Wintering the Bike

Anybody got tips for laying up the bike for the winter? I have a 2 month-old
(well its `95 reg,but I only got it in August, after a 15-yr gap from riding
2 wheels ) BabyBlade. Various people have said to drain the petrol/oil,
smother it with vaseline, hook it up to a trickle charger, put it onto a
middle stand (its on a side stand) to avoid the tyres `flatting`, yet others
have said no need to do all this and there will be the odd nice day when I
can take it out for a blast, that I only need to disconnect the battery if
its garaged, and all I need to do is move the bike every now and then onto a
different spot on the tyres.
Its going into a friends garage once I make some room for it, rather than
outside in my yard, under a breathable bike cover at the moment.

Suggestions anyone?

cheers
Caz
CBR400RR Red/white/purple

 

Highly recommend a trickle charger. Also run the engine once every 10 days
or so - if you roll it out the garage to do so then you should avoid any
flat spots on the tyres. Key tip is don't let the battery go flat or the
carbs dry out. Not sure that the rest of the precautions (vaseline etc) are
really worthwhile if it's in a garage.


Wes
R1150RT
CBR900RR

 

Except, as I discoverd the other day, you really need to *ride* the bike,
not just leave it idling outside.[1]
Then again, I do have an alarm.

[1] it wouldn't start after being left alone for three weeks.

 

Cheers, thanks for that. Seems a lot easier to do it that way.
Roll on Spring when I can really learn about riding it...
Anybody been on a BikeSafe course (think they are usually run by local
police)
and able to recommend it?

 

Carolyn wrote

Don't.

 

Eh? That's hardly likely for a winter lay-up

Actually, better to dry them completely. I drain the carbs on the 400F,
either by running it with the fuel off until it conks out completely, or
my undoing the drain screws, which is a bit messier.

Every so often I run it up, and then drain them again.

 

May I ask why?
I know that you can end up with a residue, but wouldn't running the bike
occasionally do away with this?

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

Yes, it would. But with the British climate you never know whether
you'll be able to take the bike out or not. Or you may be unable to run
the thing because of other commitments, work and whatever.

 

sez u the hardened biker! Only having had it 2 months & still getting used
to it & being on the road on 2 wheels etc (which is lots of fun-I had
forgotten), I dont want to lose my confidence by going out in the wet or
ice, so thought the best thing would be to look after it as much as I could
over the winter months.. of course, if weather permits, I will be taking it
out now & then. Some of you will probably say I should get the benefit of
experiencing all kinds of riding scenarios, but I dont feel ready just yet.
Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated!

Caz

 

While I can understand your reluctance there is always a first time for
everything. Even if you build more miles next year you may still feel
the same come next winter. I won't say it is a delight riding in the
cold and wet - it isn't but neither is it so bad that it is impossible
to do. Learning to read the road for winter weather conditions and
finely balancing your controls do actually help to make you a better
rider overall. Plus there are some nice winter days when a ride out in
the crisp sunshine is well worth it. Finally you won't need to retrain
yourself on how to ride come next March when all the Summer Bikers
emerge from hibernation and then promptly wobble round corners at 10 mph
or fall off

Just my 2p worth.

 

If you do that then you won't need to lay it up. Leave it connected to
an Optimate or similar, and every couple of months take it out for a
spin. Use both brakes hard a few times to free them. Keep the petrol
tank nearly empty, and put a few litres of fresh petrol in at the
start of each ride. Make sure the chain is well oiled.

I've done this for a few winters, without probs.

 

Carolyn wrote

Everybody is allowed to draw the line at ice and snow. The rest of the
weather conditions should be looked upon as an opportunity to sharpen
your biking skills.

Half the speed, twice the fun.

 

You'd be better off keeping it nearly full - less problems with
condensation in the tank, corrosion, etc. (Unless you have a plastic
tank, like wot I have, in which case it doesn't really matter.)

Did you do the same with the GSXF?

That might explain why it started leaking... ;^)

 

PFF. There's nothing like going for a blast with snow at the side of
the road. The added "is there/isn't there black ice on this corner?"
excitement is inimitable.

 

There is something perversely enjoyable about silently sliding down the
road at the same speed as your bike and both landing in a snow drift with
a sort of "flump" noise.

DAMHIK...yadda yadda

 

Does enough air displace the petrol fumes for that to be a problem? I
do what I do so that the petrol is pretty much replaced without having
to ride a fair distance.

I can't remember!

Might it?

 

I believe it does, yes. What gets sucked into the tank as the petrol
gets consumed?

(When I used to drive tractors, I remember it being specified in one of
the manuals that the tank should be filled every night, for exactly this
reason.)

I understand that - but if you're using it every now and then anyway, I
don't think you'd have much problem with the fuel going off.

It might. It developed a leak around the seam near the back of the tank,
where the shape of the tank allows condensation to settle if the fuel
level is too low.

 

Fair enough. I just sort of imagined petrol fumes gradually displacing
the air.

I may have to rethink, then. Having said that, I can't imagine many
parts of a teapot not rusting.

 

The (admittedly, after-market) exhaust hasn't.

However, it did crack at one of the joins, and required welding. Just
before MOT time, as well. Typical.

 

Mild steel teapots are rare creatures indeed.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
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