Winter Chill - Kills! *Prepairing for Cold Storage*

[Mr.Wizard]

There are several threads about what everyone does to prepare for cold weather. We don't really have it super cold like many of you guys do but we do put our bikes up for a while.

If this takes off I'll make it a sticky. This way there is no need to search.

How about it guys.. What do you do to prepare for your winter months on your Harley?

I'll start with an easy one... Never store a dirty bike. A good wash and wax job will keep your baby shinning all through the storage months when you put a blanket on her for bedtime.


:wave4:

 

[icebite1]

Re: Winter Chill - Kills Prepairing for Cold Storage

Mines pretty easy, oil and filter change General look over and clean up. Then into my heated barn and covered for the winter.

 

[OlBandit]

Re: Winter Chill - Kills Prepairing for Cold Storage

Mine is easy too! Keep on riding, the streets are cleaned of snow inside 24 hours usually, so I dont store it, I ride all winter long My heated gear is good down to about -20 degrees

 

[STG246]

Re: Winter Chill - Kills Prepairing for Cold Storage

I usually wash, wax, oil change, Sta-Bil in the tank, top off the fuel, check tire pressures and I usually pull the spark plugs and spray some fogging oil in the cylinders then turn it over a couple times to coat the cylinder walls, if its in a place where chipmunks, mice etc can possibly get in I bring the seat in the house and stick steel wool in the pipes, the critters love building nests in there...Oh and hook it up to the battery tender...

Ryan

 

[rhino 2]

Re: Winter Chill - Kills Prepairing for Cold Storage

I ride all year, I didn't buy a 30 thousand dollar Machine to store 4 or 5 months a year.
But i ''can'' understand why some would. ThumbUp

 

[Skeet7373]

How do the owners put a bike in storage at the dealer? I couldn't stand it to know my bike was not in my garage. Oh, it does get cold in Tennessee, but the last few years, people are still riding in the winter months, especially if we have warm days that are sunny and 50-70 degrees. Yep, TN has gotten warmer during the winter than past decades. I may only ride in the neighborhood, but I can say "I rode on Jan 1"! I hate cold, got too fat for any cold weather gear, but if no snow on the roads, the trike will be ridden on xmas day and Jan 1. They don't make enough cow skin anymore for me to ride in the cold. I know I need to step into the 21st Century, they do make heated gear. Or else I look like the Michelin tire man. Or maybe I should leave the engine mods alone until March, trike would be warm and toasty to ride....not

 

[Skeet7373]

Oops, and your question was what to do for the winter months. Wash, wax, clean everything, check fluid levels, on the little trickle thingy, and make sure the tank in full of fuel.

 

[rmrc51]

Re: Winter Chill - Kills Prepairing for Cold Storage

Mine is easy too! Keep on riding, the streets are cleaned of snow inside 24 hours usually, so I dont store it, I ride all winter long My heated gear is good down to about -20 degrees

Ditto! ThumbUp

 

[msocko3]

I'm with the majority, wash, wax, change fluids. Place it on a battery tender and cover it up for the long winters nap. We store them all in my dads garage which is heated and use my heated garage for any automotive work which may need done.

Winter is also a great time to do any upgrades one might be wanting to do. I seem to always have one or two motorcycle related projects planned for the winter.

 

[Oldmsocko]

I'm with the majority, wash, wax, change fluids. Place it on a battery tender and cover it up for the long winters nap. We store them all in my dads garage which is heated and use my heated garage for any automotive work which may need done.

Winter is also a great time to do any upgrades one might be wanting to do. I seem to always have one or two motorcycle related projects planned for the winter.

I do what has already been posted except I don't have my rear door totally closed. I close it and then push on the button to open it and that way it don't keep pressure on the gasket. Possibly that will prolong the life of the gasket and keep it from leaking. I always try to have a winter project so M3 don't get bored.

 

[meredog]

Re: Winter Chill - Kills Prepairing for Cold Storage

I usually wash, wax, oil change, Sta-Bil in the tank, top off the fuel, check tire pressures and I usually pull the spark plugs and spray some fogging oil in the cylinders then turn it over a couple times to coat the cylinder walls, if its in a place where chipmunks, mice etc can possibly get in I bring the seat in the house and stick steel wool in the pipes, the critters love building nests in there...Oh and hook it up to the battery tender...

Ryan

I was recently advised by my small engine shop to run engine till it runs out of gas if am to store equipment over 30 days------He said over 80 % of his repairs is carburetor work caused by ethanol---also advised against the use of sta-bil with ethanol fuel----

 

[kimber45]

I'm lucky to live in North Texas, I just keep riding all winter!

 

[Ozarkryder]

As with most here, wash, wax, oil change. Ride the trike until it is almost out of gas (about 20 miles after the low fuel light comes on) and fill with premium no-ethanol gas, (can still get it some places in MO) and add the recommended amount of Seafoam. Get a 5 gallon jerrycan of the the ethanol free gas and Seafoam that for topping off the tank at home. Check and replace brake, clutch, rear end fluid and coolant - replace as needed. Drain summer air out of tires and install proper winter air for your area.
Get out the heated gear, make sure all the plugs and controls work. Put the insulated liners back in the jackets , get out the winter gloves and neck wraps. I keep the battery maintainer plugged in - don't ride quite as much in the winter so it is good to keep the battery healthy.
Before each winter ride, make sure to check and adjust the PSI of the tires. For every 10° drop in temp, the tires drop 1psi. If you last checked your air pressure at 90° and the temp is now 40° you have lost 5psi. That is a big per cent of the air in the rears, as most of us seem to run somewhere around 20 psi.

 

[GARYD]

I did the same thing as STG246 does when I use to store my bike, but now I ride it all winter(Chicago). Years ago I even tied the clutch lever to the grip per an old timer saying it kept the plates from sticking together or something like that.
Instead of steel wool in the pipes, I just put a ziplock bag over the end with a rubberband - no rust.
Get the wheel off the ground and put corregated paper on the concrete floor under the whole bike.
Garage is not heated.
I would also spray the bike down with S&S Corrosion Protectant or equivalent if you also park your car in the garage after comming home with the car covered with snow and road salt.

As rino 2 said. ThumbUp

Then I sit back, close my eyes and get a big grin on my face listening to all the the others crying about how they can't wait for spring so they can ride again.

If you dress for it, it's not that bad riding in the winter.

 

[onahog]

Ditto as above, but every now an again over the 6-7 months my bikes have to sit for winter{Canada},,, I pull the clutch lever in...Helps to keep things movin and alows oil to get between plates..Just my 2 cents..HB

 

[wimoonshiner]

Clean it, make sure all 3 wheels are up on a piece of wood so it's off the concrete floor, steel wool up the exhaust pipes, Bounce fabric softner sheets every where ( ie. where ever there are wires so the little micey's don't chew on them ) Seafoam in the tank, battery tender on, items out of the tour pak and trunk, remove the seat and bring it in the house, give 'er a kiss & thank it for another safe year of "Bootleggin" and cover it up and close the doors!!

 

[GARYD]

Ditto as above, but every now an again over the 6-7 months my bikes have to sit for winter{Canada},,, I pull the clutch lever in...Helps to keep things movin and alows oil to get between plates..Just my 2 cents..HB

Glad to know I'm not the only one that does something with the clutch. I thought maybe that old timer was pulling my leg. Sounded right.

 

[rivercityjack]

The best possible way to store your trike for winter is as follows:
Clean up everything, check everything, pack the tourpack, fill with fuel
Drive trike in Haulmark trailer, secure with Condor front wheel lock
Secure rear of trike with tydowns to floor, to keep from moving sideways
Leave in neutral, so as to not damage the tranny, and apply rear trike brakes w/handle
Cover with trike cover to keep road dust away
Finish packing trailer with enough junk to last the winter
Leave Illinois and head SouthWest to Arizona for 6 months
Upon arriving in Arizona, unpack trailer, remove trike and ride all winter or until you need fuel again, then fill and keep it up going.
That is my way to winterize the trike. Leaving about the 26th of October and spend Halloween watching the candy parade in the SW

 

[rmrc51]

The best possible way to store your trike for winter is as follows:
Clean up everything, check everything, pack the tourpack, fill with fuel
Drive trike in Haulmark trailer, secure with Condor front wheel lock
Secure rear of trike with tydowns to floor, to keep from moving sideways
Leave in neutral, so as to not damage the tranny, and apply rear trike brakes w/handle
Cover with trike cover to keep road dust away
Finish packing trailer with enough junk to last the winter
Leave Illinois and head SouthWest to Arizona for 6 months
Upon arriving in Arizona, unpack trailer, remove trike and ride all winter or until you need fuel again, then fill and keep it up going.
That is my way to winterize the trike. Leaving about the 26th of October and spend Halloween watching the candy parade in the SW

Ya know,,, that sounds great! The hell with waiting until June to retire. I'll retire now, pack up my trike and go with you, lol. :laugh:

 

[Bikerbozo]

Drain summer air out of tires and install proper winter air for our area.[/QUOTE
Summer/winter air? Either I am dense and missing the joke or I am a clown and missing the reason for different seasonal air?
I, of course, don't know the meaning of the word Winterize. TG is 2 years 4 months old. Passed 47,000 miles. Going to bring it in for an early 50k check at HD before riding out to Tucson next month for Thanksgiving.

 

[RedLdr1]

Working with older classic cars I learned to not set the park brake during long term storage. Setting the park brake for several months can cause tension issues with springs and problems with rust in the brake drums... H-D may have engineered around those issues, I admit I haven't looked at the design, but just in case I would leave the park brake off and chock one the rear wheels front and rear so she can't roll...

 

[msocko3]

Working with older classic cars I learned to not set the park brake during long term storage. Setting the park brake for several months can cause tension issues with springs and problems with rust in the brake drums... H-D may have engineered around those issues, I admit I haven't looked at the design, but just in case I would leave the park brake off and chock one the rear wheels front and rear so she can't roll...

Your doing the right thing by not leaving the parking brake on long term, the rotors will rust and possibly the brake pads may stick to them. Just sitting in the garage there is no reason it can't be left in 1st gear and be just fine.

 

[Ozarkryder]

Drain summer air out of tires and install proper winter air for our area.[/QUOTE
Summer/winter air? Either I am dense and missing the joke or I am a clown and missing the reason for different seasonal air?

Haven't checked the thread for a few days - was wondering if someone was going to catch that. You can get it here: Seasonal Tire Air - $28.90 : KaleCoAuto.com, Your home for the rare, unusual, and hard to find auto parts.

It was a running joke on the Harley Email Digest, or HeD, an email message board that seems to have gone dormant. Every spring and fall someone would post about changing from winter to summer air or vice versa and start a cascade of messages about taking the bike out of storage or putting it up for the winter. Plus once in a while someone would think it was serious and we would send them to bike shops to look for seasonal air, adjustable power bands or grip wax.

 

[onahog]

Would they sell studded rear tires & a block heater there too???
And if needed, can i use ether ta get the MOTOR RUNNING Ta HEAD OUT On THE HWY!!!...LOL..

 

[Sloufoot]

Re: Winter Chill - Kills Prepairing for Cold Storage

I was recently advised by my small engine shop to run engine till it runs out of gas if am to store equipment over 30 days------He said over 80 % of his repairs is carburetor work caused by ethanol---also advised against the use of sta-bil with ethanol fuel----

Not a good thing to run a fuel injection system out of fuel. Might work for a carb unit but the fuel pump running dry causes un-necessary wear.
I haven't ever ran into trouble with Sta-bil. I always use it in case I can't get the bike out for an extended time. Sometimes we have a real winter !
ALWAYS change fluids, filters & wash & wax. Don't forget the float charger ! Then only ride if you can get the oil up to temp. Otherwise it causes condensation. I try to ride at least once a month in the winter. :Trike1:

 

[OlManRivh]

I should get my Trike just as winter arrives. Fat chance I'm gonna wait 'til Spring. I'm going to learn to ride in the snow . . .lol!

 

[427dave]

I put the trike on a trailer and head for Florida so I can keep on riding :wave4:

 

[iaff84]

Clean Bike / I hate that part. WAX /BIG Hate
Change fluids / When needed.
Liked the part about changing to winter air in tires!
One thing I like about now having a trike is to ride all winter long. We don't have no winter in Indiana.
I enjoy some brisk riding during the winter. As long as they plow the roads well, I will ride.
Like most, I do not mind wet or cold riding, just when they happen
together.
I am jealous of those who follow the sun year round, someday maybe.
Enjoy all, regardless of where or when you ride.

 

[kimber45]

I'll just ride mine all winter.

 

[rhino 2]

One thing that should be mentioned if your putting a bike up for the winter,
Make sure you fill the tires with at least 78 Percent Nitrogen. ThumbUp