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This is what I do, and these threads usually turn into you dont need to do that, do this thread.
I am in NNY, one of the colder spots in the USA.
get they bike clean and dry and have some type of cover
Fill up the tank, no air gap will stop rust inside the tank. and then add stabil, run the bike to get it mixed.
I park it on top of blue tarp for vapor barrier, if you have a lift, you can Jack it up and that helps with flat spots.
if you have a tender, no need to pull battery, if it gets extremely cold like here, minus 30 is common, and no tender, I pull battery and keep it inside.
I leave the seat off, and stuff steel wool in the exhaust and depending on air cleaner I stuff it or pull it.
critters are always looking for a good place to nest and material to make it, never had issues.
You can bump it over, but dont start it, starting it for a few minutes just spreads the condensation around.
This ^^^^
We have an attached garage, but it is unheated. I park my bike on a 5/8 inch thick 4 x 8 sheet of plywood, that has the foam type insulation (approx. 3/4 inch thick) glued to the bottom of it with construction adhesive, to keep the plywood (and the bike) off of any standing water from snow melting off my wife's car. I always park the bike on that plywood, even in summer. I always keep my bike plugged into a tender if I go for more than a day without riding. It obviously stays plugged in all winter. I run stabil in the gas tank during the last month or so of the riding season, and keep the tank topped off as well. Around here, in November, the riding season can come to a very abrupt stop.
I keep the mouse population under control by having four mousetraps always set near the bike. I also remove my seat, storing it in a closet in the house, and stuff some steel wool into the tail pipes. I check the bike regularly for any signs of FMI. (Field mouse intrusion). Those little bastards can cause significant damage to any vehicle's wiring system, which of course is not covered by the warranty. I do put a light, breathable top cover over it, just to keep most of the dust off of it. I also overinflate the tires by several psi, to help prevent flat spots from forming. So far that has worked for me, at least.
Above all else, do not start the bike! Unless you are going to go for a ride to bring everything up to full operating temperature, it will do more harm than good. Let your beast get a good winter's sleep, so she will be fully rested for the next riding season!
McDermott's has power in their storage building and they'll rotate tenders between the bikes to keep them charged during winter storage. I'm right in your neck of the woods and if I couldn't get the bike to a spot where it wouldn't be below freezing then I'd pull the battery. Ours come in the house to and hibernate in the "bike room" as my wife affectionately calls it.
Yes you can take the battery out and put back in springtime without any issues. There's a procedure to follow that might be different from mine to yours...but mine is with the fob present turn on the ignition and then pull the maxi fuse. Then you can pull the battery, if I dont do it that way the alarm will go off. Your owners manual should have your specific steps. We should get together for a ride sometime...
And there it is! I was hoping McDermott's had power but wasn't sure yet as of posting. Beagle, my normal ride includes all roads between Wells, VT and Lake George. You could find me quite easily at Nancy's Country Store, Wells, VT any day I'm out. Good, friendly folks over there and...they have lots of coffee. Maybe we'll run into each other one of these days! Thanks for the info 👍
Your mention of bringing your bike into the living room reminds me of my younger brother and his wife who, while living in Vermont, kept his Harley dresser in his living room. While he was overseas with the military, his bike was stolen out of his living room. He got rid of that wife.
Damn...that is just dirty. Lost my wife the same way. I had friends in the military looking out though. Instead of the wife, I named my Dad Power of Attorney and thankfully, left my bikes with him during deployment.
Several forum members have suggested the use of Sta-Bil fuel additive for winterizing. The bottle in which Sta-Bil is shipped is not user friendly in the least for measuring. I have found a measuring glass (intended for measuring espresso coffee) which is perfect for this purpose. The glass measures 2 oz (60 ml) which is what Sta-Bil recommends for 5 gal of gas.
Several forum members have suggested the use of Sta-Bil fuel additive for winterizing. The bottle in which Sta-Bil is shipped is not user friendly in the least for measuring. I have found a measuring glass (intended for measuring espresso coffee) which is perfect for this purpose. The glass measures 2 oz (60 ml) which is what Sta-Bil recommends for 5 gal of gas.
I just purchased a bottle of Sta-Bil a few days ago. The bottle has a built in measuring chamber with graduation lines. Simply loosen/remove the left cap, and squeeze the bottle until the desired amount fills the chamber. No need to use a separate measuring glass.
Around mid October I start mixing Stabil in the gas I store at home to keep the tank full. Only other thing I do is change out the 20w60 for 20w50 for winter riding. Unless I'm riding the bike it is plugged into a battery tender year round.
I also made a dust cover from a cheap polypropylene breathable car cover. Stabil and a dose of Marvel Mystery oil in a full tank of no ethanol gas good for our winter storage season, and a battery tender of course.
My winterizing consists of washing he bikes, filling the fuel tanks, removing the windshields, covering them with old bedsheets and placing them on lifts tor the winter months.
Our bikes range from '98 to '18 models and there is NO rust or oxidation on any of them.
After a serious issues (fuel related) with my generator and my carbed EVO bike in previous years I'm no longer a fan of Sta-bil.
The guy that worked on my generator highly recommends Seafoam in fuel for storage.
I have an attached garage (unheated) but nothing has ever frozen before but I keep every battery in there on a battery tender and this year I have decided, in addition to suing the Seafoam in our bikes, I shut-off the fuel to the carb on the EVO and then ran the engine until it quit.
I'll be anxious to see how well the bike starts this spring compared to previous years and IF I'm not happy, next year I'll take another friend's advice and fill the tank with "rec" gas ad see how that works.
I will also add Seafoam to my storage gas cans in case I have need to use the generator this winter and if not I' can use it in the mower in the following spring and summer.
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