Not too far away from having to cover and store the S40's for the summer here in the desert. My questions is: After completing draining the tank and carb bowl, what, if anything would you put in the tank? Looking at about 4 months of storage.

Thanks.

personally, i would not leave it dry ... it gets too darn hot here and you could dry out all the o-rings and thats a PITA come riding time ... STA-bil the fuel, shake and run a few minutes ... every couple weeks head out and start it up just to keep things lubed up

*edit to add GREAT link: http://www.bikebandit.com/community/guides/how-to-winterize-your-motorcycle

Serowbot wrote on 06/06/15 at 15:49:24:


ya, you're in TUCSON, you can head to the hills   lol

yuma is HELL fire hot in the summer, not that it's much different than tucson, but ther's def a diff ...

Diesel will eat some rubber compounds that are used in gas fuel systems.  I don't know for sure if the savage has any rubber parts that would be susceptible or not.

i'm wondering if octane boost could sub for the AVGas

DesertRat wrote on 06/07/15 at 08:54:31:


Avgas evaporates and does not leave any kind of varnish or gum behind when it goes away.  Some airplanes are stored for extended periods and you can't take a chance of having a cruddy carb - so the fuel is made to help with long term storage.  It also is kind to rubber and other fuel system parts.

Avgas can be somewhat hard to get at large airports.  Find a small airport and you will likely have good luck.  The small "county" airport near here has self serve pumps and a credit card reader....you just take your fuel can and a credit card and buy as much as you want.

And don't worry about using the Avgas...it does not burn hotter, it is not more explosive, and other than the cost there is nothing bad about it.  Your bike will run a little bit richer and will most likely not have as much backfire when you let off the throttle or shut the bike off.  One member on this site uses the Avgas in his bike all the time - however he has a good source for it and there is no reason to do that if you have to buy it.

NOTE:  The Avgas 100LL does have lead in it.....so don't use any of the leftover fuel in your catalytic equipped vehicle.  You will notice your tailpipe will turn light brown/tan while you are using this fuel...that is the lead being deposited in the exhaust system.

ALSO......You know anyplace that you can store the bike that is air conditioned or at least insulated?  Somebody with a bit of room in a basement garage?  Anything you can do to reduce the temperature extremes and fluctuations helps.  

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 06/08/15 at 08:02:55:


my dad came home one day, mid-summer, YUMA, from work on base. no gloves. he had second degree burns on his hands and parts of his exposed face from riding home.

most folks on here park for the winter, we park for the summer unless night riding, and then it's still 110° at 9:00 pm.