ISSUE 419 • GARAGE BUILD • 71If you have to store your motorcycle away from a
power source, you’ll need to remove it and bring
it inside. Good trickle chargers, like this Pulse Tech
Extreme Charge, unit constantly tests the battery
and provides the right amount of charge to keep it
maintained during storage.A motorcycle cover should fit your bike so that it stays
in place and covers the whole thing down to the wheels.
This one from Nelson Rigg has fit a variety of motorcycles
I’ve had, including this BMW R nine T Scrambler.Covering airboxes with rags or tape and stuffing steel
wool in the exhaust ports will keep critters out of your
bike’s engine. Don’t forget to remove it before starting
the bike back up though!You’ll need a small plastic tube, jar, and a screwdriver
to manually drain each carb float bowl. Attach the tube
to the drain nipple at the bottom of the carb and have
the jar at the other end to catch the fuel. Then turn the
drain screw so that it opens up. After the fuel is done
draining, tighten the screw again, but be careful not
to overtighten. This screw is very soft and strips easily!
Repeat for each carb.
tion will occur. A metal tank will begin
to corrode under these conditions and
cause rust to form, which can weaken
your tank and eventually clog fuel
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ing its components separate into layers
of goop. Using a fuel stabilizer, such as
Sta-Bil, in your fuel will prevent this
process and will also absorb moisture.
Before you put the bike away for
the season, ride it until it’s almost out of
fuel. Bring the stabilizer with you to the
fuel station and add it before topping
off the tank. Then, during the few miles
back home the stabilizer will have a
change to get through the system.
way to prevent this from happening is
to plug the entrances, which are typi-
cally exhaust pipes and air boxes.
- Inflate the tires or elevate
If you leave your motorcycle parked
in one position for a long time the tires
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to prevent this is to elevate it so the
tires are off the ground. If this is an
option, you’ll want to reduce the tire
pressure by 20 percent.
If you don’t elevate your bike, you
may also consider periodically moving
WKHELNHWRSUHYHQWWKRVHàDWVSRWV - Remove and charge
the battery
If you leave your bike without tending
to the battery, you may as well save up
to buy a new battery in the spring, as all
batteries naturally discharge over time. - Empty the carburetors Purchasing a good 12V trickle charger
If you have a fuel-injected motorcycle,
you can skip to the next step. But if
you have a carbureted motorcycle, you
need to get all the fuel out of the carbs
to prevent the jets and needles from
getting plugged with the old fuel. One
easy method to run them dry is to turn
your fuel supply valve (petcock) to the
off position and let the bike run until
it’s simply out of gas. - Plug the exhaust
and airbox
Anytime you store your bike for a long
period of time, you run the risk of crit-
ters getting into your engine to make
a nice home for themselves. One easy
is the best investment you can make to
maintain your bike’s battery.
Beware of cheap ($10) bat-
tery chargers. Most of them do not
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provide a constant charge regardless
of the battery’s condition, which can
do more harm than good to a battery.
Many people think that just
running your bike every few weeks
during winter is a good method to
keeping the battery maintained.
Believe it or not, this is actually more
harmful to your motorcycle. By idling
your motorcycle in cold weather,
you are essentially stripping oil from
cylinders and pistons, which you’d
coated nicely when you put your bike
away properly. You’re also using fuel,
which is creating more air in the tank
(remember the corrosion lesson?).
If you have an opportunity to
actually ride the bike, then certainly
by all means ride! (Just watch for
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and do all your other preride checks
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motorcycle doesn’t actually get it up
to operating temperature, no matter
how long you let it run. And if you
do go out for a ride, you need to go
through all the other winterizing steps
all over again.- Cover it
The last step to storing your bike is to
protect it with a cover. I’ve used old
sheets, dropcloths, moving blankets,
you name it. But there’s no substitute
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your bike. GB