How To Prepare Your Motorcycle For Winter Storage
When the cold weather hits and the snow falls, you can no longer safely ride your motorcycle on the streets. When this happens, you'll need to store your motorcycle for winter in order to keep it in good working order for when the riding season comes back around. However, winterizing and storing your motorcycle is slightly more complex than simply covering it up and keeping it in the garage. Follow these simple steps to ensure that your motorcycle is still in good working order once the winter finally fades away.
How to Prepare Your Motorcycle for Winter Storage
- Clean: You should give your bike a thorough cleaning when you put it into storage. This isn't for vanity: removing dirt, debris, and water spots sit on your bike can lead to rust and corrosion over the winter months. Waxing the metal surfaces of your bike can give you an added layer of protection against moisture and rust.
- Change the Oil: You should drain the old oil and put new oil into your bike before putting it into storage. This is because old oil, especially when left to sit in your bike's system for a long time, can gum up the moving parts and present problems for you in the summer when you try to ride for the first time.
- Raise the Bike: If you can, store your bike off of the ground using motorcycle stands, available at most automotive stores. This prevents your tires from sitting on the hard floor of your garage for an extended period of time and developing flat spots or losing their shape. If you don't have access to motorcycle stands, try to move your bike a few feet every week or so to prevent the same portion of your tires from touching the ground.
- Top up Anti-Freeze: You should make sure that your bike has an adequate amount of anti-freeze. Putting water in your coolant system can work in the summer, but in the winter it will freeze and cause damage and cracking to the parts in your coolant system.
- Remove the Battery: Remove the battery from your bike and clean off any signs of rust or corrosion. You'll want to store the battery in a dry, room temperature place, separate from the bike, as a battery left plugged into your motorcycle over the winter will slowly lose its charge, which means you won't be able to start your bike in the summer.
For further assistance, contact a local motorcycle service, such as Supreme Motorsports 1.
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