Sadly, if you live somewhere that gets really cold weather for winter, another riding season is coming to an end. This means it’s time to start thinking about storing your motorcycle during winter.
How Can I Winterize My Motorcycle for Storage?
Before you store your bike for winter, you need to winterize it. Winterizing your motorcycle is so important so that your investment stays safe while sitting in the cold. Follow our guide before storing your motorcycle for winter.
Step one: Clean the dirt and debris off the exterior surfaces
This step can be likely forgotten, but it is important. Cleaning the dirt and debris off the exterior surfaces before storing your motorcycle for winter will save you a lot of headaches the next riding season (like dead bugs and dried mud). You can check out our blog, The 6 Step Guide On How To Wash A Motorcycle, to get the scoop on how to properly wash your motorcycle.
Step two: Take care of the tank
You’ll need to either add a fuel stabilizer to the tank or drain the tank completely.
If you opt-in for adding a fuel stabilizer, be sure to top off your fuel first. The full tank helps keep moisture down on the tank walls. After you’ve got the full tank of gas and added the fuel stabilizer, take your bike on a short drive to activate the stabilizer. Be sure to turn the petcock off to stop the flow of gasoline from getting to your carburetor.
If you decide to drain the tank completely (usually for long-term storage), be sure to get fogging oil for the tank to prevent rust.
Step three: Change the oil and the filter
Having old oil in your bike while it sits in storage can cause corrosion in the engine components. After you do step three, be sure to change your oil and oil filter.
Step four: Take care of the battery
You have two options to care for your battery during winter storage: remove the battery entirely or keep it on the bike.
We’d recommend keeping it on the bike only if you are storing it for a shorter period of time. If you do go this route, be sure to start your bike and let it run for 15 minutes each month or so to charge the battery so it doesn’t drain.
The ideal method would be to remove the battery, store it in a location that does not fluctuate temperatures, and hook it up to a trickle charger for the entire time it is in storage. This will maintain your battery’s charge all winter long.
Step five: Cover it up
The last step before putting your ride in storage is to get a good motorcycle cover and cover your bike while in storage. The cover will prevent moisture buildup on parts such as the throttle, clutch cables, and shifters. If these get moisture buildup on them, it can significantly damage your motorcycle. A cover can help prevent that scenario from happening.
Although we are sad to see our motorcycles go in storage, following these steps will keep your bike in great shape for next riding season!
