALL DOING IT WRONG! Ya that's right i'm calling you all out. This is how to winterize a bike

First step is to take the battery out of the bike and put it on a trickle charger, next you need to change your oil to a thinner oil like a 15w-50 due to colder winter temperatures. Next step is you'll need to replace your tires with a studded tires such as a trelleborg studded tires and you can even run lower tire pressure (when snow is present) not higher. Then you need to put on your best thermals under your riding gear and get out and ride!

The studded tires will do great until the snow starts getting deep then just give it a day or two and wait for the sleds to pack it down then get out and start passing them. BTW the best is just after a light freezing rain with a thin layer of ice over the snow you'll be able to hook up and pass most of the sleds.

BTW The winterizing process varries just a little bit for ice riding. Your need to get some canadian friction spikes and stud up a tire. Becareful putting them on or you'll end up with bloody hands. If you need places or people to ride with head over to the MVTR meeting at freedom cycle in Concord the first Wed of the month. There is ton's of us who will be riding all winter long.

1. Fill it with fresh gas.
2. Buy a vented jacket.
2. Move to the Desert.

Put it into a container, ship it and yourself to Australia and ride all year round

What is this "store for the winter" you speak of?

Just curious, why do people change out the oil then let it sit for the winter? Wouldn't it be better to drain the oil, then let the engine sit without the oil in engine until you fire it back up in the Spring or would this cause more harm sitting without oil?

I put 20w50 (couldn't find 10w50 - the recommended oil) - and ran it for a handful of minutes to cycle the oil through the engine.

Thanks for all the input.

You could store it without oil once you rinsed out the contaminants, but its dangerous if you forget to refill. Mobil1 15w-50 is $5 qt @ wallyworld.





Is this winterizing?

All of the above posts are correct.. Just to add for "storing" the bike.
Get fogging oil , most marine stores have it.
1: take out the air filter
2: start the bike and bring to idle
3: spray in fogging oil until its smokes blue and idle nearly dies... Keep spraying and shut off.
This coats the cylinder wall and ring structure.

Yeah those Winter-Dirt-Mobiles look awesome! Thanks for sharing the pics. I tried snowmobiling for a couple years, snow machines are ok but a little bulky to be honest - but then again I was riding a 92 snowmobile polaris.

But dang, those look like the best of both worlds hah! Nice!

Yeah, and your girlfriend / wife was mad when you brought home a dirt bike or a snowmobile.

What better way to surprise her with a hybrid of dirt bike and snowmobile!!

Those do look incredibly awesome and fun to ride though. But I imagine with all that weight on back, the front comes up a bit more then you want (hence why all the pics on website the front is up half the time lol)