People have probably been shot for less, but here goes....

Does anyone know of a good OTC sleep aid that really works? Those prescription aids are a bit dangerous and make you groggy all day. I have GOT to do something, this constant worrying over my gasoline is frickin killin me

 

Pretty clear you need the kind of help this thread just can't provide. Try reading the newspaper...that'll make your fuel problems seem small and insignificant. Then begin watching the 'Jersey shore' marathon on your local TV network...that's bound to put you to sleep.

 

Pretty sure that show exceeds the FDA Guido limit......hazardous to your sanity.

 

Junyr
I thought this was a great topic since some of us must lay up our rides for long periods. We are concerned we have done all the right things we need to do that will ensure our pide and joy will respond come warm weather. Not an unreasonable concern! Some folks invoke fears that are totally unreasonble. Some have no reasoanble thoghts at all. And some just forget the topic and go off on tangents were they must feel very comfortable as they seem to be well versed on the subject of avoiding the issue. Obviously wanting to flap their jowls and say very little about your genuine concern. This problem is one which confronts many and some folks approach the concern from reailty and others just forget the problem. The answers are in the amount of work you want to do and the thought proceess you follow. If you are worried that fuel will gel over time then shorten the time. Rocket science! Shorten the time by draining the tank and using the fuel in your vehicle. Then refill the tank with fresh fuel. Is that so difficult? I siphon the fuel from the bike into my snowblower and put fresh fuel in the bike. Well that was hard. Terribly "old" fuel in the snowblower and fresh fuel in the bike. I don't say this is the thing to do. I do it and it works for me. Seems reasonable. And the gas in the bike is fresh. I'm sure someone will tell me I'm not doing any favours to my snowblower....or the bike.... Worried about old fuel in the injection system? When you lay it up pinch the main fuel line and run the bike dry. No fuel in the injectors.... Fill the tank with fresh fuel. Lots of folks who leave fuel in the tank prefer to have the tank full. It helps reduce oxidation of metal tanks. How worried are you? How much work are you willing to do? Drain and remove tha tank. Keep it indoors and store in the proverbial "cool dry place". Overkill for me but certainly not a faux pas. Consider what happens when you start the bike when stored? In Canada the headlight comes on as daytime running lights. Major power draw. Do you really think the charging system can compensate for a cold weather start at idle speeds? Do you really think that the rich running as determined by the ECU will bennefit the engine? Rich mixture for how long? I running rich and shutting down a good idea? There are just so many questions to ask that are just "what if?" If you ask yourself "what if" you will probably do the right thing. Just listen to what seems to be realistic. Do the things which you feel will work? When you hear or read something ask yourself is this really smart? Does it make sense. Is all gas shit? Do you really need stabil? Befoe I put the the bike away should I run it low and fill up with fresh "winter" gas? What makes sense. Should I drain the tank? What happens if...Sholud I accept what I have been told? .......Is everybody who makes a comment right? ....Do what YOU feel will work for you.....Read read read....there are great articles on batteries by battery manufacturers......not by people who abuse them....same for engines....not just bike engines.....there have been some great thoights here. Sort out which seem resonable for your needs. You'll discover over time which ones work for you.

 

You are totally right...sorry 'bout the tangent. As a full time shop guy on motorcycles, sleds, ATV's...other odds and ends, I'd say 25% of my repair work is storage related. Motorcycles aren't that hard as long as the storage period is less than six months. I'd boil it down this way.

Towards the end of the year, leave your tank on the empty 'side'. When the time comes for that last ride, add stabilizer and fill up with fuel. Make it as late as possible.

Put your battery on a 'Tender', or charge monthly. If your bike is fuel injected, you're done. If your bike is carburated, it's best shut off the fuel, drain the carbs and turn the engine over a few times.

Leave it alone 'til the first ride is possible...but then do it, don't forget to check your tire PSI. Reduce the storage period as much as possible.

 

Try five of these. Always gets me a tad sleepy.

 

Pour in some Sta-bil, fill the gas tank, put the battery on an automatic shutoff trickle charger, and leave it alone. If you get a nice day, go ride it. Won't hurt anything...

I never heard that the problem with winter was gelling gas in the tank. Gelling is what diesel fuel does. What I heard the problem was, was gas in the carburetor evaporating and leaving a varnished mess behind, requiring a clean and rebuild of the carburetors. Plain gasoline DOES evaporate, even in cool temperatures. Put some gas in an open container and see how long it takes to turn to varnish.

If you catch it before it is too late, and run some new gas through it, you can beat the varnish. Or maybe if the level in the float bowl sinks and some new gas dribbles in from the tank, it can prevent it from turning to varnish. But why bother with all that? Just use Sta-bil. Don't worry, it won't break the bank.:smile:

 

oops

so, around early november I washed the bike, dried it thoroughly and stuffed some rags in the exhaust pipe then threw a cover over it and haven't touched it since.


My previous bikes has the switch to turn off fuel, so it was easy to drain the carbs. I couldnt figure out how to do that on my bike... so i didnt.
It has probably 3/4 of a tank of gas in it.

Also, the best place i have for storage is a quonset. Its sitting on a piece of plywood to avoid direct ground contact. But its not heated storage and where i live, it gets down to -30 quite often.

The oil was changed about a month before storage.

What kind of mess am I looking at come march?
Anything I can do right now?

 

Well....We over here on the west side of the Continental Divide have, at night time when all you easterners are still sleeping, shovelled all our snow over the hump between Revelstoke and Golden. So you are in for a heap shit pile of mess when the Bow floods this spring.

Why not go out there now and get a jump on things. Fire the puppy up and run it. But to run it just until it reaches op temps is no where near long enough as far as I am concerned. Then seeing as you still have some time left before you hit the streets, put some stabil in the fuel, run a bit of that through your system so that the fuel in the lines is treated, top up the tank and put it away again for the short nap that is left. This way if there is trouble, you have a heads up, and time to fix the problems so that when the weather is conducive to riding, away you go.

 

How long should I run it for? I cant take it anywhere, it would be difficult to even bring it out of the quonset and keep it upright!
Also, its currently way to cold to start it up, whats the lowest temperature I should start it?

 

I am not necessarily saying to go out and run the thing. All I am saying is that if you do, you need to run it long enough that not only does it reach operating temps, but that everything heats up enough that it gets rid of any condensation that will build up, and if allowed to condense, "may" cause you headaches later. AS for just how long that is, I can''t really say. There are just too many variables to this for me to give you an answer that is with merit. And there are more qualified people here than I.

But having said this, if you are inclined to fire the puppy up at this time, the benefit would be that you will discover any problems that exist now, a few months away from the time when you want the bike to be fully operational. This gives you some time to take care of that business and have a ride ready and waiting soon as the weather is conducive to your riding comfort. Just make sure that if you do fire it up, treat the fuel before you put it away again. This procedure is so cheap that many will recommend you do it even if you are just parking it for a month.

Which ever you do, be prepared to throw a leg over that thing and ride it this year. You are not far from Kananaskis area which from what I can remember during the G8 conference there a few years back, has some great roads to ride, saving the occasional pile of cow shit on those open ranges there.

 

In the Fall I've always added some stabil then topped up the tank and either taken the bike for a short ride or let her idle for a few minutes. She get's wedged in the corner of a unheated but insulated garage, up on the center stand with something under the front to keep the front tire off the cement. I pull the battery too just incase we get a bad cold snap and out it on a tender every few weeks.

With my Katana the years I didn't drain the carbs she'd bog down on acceleration until I ran some seafoam through her. This is my first winter with a FI bike so we'll see how things go come spring.

 

I like to ride HWY 22 and 2a alot. The occasional trip to Nordegg is also nice and twisty enough.


Well as soon as it gets above zero Ill do those things, just picked up some stabil. Still unsure as to how to drain my carbs though...

 

Sorry. I can't help you with those carb issues. I seem to make extra profit for the local shop every time I put a wrench to my bike. Someone here may correct me, but if you have put stabil in your fuel and ran the fuel through your system, I wonder why you would need to drain the carbs.

 

Keep in mind that all that old gelled gas can be used just like napalm. I've always been glad that when some dude said, "Go West Young Man, Go West" my great great granpappy did just that.

 

for me, I've given up using the sta-bil or seafoam products. I just use a better brand of gas (not sam's or wally world's, or some mom & pop place) but like Shell or BP. Around here the ethanol belnd (10%, soon to be allowed to 15%) acts as a water separator, or at least so I've been told. The reason why I don't is because in the spring I've fouled my share of plugs getting my old bike back to life. It may have been the battery that was weak, but I'll never know. Fill the tank to the brim, lean the bike over, and fill some more. Keep all the water out of the tank that you possibly can, because that is where the rusty tanks come from. Rust does not go thru carbs or injectors at all. I pull the battery out, give it a good charge, and it goes into somewhere warm, like the basement or a closet. Now that I store in a heated area, pulling the battery is not as important, but giving it a good charge after storage and before I use it again in the spring certainly helps. A good cleaning, waxing, remove all of the brake dust, road grime, bug smack, and everything else. I also take petroleum jelly to anything black (instrument cluster) and just a thin layer and leave it sit all winter. Keeps it looking new & black for the upcoming riding season. Did that every year on the last bike and was told at trade in time that it had been replaced, there was no way that it was the original. Clean the chain, unless you are going to replace it the next spring. change the oil, as previously mentioned. Nasty stuff, used oil. A good, lightweight cover (inside) or a very durable cover (outside) is also recommended, to keep the winter time dust off.

 

Thanks for the help!

She has some regular maintenance that needs to be done, so hopefully I can drive her the 40min to the nearest bike shop come spring time

 

If you mix the stabil with slick 50 it will will last 100yrs...:chaingun:

 

IN almost 30 years of riding, I usually do this. Run the tank down to a litre or 2 of fuel. Ad sta-bil Then every 3-4 weeks add a few litres of fresh fuel, a bit of methyl hydrate doesn't hurt either to absord any moisture, slosh it around( I hate having to dry line rusty tanks ). Run the bike up to warm temps for 15-20 minutes, with the fresh oil and filter in it. At least let the electric fan kick in once to show it is up to operating temp. By the time the new season rolls up your tank is full of so so fuel that has definately not gelled up to go out and and burn it off. It usually doesn't foul the plugs. Long term storage, fog the cylinders, drain the float bowls, romove and drain the tank. Remove the battery keep it off concrete inside the house charger plugged into it and just give it a charge every coupla months to prevent sulfiding, and freezing. My bandit 400 had a gel battery that lasted forever almost 11 years, and saw a lot of storage.

 

Methyl hydrate=methyl alcohol=methanol=wood alcohol

Alcohols of this type are miscible with water.

Rubbing alcohol is not a good thing to be sloshing around in one's tank. It can be as much as 30% water by volume.

100 proof JD is not good either. Nix on MD 2020 too. Raises hell with valves and pistons.

High proof ethanol is good. A bit pricy since the pure stuff is taxed to the max. If ya know some good ol boys in the backwoods that might could get ya some corn squeezins before they water it back, that might work.

What to look for in UK is the stuff that is dyed a lavender color and in the US, the stuff from a paint store.

Denatured alcohol: What this means is that there is something in the alcohol making it unfit to drink. Alcohol is a natural product. Just whup up on some grapes and viola, natural alcohol. Long list of "denaturing" combos including acetone and the above wood alcohol. A little gubbamint sponsored culling of The Brotherhood of Sterno Strainers. A bit less harsh is the use of emetics.



Does this work in a bike? Not a clue.