White smoke coming from engine
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 311
Likes: 52
From: Virginia Beach, VA
Well, I'm not saying the OP does this, but ..., I have a neighbor who owns a Harley clone. It's pretty nice, and it's not a cheap bike. He comes out to his garage and starts the thing up every week or so and lets it sit there and idle for 15 - 20 minutes, then puts it back in the garage. It's irritating to me because I can hear the thing all through my condo when he does this. I don't think I've ever seen him ride the thing. I guess it's sort of like a "trophy bike".
HDF Community Team
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,601
Likes: 4,037
From: San Diego, CA
Well, I'm not saying the OP does this, but ..., I have a neighbor who owns a Harley clone. It's pretty nice, and it's not a cheap bike. He comes out to his garage and starts the thing up every week or so and lets it sit there and idle for 15 - 20 minutes, then puts it back in the garage. It's irritating to me because I can hear the thing all through my condo when he does this. I don't think I've ever seen him ride the thing. I guess it's sort of like a "trophy bike".
Your neighbor is an idiot.
John
Thread Starter
|
Novice
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 22
Likes: 2
From: Glendale AZ
Thank you for all the replies. I hear everyones suggestions. I did do the sta-bil thing last time it was going to sit for a few months and that still caused me to have to replace the fuel injection. Harley mechanic says they dont buy in to it. And this was after I had taken it to them months early where they had to do multiple other repairs because the gas had sit too long and gummed up. I used to be a daily rider so having it sit like this is not normal for me so Im trying to take as much advice as I can get. Im just going to drain the tank if its going to sit. Though, there has also been people saying thats bad because that can also cause condensation.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 7,890
Likes: 4,451
From: Texas
Thats very interesting the stabilizer didnt work. How much per gallon? When you put stabilizer in, did you mix it around and run the engine long enough to get the stabilizer into the fuel injectors?
I have lawn equipment sit for 6+months with stabilizer in ethanol fuel and never had an issue so its strange to me to hear this.
I have lawn equipment sit for 6+months with stabilizer in ethanol fuel and never had an issue so its strange to me to hear this.
Last edited by BrandonSmith; Feb 14, 2024 at 09:10 AM.
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2023
Posts: 523
Likes: 406
From: So Western Ohio
My bike sits in a cold garage. A couple weeks ago we got a nice warm up around here. It went from below-freezing highs to the 50s. When the bike is cold like that and warm air came in it got covered with condensation. It's best to resist the urge to wipe it off since it won't work and leaves streaks, but the point is when cold meets warm, water condenses out of the air.
Running a cold engine for a few minutes warms it up enough to condense water from the air drawn into the engine after it is turned off. I learned this from a Kawasaki with an oil sight glass. The oil turned white like milk and stayed that way until the first long ride. I stopped running the engine back then and haven't done it since. I use SeaFoam and a full gas tank to keep air out of the tank, and thus water out of the tank. SeaFoam also cleans your fueling system as you ride so it has a place on my shelf.
Running a cold engine for a few minutes warms it up enough to condense water from the air drawn into the engine after it is turned off. I learned this from a Kawasaki with an oil sight glass. The oil turned white like milk and stayed that way until the first long ride. I stopped running the engine back then and haven't done it since. I use SeaFoam and a full gas tank to keep air out of the tank, and thus water out of the tank. SeaFoam also cleans your fueling system as you ride so it has a place on my shelf.
Last edited by Rufus13; Feb 14, 2024 at 11:53 AM.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 1,849
Likes: 1,953
From: Santa Ana, CA
For clarification you should not just start your bike and go to town. You should actually let it warm up a little first. At least until the heads start to warm up a little which usually only takes a few minutes. Going to town on a cold engine is what causes base gasket leaks and the like.
Thread Starter
|
Novice
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 22
Likes: 2
From: Glendale AZ
Thats very interesting the stabilizer didnt work. How much per gallon? When you put stabilizer in, did you mix it around and run the engine long enough to get the stabilizer into the fuel injectors?
I have lawn equipment sit for 6+months with stabilizer in ethanol fuel and never had an issue so its strange to me to hear this.
I have lawn equipment sit for 6+months with stabilizer in ethanol fuel and never had an issue so its strange to me to hear this.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window
Verdad Gallardo
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 972
Likes: 1,016
From: Knoxville
I warm up the engine for a minute or two while gearing up. Rule of thumb is do not heavily load any engine until oil temp is at least 150 degrees. Starting, idling and then shutting down is never a good idea.
On my water cooled vehicles, I do not start them unless they are run long enough for the t-stat to pop. My air cooled stuff is always run until the oil is 180ish, IR temp guns are cheap.
I’d grab some cover gaskets and replace or clean the breathers, then light the candle on the old oil, run the bike and change the oil.
good luck
On my water cooled vehicles, I do not start them unless they are run long enough for the t-stat to pop. My air cooled stuff is always run until the oil is 180ish, IR temp guns are cheap.
I’d grab some cover gaskets and replace or clean the breathers, then light the candle on the old oil, run the bike and change the oil.
good luck