Harley Winter Storage
Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145,895
Likes: 821
From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
Banned
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 7,580
Likes: 7
From: The Internet (& Dyer, Indiana)
Depends on the garage, if it will "sweat" or not. Stored mine in one that kept my bike covered with condensation before (so I know dam well it can happen). But a sealed concrete floor, insulated walls should be safe (heated or not). An outdoor shed is almost garanteed to make your bike sweat, due to the quick temperature swings from day to night. The metal on your bike stays cold while the sun heats the shed. Like an ice cold beer on a warm day. Get it?
Insulation slows the temperature swings. If you can keep it heated above 50f all winter, your bike will love you!
I'm lucky enough to have a heated garage, but didn't always.
Been there,done all that!
Insulation slows the temperature swings. If you can keep it heated above 50f all winter, your bike will love you!
I'm lucky enough to have a heated garage, but didn't always.
Been there,done all that!
Advanced
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
I've just been using Turtle Wax Chrome Polish to shine up my chrome, but wax to protect for the winter sounds like a good idea.
What type of wax do you put on your chrome? Keep in mind that I dont wax my paint since I have the denim black..
Thanks!
What type of wax do you put on your chrome? Keep in mind that I dont wax my paint since I have the denim black..
Thanks!
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,440
Likes: 1,640
From: Wisconsin
Things I've learned over the years:
Don't wrap your bike in plastic or anything else that doesn't "breathe". I use a bed sheet, it keeps the dust and dirt off, lets the air circulate, no moisture, no rust.
Don't start your engine and let it idle a few minutes. If you're not going to ride it and bring it up to temp for a while, just let it sit. If you're one oif those guys who has to start it for his buds while drinking beer in a snowstorm, record it earlier in the year and play it back on the stereo.
Use a battery tender.
I live in Wisconsin, but still ride enough in the winter that I don't usually use fuel stabilizer, but last year was a long winter and I did then, figured if I had a chance to ride it would just burn out and I would refill with fresh gas and stabilize again if necessary.
Keep it clean! If you aren't going to ride it, clean it up and cover it. If you do ride it, make sure you get any grime or salt off as soon as possible, especially the salt.
Other than that, ride it. If you dress properly, there are many very enjoyable miles to be had in the winter. I always laugh at a guy I work with, he told me he stops riding his GoldWing once the temp goes to 40 or lower, yet as soon as it snows he is out riding his snowmobile in sub-zero weather. Just don't make no sense to me ..........
Don't wrap your bike in plastic or anything else that doesn't "breathe". I use a bed sheet, it keeps the dust and dirt off, lets the air circulate, no moisture, no rust.
Don't start your engine and let it idle a few minutes. If you're not going to ride it and bring it up to temp for a while, just let it sit. If you're one oif those guys who has to start it for his buds while drinking beer in a snowstorm, record it earlier in the year and play it back on the stereo.
Use a battery tender.
I live in Wisconsin, but still ride enough in the winter that I don't usually use fuel stabilizer, but last year was a long winter and I did then, figured if I had a chance to ride it would just burn out and I would refill with fresh gas and stabilize again if necessary.
Keep it clean! If you aren't going to ride it, clean it up and cover it. If you do ride it, make sure you get any grime or salt off as soon as possible, especially the salt.
Other than that, ride it. If you dress properly, there are many very enjoyable miles to be had in the winter. I always laugh at a guy I work with, he told me he stops riding his GoldWing once the temp goes to 40 or lower, yet as soon as it snows he is out riding his snowmobile in sub-zero weather. Just don't make no sense to me ..........
By no means am I an expert. The only other thing I do is change oil right before, and only run it a couple secs to circulate the fresh oil. then you have oil without moisture in it over the winter.
Road Captain
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 568
Likes: 3
From: Windber, PA
Yep put cheap oil in it for the winter. Use the old filter. Then change over to new in the spring. Put a piece wood or carpet under the jiffy stand so battery will not discharge thru it. Stabil in gas and 1 squirt of oil in each cyl and turn over without starting. Cover it.
Road Captain
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 568
Likes: 3
From: Windber, PA
oh battery tender also.
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Joe Kucinski
Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 816
Likes: 57
From: Rijssen, the Netherlands
My Heritage is all years parked overnight in my heated private garage. Also in spring, even summer but sure in autumn it can be very misty, wet and cold overhere. In winter we have beautiful days sometimes with temperatures below zero C but full of bright sunshine and hardly no wind. No snow, just a beautiful freezing day. Okay, not often but six, eight weekends a winter is no exception. We take the bike, wearing extra isolation "military" underwear, warm gloves and we go out for a ride.
Cagers are looking curious to us, but we see every year in winter more bikers on the road on this beautiful days. No, every year a clock wise 'winter storage' we never keep.
Cagers are looking curious to us, but we see every year in winter more bikers on the road on this beautiful days. No, every year a clock wise 'winter storage' we never keep.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 4,904
Likes: 9
From: Streetsboro, Oh
i live in NE Ohio and we have 5-6 months of down time a year. I keep my bikes in the garage and covered all year round so when winter comes I just make sure they have been serviced, I just did that this past weekend, I put Seafoam in the full tanks of gas, hook up the battery tenders and let them sleep all winter. In the Spring I pull them out, wipe them down, air up the tires and the are good to go.