When the riding season has come to an end and it's time to put your motorcycle away for the winter, do you have all of the know how to perform the proper winterization steps? Are you aware of all the tasks that can be complete to prepare your bike for storage until the spring? There are lots of things you can do to get it ready for winter storage, and to make sure that your bike will be in running shape again in the spring.
First, you may want to perform an oil change.
This will replace any oil that has become old and dirty over the last few months with new oil that is fresh and clean and doesn't contain any dirt or other sediment.
Next, remove the spark plugs and allow the spark plug wires to hang freely.
You'll want to cover the spark plug holes with some soft of lint free cloth or other non shedding material in order to keep the cylinders free of dirt and debris from storage.
Another important task will be to disconnect the battery from your motorcycle and store it in a room temperature area, perhaps in your basement.
This will keep the fluid in your battery fresh and will prevent it from losing its effectiveness when it's plugged back in when spring comes.
Many motorcyclists store their motorcycles in non heated areas like garages and other outdoor sheds.
These types of storage areas will likely have concrete flooring or some other type of stone flooring which can reach really cold temperatures in the winter time.
When your motorcycle tires remain in contact with these freezing cold surfaces for a long period of time, they may become fragile and/or crack if they become too cold.
To prevent this you can place your motorcycle on a raised surface which does not get as cold as concrete or stone.
Many people like to use wood blocks for this purpose.
As you may already know, gas will break down after an extended period of time and will leave sediment deposits wherever that may occur.
These can be troublesome for your motorcycle fuel system and can cause issues with the entire system with regard to cleanliness and efficiency.
There are solutions which prevent gasoline from breaking down and help maintain the cleanliness and efficiency needed for your motorcycle to operate properly.
These solutions should be added to the remaining gas in your motorcycle just before you plan on storing it.
There are other tasks that you can complete when winterizing your motorcycle, but these are for the most part the major tasks that you'll definitely want to cover.
Once you've got these tasks completed and any other tasks that you may think are important, you're ready to cover it up and wait until spring when it's time to ride again.