First time for everything

Something odd happened today as I was riding back home.
I was stopped on a red light in Burnaby when a woman in a van next to me rolled down her window and said "My bike won't start. Do you know what to do?"
To be honest I was a bit stunned. Where do I start? Just seconds left on the red light...
We had a quick chat and went our separate ways but that got me thinking. How many people take the easy way out and not prep their bikes for winter storage? All it does is cause headaches come spring time. It's really easy and doesn't need to be time consuming or costly.
Here is what is commonly recommended and what I follow:

Fill up your tank with gas. Why? To prevent rust from forming.

Add fuel stabilizer. Why? To prevent your gas from going bad. It's only good for 6 weeks. After that chemical changes cause it to get sticky which often clogs up the carbs or fuel injectors.
Go to your nearest Canadian Tire (or Walmart, or whatever store has a car section) and buy a $5 bottle of fuel stabilizer.

If your motorbike is carburated then drain those carbs. Why? To prevent that little bit of fuel in there from getting gunky and blocking the fuel flow later.

Get a trickle charger for your battery and plug it in. That will set you back about $40 or so. All that does is keeps your battery topped up. I learned this one the hard way and had to dish out the cash for a new battery. Trickle charger is cheaper.
That's the bare minimum.

If you feel like actually getting dirty then you should also

Change your oil before storage. For that you'll need the right tools, new oil filter for your bike and a crush washer. I've done this a few times myself but generally being short on time I just go and get it done at a bike shop. That will run you about $50 in total.

Lube up your clutch cable.

Fog your cylinders. What does that mean? It's getting the inside of the engine cylinders sprayed with oil. That typically involves removing the spark plugs and spraying the inside with Fogging Oil (again see the car section in your favorite store). I've been told by a couple of motorbike mechanics that if your bike is stored in a garage (say 5C or warmer, that's 41F or above) then you don't need to fog your cylinders. Mine is stored in a garage so I don't bother. No problems so far.


All in all I've been just riding 4 years now but these few steps ensure your bike will start each spring without costly repairs or towing to your mechanic.

Ride safe.
CR

tags: moto motorcycle "motorcycle maintenance" "winterization" winterize "motorcycle storage" "motorcycle winter storage" "winter maintenance"