Getting Your Bike Ready For The Winter

When the leaves fall and the temperature drops, it is a sign to start getting your motorcycle ready for the winter. That, of course, means doing a little more than simply parking your motorcycle in an out of the way corner of the garage or pulling a cover over it while it sits in a storage building. Proper motorcycle winter storage goes a long way in giving your bike a long, useful life.

The first step in getting your bike ready for its winter hiatus is reading the maintenance and repair manual. Repair manuals give you valuable tips about maintenance and tune-ups that can be done before storing the bike for the winter. Some of those tips can be found in the next section.

Winter Storage Tips

Here are a few tips for preparing your motorcycle for winter storage:

1. Clean and wax the bike. A clean bike keeps grease, oil, dirt and corrosive materials from damaging the paint or parts of you motorcycle.
2. Park the bike in such a way that both tires are sitting on wood. If the bike is outside for the winter months, you certainly do not want the rubber sitting on the ground where the tires can rot and crack.
3. Drain the oil and flush the crankcase. This keeps corrosive and gumming deposits from building up over the winter months. Replace the oil filter at this time while you are at it so that you can begin the spring with a new oil filter.
4. Lubricate the chain or shaft drive to prevent rust from forming. Rust can damage the chain or shaft while the bike is in storage.
5. Drain the fuel from the fuel tank and the carburetor. Sediments in gasoline clog fuel lines. Old fuel creates a harmful varnish on and plug up carburetor parts and fuel lines.
6. Go over the wiring to check for cracks or breaks in the insulation. Repair or replace the defective wiring right away. Also, be sure and check to make sure all wiring connections are corrosion free and tightly fitted together.
7. Disconnect and remove the battery. The battery will discharge during the winter months, and the acid solution in the battery will freeze. This freezing will crack or damage the battery case.
8. Clean the battery cable connections. These connections can become glazed during use, but fine steel wool or a battery cleaner will brighten them back up. Once they are cleaned you can coat them with grease to seal them. This grease can be easily removed next spring.
9. Check the wear on disc brakes and make sure the brake fluid reservoir is filled.
10. Clean or change the air filter.
11. Change your insurance policy. Most insurance companies offer special reduced rates for motorcycles that are in winter storage.

Readying Your Bike For The Next Riding Season

Repair manuals give you all of the how-to information that you will need to perform these simple maintenance procedures. You can also check with your dealer for additional information to help you get your bike ready for storage.

Ice and snow may force you to park your bike for a few months, but with a little end of the season maintenance, your bike will be ready to hit the road when spring comes.

Time to start riding again? Read more tips about inspection and repair when taking your bike out of storage in 6 Tips to Prepare Your Motorcycle For Riding Season.