Winterizing...

You have the best of both worlds. The Alps are the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen. While I was work at a BMW dealership in Oklahoma City we had a young lady ride through, touring on a R45. She was from Switzerland and she was on an three month epic solo trip around and through the Unite States. (It was pretty cool but that's another story.) She explained that in the winter her bike went into storage and the skis came out. She also said that they paid for registration for the months used which I thought was an interesting concept.

 

Ok, coming from a fellow Canuck, and a friend of Randy's (start the verbal bashing, I can take it), that' just MEAN. LOL. It can clearly be seen that this is a picture of Randy's truck behind a snow bank with some chrome bits stuck in it.

Sorry Randy, but we Canadians and indeed us northerners, must stick together and laugh at the snow jokes, else we may start crying. WAIT, there's no crying on VFRW.

 

I change my oil so it doesn't sit all winter with old acidic crap in the crankcase. Then I add fuel and stabilizer so the tank is full and I put the battery tender on. The chain is always kept lubed so that isn't an issue and the cover keep the dust and cats off her.

From time to time I crank her up to burn out the condensation in the pipes and to hear that V4 symphony echo across the snow.

 

Stabil in the tank, but run the bike 5-10 miles after you fill it up and add stabil to get fuel (w/stabil) through the lines.
Change oil/filter, same, run it 5-10 miles with new oil in it.
Get the bike on stands, front and rear, however you can, get the tires off the ground so you don't get flat spots.
clean everything to a tee, metal, plastic, plexiglass, etc.
Hook the battery up to a tender, or pull it altogether. I skip this step as I use a lithium ion battery so I don't anything.
Cover the bike, personally I like Geza covers.

 

I standard bike cover will not cause moisture. Perhaps my garage needs to be cleaner, but my bikes accumulate a lot of dust over 3-4 months.

 

What I was getting at there, was that if the cover is good enough to prevent water from getting on the bike, it is also good enough to trap moisture in as well. This is what adds to the rust. Dust covers are good. Unless you like cleaning your bike all the time. So long as the cover breaths well so moisture does not build up and stay under there.

I have never really looked at a standard bike cover, or any other one for that matter. I just made my own. It's not pretty but it works. Well not anymore cause I have the hard bags now.

 

I see what you are getting at there. I just want a dust cover. An old sheet would work for what I want.

 

I wonder what my wife would say if I suggested she dust my bike after I made all the sawdust in the garage! :scared:

 

can somebody post brand of stabilizer?? first winter storing bike, and just to be clear, put in stabilizer, fill it up, ride 10 miles, top off, then come spring just ride?

 

Stabil
Star-Tron

Partial to Stabil, myself.

Its OK to overdose. I think for storage its usually 2oz to 5 gallons of fuel. Fuel does not have to be 100% topped off. Just use a quality gas, make sure its fresh, and doesn't hurt to put the higher octane in for long term storage.

 

top off your tank. Air in the tank promotes rust inside of the tank. No air, no rust.

And it started snowing here today. Was hoping to get out to see the fall leaves. Went for a ride last Friday, about froze even with three layers of coat and long johns. Never got above 45.

 

Had the same idea here. Heavy rain cleared the valley floor of snow, and today the sun was out and the heated grips work perfectly - to enjoy autumn rides like this is why you want to own a VFR...



Sadly that mass of cloud is a snowstorm coming... Hey Ho back to the winterizing...

 

What's "winterizing" :suspicious: :unsure: :joker: ound:

Seriously though, I would find some alcohol free "pure" gasoline, add stabil to it, change the oil, lube the chain, and either bring the battery inside and keep it charged, or keep it on a battery tender. I might cover it with a breathable cover - gore tex or just a nice soft blanket. :grouphug:

op2:

 

In Montreal's region, the only alcohol free gas I could find is Ultramar's 91 octane...And I just bought fuel stabilizer & Deltran's Battery tender Jr. I'm all ready to put her away for the winter. Just an oil change, wash & clean & lube the chain...

 

Winterize!? I am working on getting mine back on the road this week.

 

The bad news is I have to winterize the VFR and put it away. The good news is I summerized the snowmobiles last spring and they are ready to go!

I use Amsoil fuel stabilizer, fill the gas,change the oil and leave it on the battery tender which I use 24/7. I have it covered in the garage using a thin breathable nylon cover. I put it on the center stand and rotate the front tire by hand whenever I think of it. I never start it!

She is always eager to go for a ride when spring comes!