How to winterize? | Page 6 | GTAMotorcycle.com

How to winterize?

I leave mine in. If your bikes outside or in a place where it's below freezing for long periods I'd remove it.
 
I want to know this as well. I just hooked up my charger to the battery in the bike, I was too lazy to remove the rear end to take the battery out.

I leave mine in. Unheated garage and connected to the tender. Even unheated garages tend to stay warmer than the actual outside temperature. My last battery was 6yrs old and had 50,000kms on it and was still strong as new when I sold the bike and each winter was kept like this.
 
Think about it. If our batteries froze that easily, how would we start our cars in the driveway? It takes a temperature of roughly -50 C for a fully charged battery to freeze. Leaving your battery in your bike parked in the garage with the tender hooked up is no problem. Even charging it once a week is fine if you remember. If you leave your bike outside during winter, take the battery indoors and hook it up to the tender. The electronics in the battery charger is not built to withstand the outside elements.
 
Thread revival time: I have a 250 sitting in my garage that I recently picked up and have never ridden it yet - have no gear and haven't ever been on a bike before, so I was thinking of waiting till after the MSF course in April. I bought a battery charger and a stand and I was told the oil was just recently changed and chain recently lubed. However I do want to use stabilizer for winter but the tank is only a quarter full, but since I can't ride it I can't take it in to get it fully fueled up. Can I just add stabilizer to the quarter tank, run it for 5 minutes and then put it away for storage?
 
Thread revival time: I have a 250 sitting in my garage that I recently picked up and have never ridden it yet - have no gear and haven't ever been on a bike before, so I was thinking of waiting till after the MSF course in April. I bought a battery charger and a stand and I was told the oil was just recently changed and chain recently lubed. However I do want to use stabilizer for winter but the tank is only a quarter full, but since I can't ride it I can't take it in to get it fully fueled up. Can I just add stabilizer to the quarter tank, run it for 5 minutes and then put it away for storage?

Fill up a gas container. Put stabilizer in the bike's tank, fill it up with the gas you just got. Then drain the carb(s). There should be a drain screw at the bottom. Just catch the gas coming out at the bottom out of the drain hoses down there.

Does the oil look clean when you check on the dip stick?

Did you see it run before you bought it?
 
Fill up a gas container. Put stabilizer in the bike's tank, fill it up with the gas you just got. Then drain the carb(s). There should be a drain screw at the bottom. Just catch the gas coming out at the bottom out of the drain hoses down there.

Does the oil look clean when you check on the dip stick?

Did you see it run before you bought it?

Fair enough - Maybe I'll do that.

EDIT: Just checked that my bike does not have a dipstick but a sight glass instead.

In terms of draining the carbs is it as simple as un-tightening a screw or do I have to take fairings and other bodywork off as well? Also, do I drain the carb after I've added stabilizer and run the bike for a few minutes or before?

If it is simple then I'll do it - I'm not very mechanically savvy so this is all jargon to me :S

Yes - the bike starts/runs fine. Inspected it before I bought it with a rider on this forum and then started it again for *****/giggle when I got home. All good. Starts fine in cold weather with some minor choke work.
 
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Does the oil look clean in the site glass?

I prefer to always drain the oil before I store the bike for the winter. But that is more a judgement call on my part and not very scientific.

What year, make and model is your bike?

If you change the oil, then you need to run the bike for a while to get the oil warmed up a bit to drain easier. If that's the case then you can add the stabilizer first and let it mix in there while warming up the old oil in there.

In my 1980 Honda twin, you just need to remove the side panels (well just the left side) and the you can get at the drain screws at the bottom of the carbs.

But I am not sure how your set up is or how much plastic covers your bike.

If your bike is fuel injected, then I have no clue about it, but would assume it would be better to mix the stabilizer and let it mix in there.

Another work about Stabilizer. I use Seafoam to accomplish this task. You can find it at Canadian Tire. Use the amount required and no more, as it will coat your spark plugs if you use more. I have been using it for 10 years now. Used to have to buy the stuff in the US before.
 
I have a 2010 Ninja. Don't think I will be draining the carbs - seems like I can't handle it. But will be filling up the tank, stabilizing it, removing the battery and putting it on a Battery Tender Jr., putting the rear on a stand and putting cardboard under the front wheels and cover it up before storage.

Do you just use the seafoam motor treatment instead of stabilizer? So just put the correct mixture in the tank and run the bike for a while, turn it off and store?
 
I am sure you can do it. You just need some confidence. Here is a link to get you started (I am sure there are many more):
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Draining_the_carbs It is a bit tongue in cheek at the beginning.

The Seafoam acts as a stabilizer, so you just use it instead. Then use some in your car too.

Put the Seafoam in your tank, top up the gas. Shake the bike back and forth up and down to get things mixed up in there. Then run the bike to get it into the carbs, but really try to drain them. It is very easy. I assume you have to take some plastic off to get to your battery, so might as well do the carbs. Of course the odds are the drain screw will be on the other side of the bike, and not the battery side that you just took off.
Perhaps other Ninja owners might chime in.
 
You know what - this doesn't sound so bad actually... just access the carbs and loosen a bolt to drain and make sure you catch it as it comes out of the nipple.. do that for each of the carbs and that should be it.
 
That's the spirit. Just catch that gas that comes down the drain tube. The smell sucks for a while if hits the garage floor.

Of course now you are just getting warmed up. You will want to change not only the oil, but the filter too.....Just putting it out there:D
 
You know what - this doesn't sound so bad actually... just access the carbs and loosen a bolt to drain and make sure you catch it as it comes out of the nipple.. do that for each of the carbs and that should be it.

One more thing:

Not sure if there is a fuel shut off valve on your bike. There would be an "On", "Off", "Reserve" setting. But just want to make sure there is a way of shutting off the fuel supply when you open up the drain screws on the carbs.
 
What do I need to do to my bike still?

What I have done already (going to do in next 2 days):
- Change engine oil and oil filter
- Pulled battery and put in the basement in utility room
- Store bike in heated garage

Whats left? (Bike has a 80-85% full gas tank)
 
What do I need to do to my bike still?

What I have done already (going to do in next 2 days):
- Change engine oil and oil filter
- Pulled battery and put in the basement in utility room
- Store bike in heated garage

Whats left? (Bike has a 80-85% full gas tank)

Probably a bit late now, since you've pulled the battery, but you might also have:

- added an appropriate amount of fuel stabilizer (such as StaBil or Seafoam) and had it run through the fuel system
- topped up the fuel tank to absolute max (discourages rust in tank)
 

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