How To Winterize Your Bike
Preparing your bike for long term storage can be a daunting task at first, however it’s actually quite simple. Here is how to winterize your bike in 7 easy steps.
#1 - Fuel
The first and most important thing is to take care of the fuel. I personally like to drain the fuel out my my tank if I have not been riding recently. Fuel can begin to break down in as little as two weeks, so for best results, start with fresh ethanol free fuel in the correct octane for your bike.
I like to mix the fuel directly in a can to get the best mix, however this step isn’t necessary if you’re adding fuel stabil at the time of fill up. I’ll usually just ride my street bike to the gas station and pour in the appropriate amount of fuel treatment then immediately fill the tank to the brim with fresh 91 octane ethanol free fuel. My race bike isn’t street legal so I will drain the tank, dispose of the old fuel accordingly (usually just dump it in my truck), and go to the gas station to get the fresh fuel.
Once your have additive inside the tank you need to run the bike long enough for the treated fuel to make it through the entire fuel system. I’ll typically go for one last ride for the season at this time – usually a minimum of 10-20 miles at all RPM’s to ensure fuel makes it through both the primary and secondary fuel injectors. On my race bike I will put a box fan on the radiator to keep fresh air moving into the engine and I’ll idle my bike for around 20 minutes, being sure to hold it above 8,000 RPM for a short amount of time as this is where the secondary injectors kick in on my R6.
After you have run the bike for a short period, top the fuel off one more time with treated fuel and leave the bike off until the next time you’re ready to ride. Whenever you start the bike you build up condensation. This condensation normally burns out as the engine gets hot, but if you’re starting the engine and only running it for a few minutes at a time, the engine never truly gets hot enough to burn this condensation out. If you repeat this enough, you will eventually get so much moisture inside the engine that your oil begins to foam, it will look about the same color as a latte, and the added moisture can cause corrosion inside the engine. There is no reason to start a bike while it’s in storage if it has been properly “winterized.”
#2 - Oil
It’s a good idea to do an oil change at the end of the season, though this step isn’t entirely necessary. Contaminants in the oil can react with the internals of your engine and cause corrosion. It’s best to use the same oil that you typically run in the bike but that’s not always the most financially feasible option as the oil will need to be flushed again in the spring for your first ride of the year. I will personally use a cheaper (though still high quality) oil for this. If you have a modern Sportbike with a wet clutch it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you use an oil with a JASO MA/2 rating to prevent damage to the clutch. Using traditional oil, like you would in your car, that isn’t rated for a wet clutch will leave you needing to replace the clutch prematurely.
#3 - Make Sure Its Clean
Cleaning the bike before you store the bike is always a good idea, especially if you’ve ridden late into the year when your local city has applied salt or magnesium chloride to the road. These chemicals are corrosive and can cause damage to your bike, so it’s best to remove them as quickly as possible to protect your bike from corrosion.
#4 - Lube chain
The chain is easy to neglect, but it also needs to be protected. Clean it thoroughly and apply your preferred wax or chain lube. I personally use Maxima Chain Wax on my bikes year round. Applying chain lube/wax helps protect the chain from rust and helps prevent any cracking in the o-rings.
#5 - Battery trickle charger
If you don’t properly maintain the battery, you may go to start your bike next spring and find that it won’t start. A battery trickle charger is key to getting the longest life out of your battery. It’s recommended to plug your bike in whenever you’re not regularly riding regardless of the time of year. If you can’t afford a trickle charger, your next best option is to remove the battery from the bike and bring it inside where it will stay warm all winter.
Not all trickle chargers are the same and using the wrong type on your battery can ruin your battery. If you have a lithium-ion battery it’s important that you use a charger rated for a lithium-ion battery.
You wan’t the lowest charging amperage you can find, my favorite charger, made by Ctek, charges at 0.8 amps. You may notice that many of the lower priced battery maintainers will charge at a higher amperage, usually around 4 amps.
#6 - Tires on stands or rubber/plastic – no cardboard or concrete
Another step often overlooked is ensuring you take care of your tires. The best practice is to keep them off the ground and keep the bike on stands. If you don’t have stands, put them on a rubber mat or a plastic sack. Concrete and cardboard will pull moisture out of tires, which will decrease the overall amount of grip in your tires. If you’re going to keep your tires on the ground, it’s a good idea to move the bike every few weeks to help prevent your tires from flat spotting. For best results, keep the tires in a climate-controlled area – I actually keep my slicks inside a large plastic bag in my office over winter so they are never exposed to extreme cold or extreme temperature fluctuations.
#7 - Cover
The last thing we need to do is put our bike under a cover. If you don’t have a cover a blanket works great! Protecting our bikes from dust/debris will help protect them with time, even if you’re keeping the bike in the garage. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been working in the garage and my covers have kept the bikes safe from accidentally getting chemicals or paint on them from whatever I happen to be working on. A cheap $15-30 cover is more than enough if you’re storing the bike in a garage, if it’s being left outside I’d suggest spending some more money and getting a quality cover.
Optional Bonus Steps
Cover exhaust
Another piece of cheap protection is to just put a plastic sack over the exhaust and secure it with a rubber band. This isn’t required but it can help prevent anything from moving in, like insects. or anything from accidentally falling into the garage. We’ve all dropped something that’s gone into a weird spot and thought “what are the odds of that?” So add a cheap layer of protection and cover the exhaust.
Cylinder fogger
Cylinder fogger is a great extra level of protection, though it’s significantly more complicated to use than just a regular fuel treatment, especially if you have a modern Sportbike. Fogger works by coating the inside of the cylinder walls and the top of the piston with a protective layer to help prevent rust from developing inside the engine. I personally don’t typically bother with this for short term storage, but I have used it when I stored my race bike for just under 2 years. In order to apply cylinder fogger you have to remove each spark plug and put a squirt of cylinder fogger directly into the engine, so on modern sport bikes that require you to remove the fuel tank and air box in order to access the spark plugs, it adds a level of time and difficulty that you may not be comfortable with.
