6 Tips on How to Best Store your Motorcycle During Winter
As we're closing the riding season, it's time for those of us who don't enjoy winter rides to best prepare our machines for winter. It is a well-known fact that proper storage during winter will prolong the lifespan of your battery and might save you a lot of trouble while on the road. Here is how BatteryRush advises you to store your bike during winter.
1. Select a suitable place and use required accessories
A good place to start is to select the safest place for your vehicle - unreachable for kids but warm. You can also consider covering it with a special outdoor bike cover that will keep it safe. Additionally, we highly recommend storing it on a paddock stand as it would keep the bike in place and keep the weight off tires. If you don't have one, a cheaper alternative would be to overinflate the tires slightly
2.Take care for your battery
Batteries don't like big fluctuations in temperatures and if you don't look after it through the winter it might fail. In winter you have 2 options. You can either totally remove the battery from the bike or simply put it on a trickle charger to keep it topped up. Fully charging a motorcycle battery with a trickle charger will take anywhere from 12 to 20 hours depending on the battery, the charger and the level of existing charge in the battery.
3.Lubricate against corrosion
When you don't use the bike very often, the exhaust and silencers can start to corrode. Therefore, before putting the machine away for the winter you can also apply a film of oil, a specific corrosion protectant such as ACF-50, XCP Rust Blocker, SDoc 100 Corrosion Protectant, ACS TC200 or Scottoiler FS365, into the ends and drain holes. Then cover it with an open weave cloth or rag to let it breathe.
4.Start the engine once in a while
One more thing to do is to light up the engine from time to time so that it can warm up. This way you will preserve the exhaust pipe from condensation and rust. However, if you are doing this manipulation in your garage please make sure that there is good ventilation.
5.Fill up the tank.
Your bike should always be kept for longer periods of no-ride with a full tank, as long as you start the bike regularly. This way it would prevent rusting over the winter. You can also add the recommended amount of fuel stabilizer (check your owner's manual) to keep the gas from deteriorating and leaving a brown layer of dirt on your carburetor's parts.
6.Top up all other fluids
Double-check your motorcycle's brake, the clutch, and the coolant fluids. You either replace, refill or completely drain them out for the winter season. If you live in a place where temperatures frequently reach sub-zero, check your bike's antifreeze too to prevent engine freezing.
We hope that this article was helpful. In case you need a brand new battery for your bike, don't forget to check them out here. Or contact our customer advisors for further assistance on (800) 350-1814.
