The weather in northern KY is now at a point that riding is coming to an end.  Night temperatures are now down into the 20's, and daytime temps are struggling to get over 30 on some days.  Soon we will have a freezing rain incident that requires salt to be spread on the roads - and my bikes will be put away until the spring rains come and wash the salt away.

Some folks do nothing to their bikes - other folks like me are a bit anal about winterizing their motorcycles (and yard equipment).  If you want to be able to put this equipment back into service next spring - there are some things you can do that will help.

FIRST - I am not a fan or believer in starting and idling your motorcycle once a month to charge the battery and get fuel running into the carb.  Starting and idling an air cooled motorcycle for extended periods is not a healthy exercise - the oil pressure is very low at idle, the charging system makes very little power at idle, the lack of air flow is not good for the engine and it can turn your chrome pipe blue (especially if you run the engine at a high idle to help things warm up).  The Savage is especially susceptible to damage of the right cam lobe and rocker if you idle the engine with the bike leaning on the side stand - the right side cam/lobe us uphill and does not get enough oil and can wear out quickly (I bought a used bike with 3,800 miles on it and the cam/rocker was worn out from the fellow starting his bike in the winter months and letting it idle).

This is my method for winterizing my bike (and yard equipment).  It involves some labor in the fall - but each spring my engines start right up and I never have to fiddle with them to get them running.

1)  Put Sta-Bil in the fuel tank if you are not going to drain the tank.
2)  Wash the bike and get it clean and all bugs/dirt/grease oil removed.  I generally don't pressure wash anything - but if I do I keep the strong flow away from bearings and seals.  Dry the bike off, then go for a ride to get the water out of the hidden areas and brakes.
3)  Get the bike fully warmed up on a 10-20 minute ride.
4)  Change the oil.
5)  Start the bike and get the new oil flowing and adjust the oil level.  
6)  Drain the carb.  If your carb doesn't have a drain you can shut off the manual petcock and run the bike out of fuel - if you have the stock automatic petcock you can disconnect the vacuum line and put a plug in the carb side to prevent a vacuum leak.  (I ride my bike to run it out of fuel......the STOP sign down the street gives me just the right amount of distance from home to run the bike out of fuel....as I pull in the driveway my engine quits).
7)  When the engine has cooled down - remove the spark plug and spray Sta-Bil fogging oil into the spark plug hole, replace the spark plug.  Put the bike in gear and slowly move the bike forward until you feel the piston come up on the compression stroke.....this ensures that the valves are closed.  Put the transmission back in neutral.
8)  Cover the bike to keep dust/dirt and critters off.  If you have the stock fuel tank place a piece of tape over the key lock on the top of the fuel cap to keep the tank vent from pulling air inside the fuel tank when the ambient temperature/air pressure changes.
9)  For a Li-Ion battery I do nothing - for a lead/acid battery I attach a battery tender once a month.  You can remove the battery if you want...I don't. (If you have an accessory or are winterizing a motorcycle that has equipment that uses electricity when the bike is turned off - you may want to put on the tender more often (I don't leave the tender attached all the time.......as the tender could fail or suffer a lightning strike or similar fault.....and could overcharge the battery or damage the electronics on the bike).

(Winter is when I also do maintenance that includes lubing cables and levers, installing new tires, changing brake pads, and installing any upgrades.  It is also a good time to do a really good wax/detailing of the motorcycle).  

NOTE:  Where I live there is about a 5 month period where the bike will sit without being ridden.  November to March will likely be winter with snow/ice and salt on the roads.  If you live in a climate that allows for an occasional cool ride in the winter and you can ride for 30 minutes or so every month - you likely don't need to winterize your bike.

SPRING RAINS - When spring comes and rains have washed the salt off the roads - I check the air in the tires, turn on the fuel petcock (PRI for the stock petcock) hit the starter button....and it fires right up and is ready to ride for another summer!