Storage for Winter

[Dave]

Well, it's got a little cold here and they have started sprinkling nasty stuff on the roads. So I thought I would lay the bike up for a few months...but I've not really done this before. When I used to ride, it was all year round pretty much.

Has anyone any suggestions on storing my bike over winter? Say for 2-3 months or so.

The workshop iself is pretty good humidly wise.  However, I've read that E based petrol can cause havoc with tanks / carbs. And some people are saying that fuel additives are pretty much snake oil for negating the effects of Ethanol in petrol over time.

In short, I've no idea what is the best approach to storing my bike over winter. 

I think it best to just ask the people here with experience for some practical suggestions. Thanks...

Dave

[taysidedragon]

Lots of people have different ideas. This is what I do, make sure bike is clean and dry. Put some fuel stabiliser in the petrol tank and drain the carbs. Put battery on trickle charge and pump up the tyres a few psi over normal.
The bike is on the centre stand and old pieces of carpet under the wheels.

[Nurse Julie]

Same as above but I take the battery right off.

[JonnyB]

E5 petrol is not so bad for being stored, but I would still drain carbs if laying up for more than 3 or 4 months, you wait till we get E10 or even E20.

Anyway, I remove that batteries and keep them warm in my office and rotate a trickle charger over them, I have been known to force the brake pads back and place a bit cardboard in there to prevent the pads bonding to the disks.

[ka-ja]

Drain off all petrol and put it in the car

[adespin]

  I usually put my bike in a Vac-Bag https://www.vac-bag.co.uk/ every winter, but have not done so yet as still hoping to ride a bit more.

[Rozabikes Tim]

Drain off all petrol and put it in the car

A car - that's a novel way to store your bike

[Spitfire]

In the garage nice and clean, under a bike cover with the battery tender hitched up, and the petrol tank full.
Works for me but the garage is part of a two story house extension and always stays warm enough to dry gloves in there, it just shows how much heat the room above loses. The old detached garage was always cold and damp.

Cheers

Dennis

[AndyD]

Not sure if it is any good or if anyone else has tried it but I've been putting Aspen4 into the tanks of a couple of bikes being stood for a while as I saw this mentioned somewhere as being much more stable than normal fuel.

It isn't cheap but if it means the carbs don't need stripping in the spring I'll happily spend a bit!

Cheers,
Andy

[Athame57]

Drain off all petrol and put it in the car

Do you mean on the back seat or in the boot? 

[Kelly E]

My friend and I have 3 bikes at his house in an attached garage and the other 7 bikes are here in the heated shop. We run the bikes on ethanol free gas unless traveling. Paul has a station a block from his house in Seattle that carries it. I live 50 miles north out in the country and get it from the Stilliguamish Tribal Smoke Shop and Gas Station. For a while there was no ethanol free gas around but now that the tribe is selling it the Feds can't stop them. The tribes are independent nations with their own police.
 We don't have the gas storage issues with pure gas but before we used Stabil 360 fuel stabilizer and we occasionally get to ride them here during the winter. A bit of 2 stroke oil in the gas also works well. You have to run it some to get it into the carbs before you store it. With only one fuel injected bike that makes 34 carbs to clean if we screw up. I'd rather not have to do that, it cuts into the riding time.

[cliff7]

What about the clutch?   At the moment I push the bike back and forth every few days with clutch pulled in and in first gear. Must be a better way.

[Rob62]

For mine i just drain the carbs and spray all the brightwork with moisture repelling spray, i have used various types all with success.. ideally remove the front brake pads first or cover discs with a poly bag.. i dont remove the battery but i think its a good idea... i like to run the motors ip a few times during the winter, make sure fully up to temp though otherwise you fill the exhaust with moisture...

[Johnny4428]

Ethomix in the fuel. Bike cover on and a small tubular heater under the bike. It’s in an insulated shed with quite low humidity. Battery removed and periodically bench charged.

[Laverda Dave]

I've tried most things over the years in my pre-cast concrete garage from VacBags (great if you don't have to move the bike over the winter but not good if you do). A few years ago I used something called Enginewise, basically dummy spark plugs filled with moisture absorption granules to stop the bores rusting. They did work but didn't stop the rest of the bike suffering due to condensation.
So a few years ago I bit the bullet and insulated the garage using 50mm kingspan behind 18mm marine ply for the walls and the same for the floor. I replaced the corrugated roof as it was badly split with insulated metal roof panels. I have a RubyDry dehumidifier running on its lowest setting 24/7 (about 3-4p/hour). It's not warm in the garage but the air is dry and the bikes do not suffer any corrosion at all. It's actually a nice atmosphere to work in as well, I don't mind cold but not when it's damp with it. I do wash the bikes, drain the carbs and the tanks and take the batteries out before I put them away for the winter. The water tank on the dehumidifier holds about 8 litres and fills up every 3 days so it shows how much damp is in the air even in an insulated garage.