Knowing Better

[Sunday Rider]

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About a decade ago, there was a sunny and dry (15c) New Year Day. That's when I realizing that winterizing is counterproductive, invested in some heated gear and started riding year around. It's in a heated garage, connected to a Battery Tender and with a tank full of Ultramar Premium (no alcohol), ready to roll on a whim. Since that day, my bikes haven't sat for more than a couple of weeks without being ridden, even in the middle of winter. I know it's going to start and run in the spring because I ride it regularly, down to about -10c.

I remember that day. I went for a ride and I could feel salt grit in my teeth as I was grinning how great to be out riding.
I worry about leaving the bike with salt dust all over it until spring.
I change the oil and filter in the bike and lawnmower at the end of the season too.

 

[Hardwrkr13]

Geez I haven't even put the lawnmower away yet (will do one more cut soon). Plenty of riding time still available. I'll call it a season when the brine goes down.

 

[Wingboy]

Thanks for the reminder. Gotta spray the Ural down with ACF50.

 

[Evoex]

Thanks for the reminder. Gotta spray the Ural down with ACF50.

i still have a bottle unused sitting on my table.....

 

[nobbie48]

I do them at the end. Imo, better to get the acid and water out before it sits for a while. Also makes it easy to fire it up and go riding with no reservations that maybe I should be doing maintenance instead. In the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn't matter. Very few bikes that get regular maintenance in Ontario die because of engine wear/corrosion.

Ditto on the oil. Then a shot of stabilizer in a full tank and plug in the battery tender, leaving the battery in place. With the Sportster I drained the carb.

The boat engine got fogged. The marina did everything else.

 

[adri]

Never really understood not winterizing thing.

I have a motorcycle because I like riding it, so I don't count riding to and from the gas station as taking any "working" time.
I would have to pump the gas in the tank anyway, so I don't count filling it as any working time.
I would check and inflate my tires, so that's no added time either.

So far have we really done anything we wouldn't do anyway just out of, you know, being a responsible person who takes care of their ****?

So what's left?

I guess putting fuel stabilizer in takes about 8 seconds, maybe 18 seconds if I have to order a bottle and have amazon deliver it by morning.

My garage has a dozen outlets in it, my bikes can never be further than 6 ft from an outlet, and they all have pig tails, so plugging them in is another 8 seconds. But typically, I plug in my bikes any time I don't know when my next ride will be anyway.

So this whole winterization thing, people avoid it, to save 8 to 26 seconds? You spent longer reading this. Just take care of your children instead of being a negligent father, if not for their sake, than for my sake when I buy your used bike from you and want to know if it's been looked after lol

 

[Relax]

Never really understood not winterizing thing.

I have a motorcycle because I like riding it, so I don't count riding to and from the gas station as taking any "working" time.
I would have to pump the gas in the tank anyway, so I don't count filling it as any working time.
I would check and inflate my tires, so that's no added time either.

So far have we really done anything we wouldn't do anyway just out of, you know, being a responsible person who takes care of their ****?

So what's left?

I guess putting fuel stabilizer in takes about 8 seconds, maybe 18 seconds if I have to order a bottle and have amazon deliver it by morning.

My garage has a dozen outlets in it, my bikes can never be further than 6 ft from an outlet, and they all have pig tails, so plugging them in is another 8 seconds. But typically, I plug in my bikes any time I don't know when my next ride will be anyway.

So this whole winterization thing, people avoid it, to save 8 to 26 seconds? You spent longer reading this. Just take care of your children instead of being a negligent father, if not for their sake, than for my sake when I buy your used bike from you and want to know if it's been looked after lol

Your idea of winterizing is basically the same as mine - do nothing out of the ordinary. The only difference I see is the use of fuel stabilizer, which in my experience with fuel injected motors (both cars and bikes) makes no difference for such short term storage. My M3 was last filled up in 2018, and it still starts fine on the gas in the tank, although this year it is starting to sound a little rough and I'll be draining the tank to use in my mower. But that's 7 years, nevermind 3 months.

 

[Relax]

Now if you have carbs, that's a diffrerent story, and why my Hawk is the only non-injected bike in my stable. I'd make one more exception for an oil-cooled GSX-R.

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