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From: 12 year, Colombia, 4 years Mexico, currently In Kuwait, but Boston is HOME!!
Returing to riding have two questions
Hello all,
Well, after a long hiatus it seems that I am going to be back in the saddle again. I was a regular on the site for a while, but then I had some brain issues, seizures to be more specific. I was told not to ride and having been told that, while I was in Mexico, I sold my road king and had my ultra-limited shipped back to Boston. I moved from Mexico to Kuwait for work reasons. Before shipping off I winterized my limited waxed her up good, polished the chrome, tendered the battery, changed all the fluids, cleaned and changed all the filters, put her up on blocks in the garage and covered her up. The garage is not heated and the Boston winters tend to be cold.
I will be returning to Boston to ride this summer as the medication that have has fended off the seizures for a year and a half. I love my 2010 limited and put many a mile on her, but I was thinking about getting another sporty, road king or something just for daily use while I am home over the summer. I have not owned a car for 16 years and taking small jaunts on the limited just to go to the store can be a pain in the ***. So a small, very second hand scoot would do the trick. In reading many write ups for bikes being sold I see that many people write that their bikes have always been in a heated garage. Here are my two questions Does keeping a bike in cold storage cause damage? What is the proper way to de-winterize a bike that has been sitting for a year and half?
I am so looking forward to getting home and getting back on the bike for some major road trips but want to make sure I do the right thing in getting her up and running again. Like I said I have done all the needed winterizing and it has been blocked up. Any comments and advice would be helpful.
Timmy B
Timmy B welcome back. I have owned my '03 since '11, in Wisconsin. One year it was stored at the dealer, when I had the Tensioner upgrade, but otherwise it has been in unheated storage. One year I stored it in a storage unit, uncovered. It was brutally cold that year. 5 weeks below zero. When it was -23 the bike got a coating of ice on it. I melted it with a hair dryer, dried the bike off, and covered with an HD breathable cover. That stopped the icing. Bike still looks good.
First day out of storage
Just started my bike this week. It ran flawlessly. I don't leave it on a Tender, just hook it up for a day once a month.
My 07 RK has been cold stored every winter and has suffered no ill effects. 2 of those winters were in Yellowknife. It doesn't get much colder than that. Yours will be fine. An welcome back to the forum and riding.
If you're working in Kuwait you're probably banking a bunch of money.
DoD and private industry typically pay tons to work and live out there. Did for me anyway.
If you have money, store your bike at a Dealership... right before you fly in, have them do the service/clean it etc. Just walk right in and ride out. Zero worries.
IF the bike has sat a long time. Change the battery, pull plugs added just a little marvel mystery oil to each CYL let it sit a day. Change all oil and lube. If it has been a long time drain fuel and replace add some sea foam to the new fuel. Turn it over with plugs out a bit replace plugs and fire it up allow it to idle and warm up good. Ride.
change oil and lube again after some riding. Welcome back to two wheels.
Hey Timmy, welcome back. Just make sure the fluids are fresh that way there is no doubt. Crank and let it run, check it over good and take a little ride around, check it again and if all is good , go for it.
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Returing to riding have two questions
