winter storage
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,416
Likes: 1
From: North Jersey
Try a indoor storage company, most are willing to store your bike there if you drain the gas out of the tank. Most are insured and some have juice for a battery tender. I would go crazy if I had to store my bike outside in the snow & ice & rain all winter. Why don't you just put that puppy in the apartment? I did in NYC for years. If there is a will, there is a way.
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
From: Pennsylvania
My question is: What consitutes "old oil?" If I just have 1,000 miles on an oil change, does that mean I have to get a NEW oil change? In owning 4 Harleys for over 37 years, I have to say I never drained the oil out of a bike I stored for the winter. My bikes were always garage kept and I never had a problem with any of them. When they were due, I just changed the oil again.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,453
Likes: 249
My question is: What consitutes "old oil?" If I just have 1,000 miles on an oil change, does that mean I have to get a NEW oil change? In owning 4 Harleys for over 37 years, I have to say I never drained the oil out of a bike I stored for the winter. My bikes were always garage kept and I never had a problem with any of them. When they were due, I just changed the oil again.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,553
Likes: 13
From: Sussex, South of England
Well, after several years of reading all the wisdom on this forum regarding this topic I don't mind passing some of it on.
- You have to lift the bike off the ground or your tires will get flat spots and will need to be replaced in the spring.
- You can't leave your old oil in because old oil has acid in it and will pit the bearing surfaces and eat away the cast parts. Your engine will be shot by spring, you'll have to replace it.
- If you take your battery out, don't put it on a cement floor. The cement will drain the battery. Same goes for if you leave it in your bike and put the kickstand on a cement floor. You should put something under the kickstand so the battery wont drain.
- Dont cover the bike, condensation will accumulate under the cover and rust the bike.
- Drain the air out of your tires, all that pressure left over the winter will harm the tires.
- Drain the tank, gas won't last over winter, it turns to varnish.
- You have to immediately hook up a battery tender, or your battery will go flat dead in no time.
That's all I got for now, can't remember any more. Personally, I pull mine in the garage, set it on its side stand, as I do every day when I get home, it sits like that till the next time I ride it, even if its for a few months. ;-)
- You have to lift the bike off the ground or your tires will get flat spots and will need to be replaced in the spring.
- You can't leave your old oil in because old oil has acid in it and will pit the bearing surfaces and eat away the cast parts. Your engine will be shot by spring, you'll have to replace it.
- If you take your battery out, don't put it on a cement floor. The cement will drain the battery. Same goes for if you leave it in your bike and put the kickstand on a cement floor. You should put something under the kickstand so the battery wont drain.
- Dont cover the bike, condensation will accumulate under the cover and rust the bike.
- Drain the air out of your tires, all that pressure left over the winter will harm the tires.
- Drain the tank, gas won't last over winter, it turns to varnish.
- You have to immediately hook up a battery tender, or your battery will go flat dead in no time.
That's all I got for now, can't remember any more. Personally, I pull mine in the garage, set it on its side stand, as I do every day when I get home, it sits like that till the next time I ride it, even if its for a few months. ;-)
*It is always stored in the garage on a concrete floor. Never had a drained battery yet.
*I always leave the tires under the correct pressure and no harm has been done to them.
* Never drained the gas. On the contary, I fill the tank to the brim and add some stabiliser.
Your wisdom may land the lad into a lot of **** if he follows it.
Iwould advise you to re-read your post because it stinks!
You tell the guy not to put it on cement floor, drain the tank, take the air out of the tire and put it on a lift. You don't follow your own advise so it leads me to believe that either you are stubborn or you think yourself that it's bullshit.
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Big Kahuna HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 35,506
Likes: 27
From: Calgary eh
*I have never changed oil before storage. It was part of the prep for riding season. Never had to replace my engine.
*It is always stored in the garage on a concrete floor. Never had a drained battery yet.
*I always leave the tires under the correct pressure and no harm has been done to them.
* Never drained the gas. On the contary, I fill the tank to the brim and add some stabiliser.
Your wisdom may land the lad into a lot of **** if he follows it.
Iwould advise you to re-read your post because it stinks!
You tell the guy not to put it on cement floor, drain the tank, take the air out of the tire and put it on a lift. You don't follow your own advise so it leads me to believe that either you are stubborn or you think yourself that it's bullshit.
*It is always stored in the garage on a concrete floor. Never had a drained battery yet.
*I always leave the tires under the correct pressure and no harm has been done to them.
* Never drained the gas. On the contary, I fill the tank to the brim and add some stabiliser.
Your wisdom may land the lad into a lot of **** if he follows it.
Iwould advise you to re-read your post because it stinks!
You tell the guy not to put it on cement floor, drain the tank, take the air out of the tire and put it on a lift. You don't follow your own advise so it leads me to believe that either you are stubborn or you think yourself that it's bullshit.
It was a tounge in cheek post. I thought that would be obvious. But those are actual comments I've read over the years.
- No your kickstand wont drain your battery
- No you don't have to change the air in your tires.
- No you won't get flat spots on your tires.
- No there is no reason to change your oil to store your bike.
- No there is nothing wrong with covering the bike. A cover will protect it.
- No your gas wont change to varnish in a couple months.
There is that better?
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,553
Likes: 13
From: Sussex, South of England
It was a tounge in cheek post. I thought that would be obvious. But those are actual comments I've read over the years.
- No your kickstand wont drain your battery
- No you don't have to change the air in your tires.
- No you won't get flat spots on your tires.
- No there is no reason to change your oil to store your bike.
- No there is nothing wrong with covering the bike. A cover will protect it.
- No your gas wont change to varnish in a couple months.
There is that better?
- No your kickstand wont drain your battery
- No you don't have to change the air in your tires.
- No you won't get flat spots on your tires.
- No there is no reason to change your oil to store your bike.
- No there is nothing wrong with covering the bike. A cover will protect it.
- No your gas wont change to varnish in a couple months.
There is that better?