Ok, ill be coming home from Iraq on leave sometime in June. My FXDBI will be delivered from AAFES around the same time. Now, i plan on riding the bike from Ft. Smith, AR to Jonesboro, AR. Its about a 4 hr ride, and i am realy looking forward too the first ride. My problem is once i get the bike here i have too store it. Ill go back too Iraq for approx. 3 months or so. Is there any precautions i need to take, i got buddies here that ride harley's, and they have told me a few ideas, but they are talking about used bikes. This will be a brand new ride with very few miles on it (seeing as how my wife isnt gonna let me out of her sight for more than the ride home). Do i need to do anything special too the bike too maintain it while im gone. Now keep in mind, i can have it started occasionaly, but not ridden.

Any comments will be appreciated!!!

 

A few months is no longer than some of us put our bikes up for the winter. Make sure that the gas is fresh or use a can of Stabil or other gas stabilizer, make sure that the battery is fully charged or get a battery tender for it, fluids should all be full and that's about it.

As far as starting it up once and a while, that won't do much for the oil since it won't get hot enough just idling to boil out the water that may condense, but there should be more than enough time to get that done during your first ride back from deployment. Unless they're going to idle the bike at a high idle (not recommended) then there is no benefit since the battery won't charge (battery tender is for that).

Other than that, you should be good to go and thank you for your service to our country. [sm=biker2.gif] [sm=americanasmiley.gif]

 

Put it on a jack stand to keep the tires off the ground and plug it in to a battery maintainer. I wouldn't worry about starting it once in awhile (you might come back with it having more miles on it than when you left!). Since you're storing it in the summer months I wouldn't think you'd need to worry about the normal "winterization" protocol...but I might be wrong.

 

I would suggest keeping it under a good, breathable cover and attaching a trickle-charger to the battery. Three months is a short period of time and I don't think anything more complex than that is required. All you need to worry about is accumulation of dustand the battery charge.Also, I'd suggest you adhere to the break-in requirementson that 4 hour ride. In particular, you want to avoid a constant speed/rpm. That requires some discipline on a longhighway ride.

 

Thanks for your service to this great country!

I think the other guys have this one covered pretty good.

I have a spare Battery Tender Plus that I was going to put on ebay. Used for one month.

Send me a PM with your address and I'll send it off to you - no charge.

Least I can do for all of your efforts.

Ride safe!

 

WOW, that was quick, and alot simpler than i thought it would be, u guys are loads of help. And glide05, i realy appreciate that offer, i think ill take u up on it, ill PM u with my address.

 

As far as a cover an old sheet works as well as any expensive cover, it's breathable and soft, and well, it covers it.
Otherwise these guys are right on, battery tender and stabil. Not a bad idea to have it off the tires but has never been a problem for me or any others I know that have to store for some winter months to leave it on the ground.

 

If you don't have a jack stand to get it off the ground, get an old piece of carpet to put it on to at least get it off concrete, I was told by a 25+ yr rider that concrete dries the tires out if sitting on it too long.