I don't trust out local HD dealership anymore to store my bike over the winter.

I have a 2-car attached garage with a family room above it. It does get cold but does retain some warmth from the rest of the house. But temperatures in Mass can get down to 10 degrees or less in the worst of winter.

What do I need to know to store the bike in the garage?

I have a battery tender ready to go. I also know that I should fill the tank to capacity to have no air in it. But what else?

Thanks!!

 

They say to do your Oil Change before storage as well . even with the full tank make sure you put Stabil or SeaFoam in it as well. You have the tender so just make sure you don't go start it just to start it , if not going for at least a 20/30min ride .

 

I'm in Maine, so similar weather. I clean my bike, get the oil changed, put in stabil and fill the tank, run it a short distance to get he stabil thru the system, park it, remove the batter and put it on a tender in my basement, cover the bike, and wish for an early Spring. This method has always worked well for me. If you pull the battery, don't store it on a concrete floor. I've been told that is not good for the battery. I keep mine on a wooden work bench with the tender hooked up.

 

Below is a link to a page on the AMA's web site about winter storage.

http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/...BikeRight.aspx

Below are some general statements I've accumulated through the years.

Add Sta-Bil or a similar preservative to a full fuel tank. Run the engine a few minutes to circulate the fuel through the carb or injectors and fuel line. I usually fill my tank at the station, ride home, add Sta-Bil, slosh it around some, and then start the engine for a few minutes.

Give the bike a good washing and waxing to protect the paint and chrome. Allow the bike to completely dry before putting a a dust cover of some type on the bike. Maybe wash it before riding to the station to buy gas for the last time so the riding helps finish drying everything. Let it cool when you get home and then give it a good wax. If you keep the bike washed and waxed, this step may not be necessary.

Put the battery on a Battery Tender brand battery maintainer (or whatever brand you choose) and leave it connected all winter. If you already have the pigtail on the bike, use it...no need to remove the battery. The comment about storage of a battery on a concrete floor is just a rumor. If you check the web sites of battery manufacturers you will see they all say it does not make any difference.

Do not start the bike over the winter. Starting an engine and just letting it idle generates moisture in the crankcase that will not evaporate until you ride it long enough to get it up to operating temperatures, such as 15 or more miles at highway speed.

Check the bike once in a while over the winter to make sure everything still looks OK. Look for evidence of mice or other varmints, check to see that the battery maintainer is still working, check the tires to ensure proper inflation, and anything else you see that looks unusual.

Next spring when you get the bike out, check all fluid levels and the tire pressure before riding. Look over the bike to see if everything looks acceptable. Disconnect the battery maintainer, start it and let it idle for a couple minutes to make sure everything still works as intended, including checking all the lights including stop lights and turn signals. Go for a ride and enjoy.

Hope this helps.

 

just a tip on the batt storage, it certainly doesn't hurt putting it on wood, but the thing about cement was for the old rubber cased batteries, would suck the voltage right out of them and sulfate the plates, not so with the newer plastic batt. cases

 

Psssst, buy some Gerbings and don't put your bike away...

Or do as they say above...

Sorry, I love to ride in the cold...with my Gerbings of course. And yes, it gets cold in Oklahoma, and snows and rains and ices.

 

Plus, as Morris9982 points out, just starting the bike and letting it idle will cause moisture to accumulate in the crankcase. That same rule applies to when you change your oil pre-storage. Ride the bike at normal operating temperature for about 15 minutes before changing the oil (and change the oil filter too).

Also, when you check the engine oil level in the spring, it may look too low. This can happen with Softail models, so don't think that the oil leaked somewhere. If you filled it correctly pre-storage, it's still in there (unless you see it on the floor). Let the enginge warm up before checking and adding any oil.

And use a breatable storage cover to allow moisture under the cover to evaporate.

Good idea to make sure the tire pressure is correct also.

 

 

Thanks everyone, that really helps. Someone was telling me I'd better "fog" my engine, but so far no one here has said that. Not even sure what that is, but I can look it up if need be.

And yeah dude, I wear my heated gear until the salt goes down on the roads. Then that's the end of riding for the season.

 

Well, I do fog the engines of the boat and Waverunners...never done to my bikes. Yamaha and most marine engine manufacturers sell an aerosol fog for winterizing...don't think HD has anything like that. Just spray until it dies...

Salt sucks, we get salt/sand mix put down here...plus some weird mix of something red with the sand (vegetable/fruit of some sort....weird).