putting her away for winter
 

First bike, so don't laugh at me for asking.
I keep seeing people talk about putting their bikes away for winter; putting Sta-Bil in the tank, etc.
I'm in North Georgia and while it does freeze from time to time during winter, it's nothing like the northern states. Am I safe just leaving it as-is and starting it up once a week just to let it run a few minutes? I do that now on the weeks I can't ride.

I put a little Seafoam and Marvel Mystery oil in mine, plug the tender in once a week for a day and when it gets above 45 and no snow I go for a ride.

Winterizing
 

In your climate, just keep it on a tender and I wouldn't crank it unless I intended to ride it. Condensation can build up in the oil and unless you run it long enough to make it vaporize, you will be doing more harm than good. There are several gas stations in my area that sell 100% gas and I keep it filled with that gas all the time unless on a trip.

I lived in Portland, Oregon for a while. Even there I was able to find an opportunity for a ride at least every other week. I would imagine you should be able to do that in Georgia.

If the same gas is not going to be used for a few months...yes, add a fuel stabilizer like SeaFoam.

Put it on a a Battery Tender, to keep the battery happy. Not a trickle charger! Make sure it is a battery tender, like the brand BatteryTender.

Don't start it for a few minutes. That can cause more issues by not completely burning off all the moisture.

Ride that scoot!! Winterization is for the folks that don't see temps above 0 for months on end, or don't have clear pavement for the same time....Says the guy from San Diego.

What's winter?

Sounds good to me then!
I've already got a tender for it. I plug it in once a week to top off the battery.
With these lace wheels I've got to check my air pressure before every ride too, but that's a different story.

Um, isn't this post several months early????? :icon_steer:

But Stabil and battery tender should cover you. Now if you are storing it yourself in a shed or a garage that has had mice and such in the past I'd recommend covering over your tailpipe holes and removing your leather/Vinyl items and storing them someplace safer. Mice will make a nice nest in your seat or in your mufflers if given the chance.

Don't just start it for a few minutes....that makes things worse with moisture in there, getting into the oil. Never gets hot enough to burn off the moisture. If you're going to start it..ride it for at least a half hour.

Change oil BEFORE storage. You don't want the acids of old oil sitting on the surfaces of the inside of engine all winter.

I live up north. I typically ride at least once per month..but some winters I can go for 6 maybe 7 weeks without. I put it on an old fashioned trickle charger for a day maybe once a month or 6 weeks.

Keep gas tank full. Any open space in there can allow moisture to get in, rust, get into gas, etc.

I don't do stabilizers/storage stuff..haven't since..oh, the 80's. These days they put in so much detergents and stabilizers..it's already in there. Never have a problem in any/all of my equipment lately without it. Bikes, boats, tractor, yard equipment, whatever..they all start up just fine in the spring. But if you want to use sea foam or something to add even more..hey, it's your wallet, free country.

I move the bike about 1/2 a wheel rotation every 4-6 weeks or so, to keep a flat spot from forming. Actually since last year I just put her on the lift and lift her up a bit....since I got a lift. But when bike used to sit on the ground I've move it to keep flat spots from forming on the tires.

I have an old sloth car cover I just toss over it...or old bed sheet...keep dust off.

As mentioned above...if mice where you store it...plug the buttholes with steel wool or something.

Most winters I'm able to get a ride in every couple of weeks here in Middle TN. Our winters only really last 2-3 months and if you dress for the sub-50 degree days you'll be able to get out frequently. As said before don't start and let it idle. I've see all kinds of posts of moisture in the crankcase and oil pressure not getting high enough to properly lubricate all the bearings.

It freezes here sometimes but all I ever did was hook my bike up to a battery tender, if I wasn't going to ride it for 3-4 days. Other than that, I was riding it if it was in the 40s or high 30s.