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Hey guys, as much as I don't want to admit it, winter is right around the corner (at least for those of us in Western Mass) and the bikes gonna have to go in storage pretty soon. Anyone have some tips for winterizing my bike? Im trying to get heated storage, but may end up just storing it in a regular garage. What is the best thing to do with the gas tank, fill it and stabilize it, or run it dry? Also anything else i should do before putting it up for 4 months? Its an older (86) Yammie FZ.
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Fill the gas tank, add gas stabilizer (stabil) turn the petcock off and run the carburetors dry. If you're real anal about it, drain the float bowls with the drain screws on the bottom, that'll get rid of all the gas. Filling the gas tank stops water from getting in there and prevents rust.
Change the oil, old oil is acidic and corrodes engine parts.
If you've got time, spray some oil down the spark plug holes and crank the engine over a few times to get it all over the cylinder walls, this helps prevent corrosion.
Pull the battery and stick it on a battery tender in a warm area.
Have aand count the days until spring.
The bike is probably better off being stored in the cold. As long as you know the antifreeze is good.
I would recommend putting stabil in the tank and fresh oil in the cases and riding the bike around a few miles to get the stabil'd fuel into the carbs and the new oil over all the engine parts to dilute any residual old oil.
Its not a bad idea to get the tires off the ground either. They can develop a flat spot if left in one spot too long and I have also heard that the tires can decay if they are left on concrete (not sure how valid this it though)
Sounds good, how much oil should i spray down the spark holes? Just crank it with the starter a few times? And does this need to be removed before riding in the spring? A friend of mine also mentioned that i should get a stand to keep it from sitting on the tires all winter, is this necessary?
Thanks for the advice
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I may be doing another 'winterizing/basic maintenance day' STRICLTY for newbies again this year. May even happen in the next coupla weeks...
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
Stoneman, please fill me in on these details. I'd love to check that out. Im anxious to learn everything that i can about these bikes. Can you post the dates or email me with the info? thanks man.
Basically, I'll take 3 MAYBE 4 'newbies' or people that would normally pay a stealership for this type of service or even people that aren't normally mechanically inlined. Have ya come up to my place, and I'll demonstrate on YOUR bikes how to do some simple maintenance type stuff, and run over and show YOU some winterizing type things...
We did it last year, but in my opinion, there were too many people. This time around - as I said - I'd only have like, 3 or 4 folks. It'd require a small donation to the site though from the attendees. Let's say, $20 MAYBE $30 each. That'll cover disposal fees for oil (& coolant, if necessary), lunch, the lessons, and kick the rest to the site...
You bring your oil of choice, I'll pick up distilled water & coolant (if needed), and your service and/or owner's manual...
At the very least, you'll walk away knowing how to do simple maintenance YOURSELF on YOUR bike. I can't even imagine how much money you'll save by simply changing your own oil & doing your own BASIC upkeep on your bike...
If there IS interest, we can pursue this further. And as I said, this will be ONLY for people that are new to doing their own maintenance and wouldn't normally tackle this shit on their own. And I'll only do it for 3 or 4 people. If I can scrape up a coupla folk to help 'instruct', we'll go 1 'instructor' for every 3 people...
Howz that sound?
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
If you do decide to do it, i'm in. Sounds like a cool afternoon.
Why put it away? Get some heated gear and ride it all year. You'll be surprised at how well your skills have been honed come spring time. Honed from dodging the ice patches and the slush and the numerous other road hazards that New England winter has to offer.
My favorite is the Salt dust that builds up. It's pretty slick.
Good luck,
KB
Here is a pretty good link with the info you are looking for.
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/tech/winterstore/
Dang! You got shocks, pegs... lucky! You ever take it off any sweet jumps?
Isn't Williamstown out near No. Adams??? That's a HAUL!!!
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
Yeah, Williamstown is next to N. Adams. Its pretty far out in Western Mass, and gets some seriously cold winters. But I'm not complaining because the Berkshires offer some pretty amazing rides.
Yo rmbbikes, trust me, I wish i could just throw some chains on the tires and make it the all weather FZ crotch rocket...something tells me I might want to just wait though!
So stoneman, barring a huge multi hour drive I am still interested. Probably wouldn't want to travel much more than 2-3 hours though, so we'll see.
Thanks Guys.
If you can't get the tires off the ground, put some rigid foam insulation under them. By spring they will have the tire shape pushed into them. Make sure to check the balance of the bike because it will be sinking over time ...
SSearchVT
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