That time of year, it is here. For a lot of the world, it is time to for winterizing the motorcycle, and putting it up. There is a process for this. We are going to go over that process.
This isnt just for winter. Say you are one of the world’s troops. It is your time to go. You live in a tropical area, cold wont hurt your bike. This is, obviously, true. Fuel is your enemy. Fuel is the enemy in the cold. The weather does not matter.
Hell, maybe you are a 1%er, and you done caught a case. They are fixing to sit you down for a bid. You dont want your bike rusting out. Parking it in a garage, without following these steps, will have you coming home to nothing.
Within a year, the fuel will have tarnished your carbs. This is going to get into places that you can’t clean. Ultrasonic cleaners will not help. Your carbs are damaged.
The first step to preventing this, turn off your petcock… I had too. You have to start at the very beginning. The next step is to drain your carbs. This will prevent the damage above.
On the lowest point of all carbs, you will find a drain port. Find a hose to slide over this port, or pour fuel all over your bike. That is your choice. Losen this screw, and your carb will drain all the fuel out. Removing the screw, completely, will get fuel all over your bike. You shouldn’t have to remove your fuel tank, but it will make it easier. You will, most likely, have to remove a breather cover. It’s as easy as a couple screws. Remember, if it is Japanese, use a JA screw driver. Dont strip stuff.
In higher temperatures areas of the world, fuel evaporates inside your tank. This means it separates. That means water vapor goes everywhere. When a carb isn’t drained, your choke can end up looking like the picture above.
Water vapor is Hell. The tank above was cleaned, and then a hole was pushed through it while sanding. The next step is to find your overflow for your gas tank. It is either a port, or black hose. Dind a bolt a hair bigger than the inside diameter of the hose, or a cap for the port. You can put a piece of hose on the port, and a bolt. Screw the bolt inside the end of the hose. This will allow you to fill your tank as high as the lid. Doing this. will keep down vapor.
Next, you really need a motorcycle stand. You need you tires up off the ground. It doesn’t matter where you store it. The tires need to be off the floor. Leaving them down, will cause flat spots. But a stand that hold up both tires, or steal a block from the neighbors…
Batteries are not cheap. You need to keep it on a tender. Trickle charge it, and not need to buy another. If you can’t, don’t leave it hooked up. This will cause corrosion.
These things are easy to do. Most people in the North North of Northern America, they tell me gas treatment, for storage, is a bad idea. They say it will gunk up the carbs. I will leave that up to you. Follow these simple steps, and keep your bike for years.
1. If you are in the extreme cold, check the minimum temperature on your battery. Make sure it won’t freeze.
2. Take the battery inside, if it is cold. Make it a bed.
3. If animals can get to it, cover the holes, like the exhaust. Rats need homes, too. Your muffler is a quick one.
4. In extremely hot weather, make sure the tank can let off pressure. One way is a vented cap for your fuel tank.
5. Keep it in a climate controlled environment. If you can’t, use more than one tarp. One will dry out from the sun, letting water in.
6. These things will save thousands at a shop. Tires, battery, carbs, you can keep them, if you try.
That’s all it takes! You can save your bike. Dont be the person selling your bike for half the worth, because of carbs. Store it properly. It doesn’t take a mechanical engineer to do. Thanks for reading! Give me a share!
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