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Motorcycle/Scooter Winter Storage
Winter is coming… Winter is coming indeed and most people during this time in many different areas start storing their bikes for the upcoming season. However, putting a quality motorcycle cover over your super sick bike might not be the best way to keep your bike stored for the winter. For us here at DROWsports that is a no-no. We are going to throw together some quick tips for you to store your bike through that freezing cold and make it as painless as possible to read!
Wash Her Up!
Sounds kind of ridiculous since you will be keeping this motorcycle covered through the winter anyway but washing it before storage is pretty important. Properly washing your bike will help get rid of corrosive bug guts and water that can damage your finish. Make sure to throw on a coat of wax on those plastics shiny parts and shoot some good old fashion WD-40 in those exposed metal to metal surfaces!
Oil & Filter Change
Believe it or not, oil does have a shelf life! Not that you would be reaching that shelf life during one season. Contaminated oil is probably the last thing you want to use when you start your bike up for the new season. We recommend changing out both your oil and filter, our personal favorite oil company is Motul! Next, give your bike a quick start to let that oil pump lubricate your bike with that fresh oil.
Fuel Preparation
Even though now and days most motorcycles are fuel injected but fuel preparation is still extremely helpful (especially for us and California gas). Get yourself a bottle of Star Tron by Starbrite to help keep your fuel stabilized and maintain your gas. When it comes to carbureted motorcycles we suggest a little more extensive preparation. Start by making sure your gas is fresh and new, throw some of that Star Tron in your tank. Run your bike to get that Star Tron cycled into your carburetor so it can help clean out that fuel petcock and carb. Time to remove the extra fuel, drain your carburetor float bowl and make sure it is good and empty.
Proper Coolant
Check to make sure you have a radiator and your motorcycle does require coolant. If it does, then start by checking the coolant of your motorcycle. This is very important, especially in areas below freezing because if you are running water, it will freeze on your bike. Make sure you get yourself a bottle of antifreeze to prevent that and keep your coolant levels up!
Lube Chain & Cables
There is a lot of moisture when winter comes around and motorcycles are not too fond of moisture. We recommend lubricating all the moving parts you can get to on your motorcycle. Grab yourself a bottle of your favorite lubricant and get lubing, our favorite is the Motul Chain Lube C2 Road Use and for those cables, we use Motion Pro Cable Lube. Specific areas to pay attention to and lube would be your chain, clutch and throttle cables and points that pivot.
Protect Them Tires
Definitely an overlooked item but definitely necessary. If you are a motorcycle enthusiast you probably have a set of stands laying around. Our goal is to keep that bike off the ground. We recommend grabbing yourself some and throw that bike on those stands. This keeps your wheel from getting flat spots from sitting. If you can’t get your hand on some, try your best to rotate your tires every few weeks.
Plug It Up
No matter where you live, those annoying bugs or pests somehow find their way into those small nooks and crannies of your motorcycle. Winter season is a long time, so for this part try your best to plug up all those open holes. Make sure to keep them showing so you do not forget they are there!
Battery Tender
A battery tender is an inexpensive way to keep your expensive battery alive through long periods of sitting. We recommend this High-Efficiency Battery Tender Junior to keep costs down and keep that battery alive. Also, make sure to throw a little bit of grease on the electrodes to keep it corrosion free!
Keep it Covered
The last extremely important step in keeps your bike in that quality tip-top shape! Throw a nice Cover on your bike and grab yourself something nice and hot to drink while it sits through the winter. Don’t forget, this is the best time to start planning your new build or next mods for your bike!