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Winterizing motorcycles.....Battery tenders....

Cubslover
Anyone use them for your motorcycles, ATVs, Cars, boats, etc?

I live in Indiana and will have to winterize the bike in the next couple months.

What is involved in winterizing my bike? Drain the fuel, oil, and coolant, hook up a battery tender, then wait til spring?
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • dongizmo
    Tori wants to winterize her bike already?[}:)]
    Don
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  • gruntled
    What is this thing called "winterize" & why would you do such a thing?
    [:D]

    I have a spare bike that I don't use too often & I keep the battery on a solar charger I bought on sale at Harbor Freight for < $10.
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  • catpealer111
    Cycle batteries are cheap enough that I just leave it inside over winter and if it'll take a charge and work the next season, I'll use it. If it won't take a charge, I'll just buy a new one.
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  • SahaganBeta
    I use what might best be called an 'active winterization', in that while I do use the Battery Tender, I also start and ride the bike on any possible occasion. That way, it's seldom more than a couple or three weeks between rides. Just starting a bike without riding it for several minutes is said to cause condensation to build up inside the motor, and that of course, is not helpful to the bike overall.

    At the same time, I generally pick some specific 'winter' project to undertake. One year I re-built a Gold Wing, another I built a trailer, another I restored a sidecar for my bike, etc....

    This year, I plan to re-paint my bike with as fine a paint job as I can manage, taking the time to do it right.

    Here's how I figure it. Whenever I have a project, I commit to doing something or other on it EVERY DAY. It may be something as little as planning the next day's labors, or ordering some aftermarket accessory, but every day, I do something on the project.

    I've decided that any project, even big ones such as building a house, is nothing more than a series of small jobs, done one after another until one day, you look up and the bloomin' house is done!

    Sahagan
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  • dolfan
    Move to FL...no need for winterization of anything.

    Heck, we don't even have winter.
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  • kristov
    Change the oil and the filter. Pull plugs and put about a ounce or so of Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder and then replace the plugs. Make sure the fuel tank is full and then add the suggested dose of fuel stabilizer. Yank the battery out of the bike and trickle charge it for for an few hours each week. Motorcycle batteries have very high cranking power for their size but also have small acid capacities and they don't store well, so it may or may not survive through the off season. Place a large cotton sheet over the bike and forget all about it until the spring thaw. If by chance a single warm winter day arrives and you take the bike out for a one day ride you'll have to put the bike through the same hibernation process after the ride ends.
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  • dheffley
    Battery tenders are the best and I use them on all my bikes. Get the 1.5 amp model, not the 1.0 amp model.
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  • Cubslover
    You are a man of genious, Kristov.

    Thanks.
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