SuzukiSavage.com - Winterization Tips

tekxtc

Ex Member

Winterization Tips
10/18/04 at 08:47:12

Saw winterization tips for another bike on another forum. It basically included the following:

1) trickle charge the battery or remove it and store it in a cool dry place

2) add stabil to a tank full of gas

3) pump up the tires and then some, as the temperatures will drop and so the pressure will aso drop, or preferably put a wooden block under it so that both the tires are off the ground

4) no fluid changes, that should be done in the spring

5) naphthalene balls/moth balls in the air filter box to keep the rodents out.

did I miss anything?

-Autif
MA resident

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« Last Edit: 12/08/12 at 13:06:58 by Oldfeller--FSO »

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cphilip

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Re: Winterization Tips
Reply #1 - 10/18/04 at 09:11:33

My winterizeation consists of waiting a day or two till I catch that invariable good day each week to ride..... Hehehe...

If you do use some Gas stabilizer, be sure and run the thing enough to make sure some of it ends up in the carb bowl...

Maybe something to block the exhaust opening so nothing crawls in there and dies... But don't forget it's in there!

And perhaps a squirt of 2 stroke oil down in the park plug hole and turn it over without starting once or twice to coat everything. Some people like to do that. Might not be totaly nessicary though.

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Susan Serious Thumper 2004 No Login Offline Been AWOL but I'm back... Posts: 682 Eastern PA Gender:	Re: Winterization Tips Reply #2 - 10/18/04 at 10:01:46 I found this online a few weeks ago. It seems pretty detailed but I don't know if it is all good/necessary or not... Winter Storage Guide for Motorcycles
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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: Winterization Tips Reply #3 - 10/20/04 at 02:46:39 I always wax and Armor All everything too....
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Jake

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Re: Winterization Tips
Reply #4 - 10/20/04 at 08:51:17

In an old Honda book I have it recomends simply running to temp and draining the oil. It explains that this gets all the combustion byproducts that cause corrosion out of the system.
Since the Savage construction is so simple, I removed the carb after draining the float and cranking the engine to dry things out. Then it got a helping of compressed air through all the orifices.

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lagagnon

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Re: Winterization Tips
Reply #5 - 11/02/04 at 21:10:38

I read somewhere that instead of putting a bit of oil in the cylinder through the spark plug it might do the job simply to plug the end of the muffler with a dry rag. This keeps moist air out of the cylinder.

Probably not a bad idea to remember to take the rag out in the spring! Cheesy

In my case, I'm lucky to live on Vancouver Island, where hopefully I will get quite a few good days of riding over the winter, so I don't intend to winterize. Just invested in some snowboard pants which I have modified slightly for riding (1/4 the cost of motorcycle pants) and some thermal leather winter gloves (also about 1/4 the cost of motorcycling winter riding gloves)!

Larry Gagnon

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Savage_Greg

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Re: Winterization Tips
Reply #6 - 11/03/04 at 03:56:44

My opinion? Sure, I got one too Grin

1. Drain engine oil to remove any oxidation, water and crud.

2. Drain airbox to remove water and oil mixture.

3. Drain tank and carb if you'll be tinkering or use a stabilizer.

4. Inflate tires (which should never be low anyway).

5. Wax, "Armor All", and WD40 the entire bike.

6. Bike cover, even inside.

7. Check battery levels and fill as needed. Then attach a "battery tender". I've seen that even a motorcycle charger can charge too much and dry out cells over time, so I use a timer for just a short period each day or connect to a "switched outlet" so it's only on when I'm working in the area.

If you want to leave the battery in the bike, you can also permenantly attach leads (that tuck away) to the starter relay like this...

Now that's if you want to store the bike, but in my case, if I can't ride, I wrench Grin

8. TAKE THAT SUCKER APART, scatter parts all over the place, see what makes it tick, mess with stuff, grind things, paint things, adjust things and change things....do this.

Hey, what's that hanging in the right hand corner?

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Gitarzan Serious Thumper 2004 No Login Offline ! Posts: 827 Columbus, Oh, Earth, Solar Sys Gender:	Re: Winterization Tips Reply #7 - 11/11/04 at 09:07:03 What the best way to store unmounted tires? Sitting upright or laying on the side? In an unheated shed or in a humid basement?
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sluggo Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline big singles lead, twins follow the pack Posts: 4744 moses lake washington Gender:	Re: Winterization Tips Reply #8 - 11/11/04 at 11:34:34 if it were my tire i would hang it in the basement. that or store it where the least amount of "critters" will take up residence. when you go to a tire store they are usually stored upright, yet there are always the ones on the floor. i dont think it really matters.
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PerrydaSavage

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psRe: Winterization Tips
Reply #9 - 10/03/05 at 03:34:31

A friend of mine asked me about winterization just last week ... and since we both store our Bikes in an unheated shed, I wrote up my rather lengthy list and e-mailed it to him. Here it is;

Stuff you'll need;

- New spark plug

- Spark plug feeler gauge (for checking plug gap)

- Spark plug wrench

- Assorted metric wrenches

- 2 litres 10W40 motorcycle oil (or whatever your Owners Manual recommends)

- Oil Filter (likely a Dealer item)

- 1 can of Fogging Oil

- Fuel Stabilizer

- Can of WD40 and/or Rustcheck

- Masking tape or a few good elastic bands

- A couple of “Sobeys” bags

- Car wax

- Beer (this makes the sad process of putting a bike away for the winter “less” sad …)

Winterization Procedure;

- Add required amount of Fuel Stabilizer to gas tank

- Ride Bike to gas station, fill up and Ride home (this will ensure stabilized fill is run thru your carbs)

- Park Bike in a comfortable work location

- Remove drain plug and drain old engine oil into a container (ensure Bike is straight & fully upright to get all oil to drain out. A block under kickstand does it for me)

- Remove oil filter and replace with a fresh one

- Replace drain plug and refill engine with proper amount of fresh oil (see owners manual)

- Remove spark plug(s)

- Spray Fogging Oil into spark plug hole(s) for approx. 10 seconds

- Check gap of a new plug(s) with feeler gauge and install new spark plug(s) but DO NOT reconnect plug wire(s)

- Ensure Bike is in Neutral and hit the “starter button” a few times (this will coat the inside of your cylinder with the fogging oil)

- Reconnect spark plug wire(s)

- Remove battery and store in a warm place; fully charge once every 4-6 weeks

- Spray some WD40 or Rustcheck into the exhaust pipe for 15 secs or so and cover the end of the pipe with a couple of plastic bags (make sure exhaust is cool or the bags’ll melt on the pipe!). Secure bags with masking tape or elastic bands. This keeps condensation from rotting your exhaust from inside out.

- Lubricate clutch & throttle linkages, lever pivots, etc. with WD40

- Wax painted & chrome parts, but don’t buff the wax in (to keep condensation off)

- Wheel Bike into shed (or Rec Room if your wife’ll letcha – mine won’t L), lovingly kiss Bike good-bye and cover with a blanket.

- Install self in front of TV with plenty of Tapes or DVD’s of Biker Build-off, American Chopper, Motorcycle Experience, etc. a pile of Bike magazines and wait 6 long months ‘til it’s fit to Ride again …

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« Last Edit: 07/12/12 at 21:06:51 by Oldfeller--FSO »

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MnSpring

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Re: Winterization Tips
Reply #10 - 10/13/14 at 15:05:17

Their are several excellent tips on winterizing here. Just want to add a couple of things to think about. From years of experience in, ’storing’ ICE’s for as long as 7 months.
.
In a Internal Combustion Engine, which uses oil. I, ‘run it’, to heat it up, (as any normal oil change). Change the oil/filter. THEN, Run it up to temp again. Reason; don’t want to leave the old oil in, with all the, ‘bad things in it’, in contact with the Carbon Steel. Reason; for heating up the New oil, is to make sure their is NO, moisture in it.
.
Gas: If a metal tank, Drain, then a spray of a ‘wd-40 or like.
or, Fill up, ALL THE WAY UP, Right up to the top!, With Non-Oxy gas, or gas with a stabilizer in it.
Plastic tank, never mind.
.
Carb, DRAIN, DRY. PERIOD !!!!! (for long term). Short term, 1 month or so. Make sure it is full of, ’stabilized’ gas.
.
Battery, (if their is one), Take out, charge, put in a place it does NOT Freeze. Or put a tender on it, and turn on the tender for a day or two, every month.
.
Tires. On Wood. Dirt, cement, tar, floor, does not matter. Put down some scraps of wood, to put the rubber on.
.
After the unit is parked. A little, ’spray of wd-40 or like, IN the Muffler. And then a plastic bag, with a pice of twine/string whatever, with 2-4 inches of it stuffed in the bag, (and long enough to go to the steering wheel). and rags, paper towels, newspaper, mashed up in the bag, and stuffed in the muffler.
.
Radiator. Test. Make sure the protection level is good enough for the area you live in. (Here, we, ‘guard’ to -35)
.
Now, say: “Night Night” for the next 5-7 months. In the Spring, Just take out the, ‘bag’ from the muffler. (Thus the String). Put in the charged battery, (if it has one). Open the valve to the carb. Add New gas, (if you stored tank dry). And, if it ran last Fall, it WILL start right up.

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Ben Franklin once said: "If you give up a freedom, for the sake of security, you will have neither".
Which is More TRUE, today, than yesterday.('06, S-40, Stock) well, mostly .

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batman

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Re: Winterization Tips
Reply #11 - 01/12/17 at 13:30:05

If your going to fill the gas tank and use stabil place a piece of clear packing tape over the key hole in the gas cap ,it's vented and allows the tank to breath both ways ,not good if you have any kind of temperature swings. I wouldn't think that putting a rag in the end of the muffler to be all that effective(cloth breathes) I think I'd rotate the motor to top dead center ,closing the intake and exhaust valves and thereby sealing the cylinder.

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« Last Edit: 01/15/17 at 15:16:54 by batman »

my old work mates called me MacGyver

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Kruzader Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 129 Stockon, CA Gender:	Re: Winterization Tips Reply #12 - 01/15/17 at 10:51:25 What's a good gas stabilizer? Any brands or things I should be looking after?
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batman Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 3806 osceola new york Gender:	Re: Winterization Tips Reply #13 - 01/15/17 at 14:54:26 I'm not sure Stabil is the best,but it is found everywhere and it has always worked for me.
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Kruzader Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 129 Stockon, CA Gender:	Re: Winterization Tips Reply #14 - 01/26/17 at 19:21:15 So will something like this work? http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1452126&KPID=1253883&c...
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