Winter Storage - Pros/Cons
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
For free! Don't pass it up. In an unheated garage it will sweat in the spring out side in inside the engine.
Put Sta-Bil in and take the bike and tender to the dealer. You bike will be glad you did.
Put Sta-Bil in and take the bike and tender to the dealer. You bike will be glad you did.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 33,718
Likes: 3,723
From: Connecticut.
I live in north NJ . I store my bikes for many years in unheated garage all winter and never had a problem . I picked up a couple of 4x6 rubber mat from tractor supply for the floor that the Bike sits on . Battery always on tender and use Startron in gas . I try to ride until December and if no salt on roads will ride all winter unless below 20 F. The bike has set for 3 plus months with no problem . Sometimes I do cover because I am in and out of garage usually to get snow blower and shovels . The only con is you cannot ride .
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 28,842
Likes: 16,582
From: Wisconsin, USA
I store my bike in an unheated Wisconsin garage. I do many of the things Gary does with a few exceptions.
1. Wash and wax bike.
2. Add Stabil
3. Ride to gas station to fill tank with non-ethanol premium.
4. Change oil
5. Store in garage. Set Security in storage mode. I attach my Batteryminder Plus once a month and leave on for a day.
6. I put steel wool in exhaust pipes to keep mice out.
7. Cover with Harley breathable cover. The year we had a brutal Winter. I stored it in a storage shed, that wasn't airtight. I listened to someone on here and didn't cover it. When it was 30 below and 40 mph winds my whole bike was covered in a 1/2" of ice.
I melted it with a hair dryer, and kept the cover on after that. No more condensation.
I stored it with a bag of Damp Rid the first few years, but got away from that.
The year I had my tensioners upgraded, I stored it at the dealer. I missed it. I like having it in my garage.
1. Wash and wax bike.
2. Add Stabil
3. Ride to gas station to fill tank with non-ethanol premium.
4. Change oil
5. Store in garage. Set Security in storage mode. I attach my Batteryminder Plus once a month and leave on for a day.
6. I put steel wool in exhaust pipes to keep mice out.
7. Cover with Harley breathable cover. The year we had a brutal Winter. I stored it in a storage shed, that wasn't airtight. I listened to someone on here and didn't cover it. When it was 30 below and 40 mph winds my whole bike was covered in a 1/2" of ice.
I melted it with a hair dryer, and kept the cover on after that. No more condensation.
I stored it with a bag of Damp Rid the first few years, but got away from that.
The year I had my tensioners upgraded, I stored it at the dealer. I missed it. I like having it in my garage.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 14,731
Likes: 2,536
From: Mountain Top, Alabama
Down here, my winterizing consists of using the battery tender more often, and adding Seafoam to each tank of fuel all winter, as with my mowers, etc. I will still get to ride at least once a week or so, but with frequent wide temperature changes comes a greater chance for condensation. Storing any fuel with ethanol is a concern to me. THAT'S WHY I use Seafoam all winter, and always be sure to get it thru out the system as well, not just in the tank.
This corn gas does have downsides that we need to deal with in regard to storage.
Honda has some recommendations with regard to fuel storage/stabilizers:
http://engines.honda.com/parts-and-s...ecommendations
This corn gas does have downsides that we need to deal with in regard to storage.
Honda has some recommendations with regard to fuel storage/stabilizers:
http://engines.honda.com/parts-and-s...ecommendations
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,264
Likes: 690
From: WESTERN CHICAGO AREA
Gary Dyer added a couple of worthwhile points that no one else mentioned. I put some oil into the cylinders and turn the engine over by hand. He uses fogging oil. I just use motor oil. About 5-10 cc's worth. I also put sandwich baggies over the end of the mufflers with rubber bands. Prevents humid air from having a path into the cylinders. The air filter serves the same purpose on the intake side.
Anything over the mufflers will help keep out mice. I do the baggies and steel wool - mice really hate steel wool.
The latest issue of Motorcycle Consumer News has a great article on winter or long term storage. Very interesting. Basically recommends everything I said. After 50 years of storing, I think I pretty much have a handle on how to store a bike. That S100 product is fantastic - no I don't have stock in the company - just years of trial and error experience.
BTW: Motorcycle Consumer News is the best magazine on the market. JMHO
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,520
Likes: 270
From: Wellsboro, PA
I'm with everybody else. Mine's stored out of the weather, but not out of the cold. It's a concrete floor foyer of a barn. Full tank of gas, Stabil, battery tender, and leave it alone until you're ready to get out for a ride. Somebody told me years ago to put cardboard under the tires too. Not sure why, but I do it anyway. Re. a cover, I recently found out that new bikes come with a cheap cover that usually gets thrown out, according to a dealer near me who just gave it to me. Try that before you spend money on a heavy duty cover. I can also fold up this cheap cover, and put it in the tourpak or saddlebag for when I go on a trip. I can cover the bike at night in the motel parking lot in case there's a lot of dew overnight.
Last edited by Geezr Glidr; Sep 30, 2016 at 09:01 AM.
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