Winterizing absolutely necessary?
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,856
Likes: 127
From: Middle of Kansas
Well! I live in the middle of Kansas, and can usually ride often enough that the bike only sits in my cold garage about 2 months at a time. I don't do anything except keep the gas tank full. I don't use a battery tender, and no stabil. Never had a problem for the last 30 years. These new AGM batteries really hold a charge well, and mine always starts right up without charging. My current battery is going on 7 years old. We are fortunate to have gas with no alcohol in it, and that probably helps. I rode an 84 Iron Head Sportster for 23 years and never had the carb off to clean it. Maybe I am just lucky, but it works for me. Also, Kansas is fairly dry in the winter so I do not have any corrosion problems. I wash my bike twice a year whether it needs it or not. LOL
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 321
Likes: 1
From: St. Louis Mo
Depends on the bike. Some alarm systems radios etc. will suck the battery down within a month or so. Depending on type of radio etc.
Gas loses its "stuff" pretty soon nowadays and tends to turn to varnish sooner so stabil goes in mine now every year.
I had a year awhile back that started out with one weekend of beautiful weather in early spring and I wound up pulling off and cleaning the crap out of 10 carbs to get my bikes up and running. Granted They were Hondas but carbs are carbs and 6 on one bike and four on the other was a big pain.Stabil is good. A couple of bucks vs. a lot of swearing.
Oils I dont change unless they're close to the mileage to do so. No problem here so far.
Cleaning is good particularly bugs etc. which seem to corrode year round.
I keep mine in an unheated garage with no cover to trap humidity.
I kept a bike out on a patio one winter and figured covering it up was good to keep the ice and snow off of it. I guess it was but the rust everywhere in the spring was horrible.
Hondas are one thing and Harleys another but both are subject to the same demons in the winter.I dont want to learn how to work on efi stuff till it breaks on its own.
Gas loses its "stuff" pretty soon nowadays and tends to turn to varnish sooner so stabil goes in mine now every year.
I had a year awhile back that started out with one weekend of beautiful weather in early spring and I wound up pulling off and cleaning the crap out of 10 carbs to get my bikes up and running. Granted They were Hondas but carbs are carbs and 6 on one bike and four on the other was a big pain.Stabil is good. A couple of bucks vs. a lot of swearing.
Oils I dont change unless they're close to the mileage to do so. No problem here so far.
Cleaning is good particularly bugs etc. which seem to corrode year round.
I keep mine in an unheated garage with no cover to trap humidity.
I kept a bike out on a patio one winter and figured covering it up was good to keep the ice and snow off of it. I guess it was but the rust everywhere in the spring was horrible.
Hondas are one thing and Harleys another but both are subject to the same demons in the winter.I dont want to learn how to work on efi stuff till it breaks on its own.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,778
Likes: 69
From: Badlands of ND
In ND we have winter, sometime 6 months of it. Should you winterize? Here the answer is absolutely. Hell I winterize my lawnmower and string trimmer too. If you want it to work right in the spring, treat it right in the fall.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 719
Likes: 35
From: SE New Hampshire
Lot's of "old skool" opinions, however keep in mind, you "old skool" guys did NOT have E10 additive in your fuel back 20 years ago... . With todays EPA friendly E10 corn added to our fuel, the E10 leaves behind a corrosive fungus if left untreated for extended periods beyond a few months will cause all kinds of skanky "green death gunk" to build up in your fuel system. E10 is also a moisture attractant, so condensation water intrusion is also a problem. E10 has also been found to eat into certain older non-ethanol safe rubber (like the rubber used in your fuel system. So guys, at bare minimum, fill your tank right to the neck (condensation will ALWAYS cling to bare metal and start to rust), also treat your fuel with some E10 type additives. Here's my hands down favorite :
Stabil now has E10 specific fuel stabilizer, I believe it's the pinkish color. The traditional red Stabil does NOT work against E10 !
http://mystarbrite.com/startron/
Stabil now has E10 specific fuel stabilizer, I believe it's the pinkish color. The traditional red Stabil does NOT work against E10 !
http://mystarbrite.com/startron/
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
From: New Jersey
Fill the gas tank up and put stabilizer in it. Make sure you run the bike for a few minutes to get the stabilizer into the gas lines. Filling the take up eliminates condensation within the tank. Run a battery tender or start the bike every couple of weeks to keep the battery from draining down too much. If you're not going to put it on a lift, roll the bike every few weeks too in order to avoid tire damage. My garage never drops below freezing, but if yours does, it might make sense to put a small piece of carpet under the bike to keep condensation from buliding up on the bottom of the bike.
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 818
Likes: 0
From: Battle Creek, MI
I guess I am too simple. If it is close to needing oil change I change it. (not even 1000 miles on last full syn change)
Clean it up
Full tank with StarTron
on the lift with mothballs tossed under. We have a lot of critters
Battery tender and cover with cotton sheet.
un heated garage with natural circulation (garage is old!!)
Clean it up
Full tank with StarTron
on the lift with mothballs tossed under. We have a lot of critters
Battery tender and cover with cotton sheet.
un heated garage with natural circulation (garage is old!!)
Road Master
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 946
Likes: 8
From: USA/CA
When I was in OR, I used to be off the bike for a couple of months, and I was not doing anything to it.
But this was before the lethanol era, when men were men, and gasoline were gasoline.
But this was before the lethanol era, when men were men, and gasoline were gasoline.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,328
Likes: 15
From: Pacific Northwest
OP: Anything beyond adding a bit of stabilizer, plugging in a battery tender and/or throwing on a cover is just fluff. I do like to wash off all the bugs - they get pretty stubborn if you leave them for very long.
You can get by with just the battery tender if it's going to be a short stay.
You can get by with just the battery tender if it's going to be a short stay.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,325
Likes: 7
From: SE Illinois
Anything beyond keeping the tank full and putting stabilizer in it, and putting the battery on a tender is totally unnecessary unless you are storing it outside or are excessively ****.
I don't "winterize" anything...just maintain it as you would any other time. I've had bikes, atvs, extra vehicles, lots of power equipment, etc as long as I can remember, and the only thing I always do is use Sta-bil or Seafoam. The only issues I have EVER had on anything is water in the fuel, and a dead battery after sitting for extended periods, which is why I now use a tender on my Harley & keep the tank full and use a stabilizer.
The fuel drawing moisture thing is very real, so keep your tank full at a minimum, and use a stabilizer if it's going to be more than a month before you burn through the tank of gas. If you think you will ride it enough that your gas will only sit for less than a month, don't waste money on stabilizer either.
The whole changing engine oil and fluids before storage and after storage and every other time you turn around is just a waste of time and money IMO....as long as if you ride in cold weather, ride it long enough to get the oil up to full operating temps, or don't fire it up at all. This will burn off any condensation in the crankcase that may or may not be present due to drastic temperature changes. Doesn't matter if the oil is old or new, same thing could happen, although I've never actually had it occur in anything.
In summary....
Keep the tank full
If it's going to be parked more than 30 days, use a stabilizer
If it's going to be parked more then 30 days, put a battery tender on it
Don't worry about everything else unless it just makes you feel better
I don't "winterize" anything...just maintain it as you would any other time. I've had bikes, atvs, extra vehicles, lots of power equipment, etc as long as I can remember, and the only thing I always do is use Sta-bil or Seafoam. The only issues I have EVER had on anything is water in the fuel, and a dead battery after sitting for extended periods, which is why I now use a tender on my Harley & keep the tank full and use a stabilizer.
The fuel drawing moisture thing is very real, so keep your tank full at a minimum, and use a stabilizer if it's going to be more than a month before you burn through the tank of gas. If you think you will ride it enough that your gas will only sit for less than a month, don't waste money on stabilizer either.
The whole changing engine oil and fluids before storage and after storage and every other time you turn around is just a waste of time and money IMO....as long as if you ride in cold weather, ride it long enough to get the oil up to full operating temps, or don't fire it up at all. This will burn off any condensation in the crankcase that may or may not be present due to drastic temperature changes. Doesn't matter if the oil is old or new, same thing could happen, although I've never actually had it occur in anything.
In summary....
Keep the tank full
If it's going to be parked more than 30 days, use a stabilizer
If it's going to be parked more then 30 days, put a battery tender on it
Don't worry about everything else unless it just makes you feel better