Joshua Maurer

Unfortunately there is a time of year when some people are unable to ride into the winter months. For those of us that have to store our motorcycle away for a few months, we have some steps we should do to make getting the bike out a simple and easy task in the spring. Below I will list the common steps you should take with your motorcycle, if you are storing it for a few months or a few years. Ridingwithoutreason.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Gas / Fuel Stabilizer - If you were wanting to do the minimum amount of work to store your bike, you need to at least do this. Adding fuel stabilizer like Sta-Bil to a full gas tank will keep the gas from separating. This wants to be avoided because bad gas will gunk up carbs or fuel injectors and make starting the motorcycle later a real chore. Not doing this will probably lead you into taking the fuel system apart to clean out all the bad gas. Steps to add Fuel Stabilizer: 1. Take a Bottle of fuel stabilizer with you to the gas station the day you plan to store the motorcycle. 2. Fill up the bike all the way to the top of the tank. 3. Add the correct amount of fuel stabilizer to the tank. 4. Let the bike run for about 10 minutes to let the treated gas get through the entire fuel system. Usually riding home from the gas station is enough time for most people. Battery Tender - A battery tender keeps your motorcycle's battery fully charged by charging it very slowly. This keeps the battery ready to go when you pull the bike out of storage. I use a Battery Tender to keep my battery fully charged and I even installed a adapter cable to my battery to make plugging it in a breeze. Steps to install a Battery Tender or Trickle Charger: 1. Clip The positive and negative clips to there respective counterparts on the battery. 2. Plug the charger into the wall. 3. Verify that the status light (if it has one) gives a charging reading. If the battery tender you get has a adapter cable that can be bolted to the battery, I would install this so you don't have to pull the battery out of the bike. Lifting the Bike - You want to get the motorcycle off it tires while in storage. Leaving the motorcycle on its tires could create flat spots on the tire which you will end up feeling when you are going down the road. In some cases the flat spot can work itself out, but it's just better not to get them in the first place. Some older bikes have center stands along with there normal kickstand. If your motorcycle has it all you need to do it lift the front tire off the ground. I use the Venom Motorcycle Stands and have never had a problem with them. Steps to Lift Motorcycle: 1. Get a set of Motorcycle lift stands. These are just metal stands that pick the bike up from the front and rear tire mounts. 2. If your motorcycle has a center stand, put it up on that. If you have a good lifting point near the front tire, you could use a jack stand on the frame some where to hold up the front end. 3. Verify that both tires are not supporting the weight of the Motorcycle. Cover - This is more of a optional thing (unless you store it outside) to put a cover over the bike. If storing the bike in a garage, this basically keeps the dust off the bike and gives a little protection for your paint. If storing outside, this will help keep the sun, rain, bugs, animals, etc. from getting on or in the bike. You might also want to cover up all major opening on the bike like the air intake and exhaust so small animals cannot get inside and build a nest. Oil Change - This one is pretty cut and dry. You could also change your oil and oil filter in the spring. But doing it now means there is one last thing you need to do in the spring, when all you want to do is just ride. Some will also argue that leaving old oil in the engine is not a good practice. Refer to your owners manual to see what type of oil and filter you should use. I have done both ways to my own bike and have not noticed a difference. But it was nicer to have the oil change done already when spring time came around. Drain Tank and Carbs (Long Term Storage) - If you are planning on storing the motorcycle for years, you want to completely remove all the gas from the fuel system. You cannot leave gas in the bike, even with fuel stabilizer, because the stabilizer only works for so long. You also need to disconnect the negative battery terminal. Doing most or all of this now will save you time in the spring when you pull out the motorcycle and fire it up. Hopefully it will be a fairly simple process to get it running after the winter months. Nothing is worse than wanting to ride, only to find out you need to do a lot of work to get it running. Your bike will thank you for all the preparation you did in the fall.