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I know it's still a bit away - but does anyone know the best way to store the bike over the winter months? the bike will be in an unheated garage over the winter months. sorry to depress everyone. 
Winter Storage
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Dealership told me that since it's a light bike, you can leave it on the kickstand all winter, just go move the tires a few inches every couple of weeks.
Remove the battery and put it on a tender.
Fill up the gas tank and add fuel stabilizer. Run the engine for a couple of minutes.
Cover and store.
Remove the battery and put it on a tender.
Fill up the gas tank and add fuel stabilizer. Run the engine for a couple of minutes.
Cover and store.
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Our winter's down south are mild to say the least. This past Christmas I was in shorts and a T-Shirt :-D
Its called winterizing your bike, there are many google articles.
Motorcycle Winter Storage - Motorcycle Maintenance Guide
One of the things people mention is that the tires will develop flat spots, so hence the moving it a couple inches every now and then. The other think you can do it put it on font/rear stands. I personally dont think you need to turn it on every now and then as long as you have some fuel stabilizer in there but then again I have no experience, just relaying what I have read.
Motorcycle Winter Storage - Motorcycle Maintenance Guide
One of the things people mention is that the tires will develop flat spots, so hence the moving it a couple inches every now and then. The other think you can do it put it on font/rear stands. I personally dont think you need to turn it on every now and then as long as you have some fuel stabilizer in there but then again I have no experience, just relaying what I have read.
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193 Posts
Change the oil, add STA-BIL Marine Fuel Stabilizer and fill the tank up to the brim, pull the battery and put it on a trickle charger (inside, up off of the floor), get the bike up off the concrete floor - either with stands or at least blocks of wood & throw a cover/sheet over it.
Dream of Spring.
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Dream of Spring.
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745 Posts
Good advice, especially the "change the oil" part. Old oil can get corrosive - left sitting the crankcase for several months can wreak havoc on aluminumChange the oil, add STA-BIL Marine Fuel Stabilizer and fill the tank up to the brim, pull the battery and put it on a trickle charger (inside, up off of the floor), get the bike up off the concrete floor - either with stands or at least blocks of wood & throw a cover/sheet over it.
Dream of Spring.
∞
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My dealer installs quick connect leads for battery tenders on all the bikes they sell, i thought that was cool of them to do. Cold temperatures are hard on batteries.
I think it is good to start the machines up every 2 or 3 weeks or so and let them run for a couple minutes.
I have done this for 15 years on my lawn mowers and muscle cars and never had a problem without using Stabil.
Of course if you wont have access to start the bike up then it would be a good idea to use fuel treatment.
I think it is good to start the machines up every 2 or 3 weeks or so and let them run for a couple minutes.
I have done this for 15 years on my lawn mowers and muscle cars and never had a problem without using Stabil.
Of course if you wont have access to start the bike up then it would be a good idea to use fuel treatment.
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I'll put some stabilizer in mine because I have seen the havoc that evaporating ethanol can do to small engines when left sitting for long periods....other than that I dont plan on doing anything to it rather than starting it to let it run probably for 5 minutes at least once or twice a week...Since I just got the oil and filter changed a few weeks ago i dont see the need to do that again until this time next year (8,000 miles or every 12 months) as stated in the user manual
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User's Manual, p 119-121I know it's still a bit away - but does anyone know the best way to store the bike over the winter months? the bike will be in an unheated garage over the winter months. sorry to depress everyone.
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193 Posts
If you decide to start it up in the winter, please make sure you run it long enough for the exhaust system to fully heat up. This should keep the condensation from forming inside the exhaust system. Also keep the tank full for the same reason.
If you don't run it long enough, don't be surprised if the exhaust system develops a hole from the inside out.
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If you don't run it long enough, don't be surprised if the exhaust system develops a hole from the inside out.
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+1...except I prefer Seafoam over Stabil. I'd also suggest a high-quality non-oxygenated fuel for that fill, even if you use good old "regular" the rest of the time (I always fill with 91+ non-oxygenated). The stabilizer is supposed to provide protection against fuel breakdown, but ethanol is an evil which must be resisted using every weapon available.Change the oil, add STA-BIL Marine Fuel Stabilizer and fill the tank up to the brim, pull the battery and put it on a trickle charger (inside, up off of the floor), get the bike up off the concrete floor - either with stands or at least blocks of wood & throw a cover/sheet over it.
Dream of Spring.
∞
Let the engine run a few minutes to circulate the additive through the system.My other bike stores on the center stand with a board under one tire. I'll probably store the CBR on my swingarm stand with a board under the front tire.
I always pull my batteries and store them inside. In an unheated garage, Minnesota cold kills batteries fast. I put them on a Battery Tender once a month.
Some believe in putting a few drops of oil in the cylinder, but I've never done that.
Once put away, I'm a believer in leaving the bike alone until you and the weather are ready for riding again. As mentioned by another poster, an occasional few minutes of idling will likely hasten the demise of your exhaust system. The only reason I approach the bike during this period is to make sure that mice haven't tried to nest under the cover.
I'm not saying this is the only way, or even the best way, to winterize, but it works for me.
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+1 for sea foam
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I install a battery tender lead to all my bikes and rotate a charger between them once a month (year round for that matter). Other than that, I treat them as I do my vehicles. I don't purposely move them to avoid flat spots and have yet to experience a flat spot on either the RR or the VFR.
I don't buy the oil change of the winter either. The old oil residue is still sitting attached to the inside of the engine when you drain it. New oil doesn't wash it away from everywhere. If you start the engine to circulate the oil, then you have used oil sitting in your engine, again. People might not ride enough to do an oil change a year, maybe some change before winter, others like to wait until riding season. Mine usually get oil changed twice a year, so I don't really worry about it.
I don't buy the oil change of the winter either. The old oil residue is still sitting attached to the inside of the engine when you drain it. New oil doesn't wash it away from everywhere. If you start the engine to circulate the oil, then you have used oil sitting in your engine, again. People might not ride enough to do an oil change a year, maybe some change before winter, others like to wait until riding season. Mine usually get oil changed twice a year, so I don't really worry about it.
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Doesn't the user manual suggest not to use oxygenated fuels?+1...except I prefer Seafoam over Stabil. I'd also suggest a high-quality non-oxygenated fuel for that fill, even if you use good old "regular" the rest of the time (I always fill with 91+ non-oxygenated). The stabilizer is supposed to provide protection against fuel breakdown, but ethanol is an evil which must be resisted using every weapon available.
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You guys must have some harsh winters. In the UK there would normally be a reasonable dry sunny day (even if only a few degrees above freezing) at least once a week. I try to ride all through winter, just less often. At less than 5 deg my 15 mile commute is a bit too far though and I struggle to get off the bike when I get to work!
CBRNewbie
CBRNewbie
It's likely that a number of people here are from Canada and the northern regions of the U.S. where winters tend to be less than hospitable to motorcycles. In Michigan, where I live, winters are just plain unpredictable. Some winters, we get almost no snow and the roads are dry all the time. Others, the roads are completely unsuitable to ride on every single day for up to a month at a time. And of course, it doesn't really work to winterize your bike after the fact.
Since it's impossible to predict the weather further out than about 5 days at a time, it's easier for many to just chalk up the whole thing as a loss and put the bike up for the season.
Since it's impossible to predict the weather further out than about 5 days at a time, it's easier for many to just chalk up the whole thing as a loss and put the bike up for the season.
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706 Posts
X2, Northern Indiana and Michigan are completely and totally unpredictable.It's likely that a number of people here are from Canada and the northern regions of the U.S. where winters tend to be less than hospitable to motorcycles. In Michigan, where I live, winters are just plain unpredictable. Some winters, we get almost no snow and the roads are dry all the time. Others, the roads are completely unsuitable to ride on every single day for up to a month at a time. And of course, it doesn't really work to winterize your bike after the fact.
Since it's impossible to predict the weather further out than about 5 days at a time, it's easier for many to just chalk up the whole thing as a loss and put the bike up for the season.
When I was in England I noticed that they rarely get more then an inch of snow and the temps seem to stay between 32-82*F where here in Indiana our hottest day this summer was 105*F and our lowest last winter was -14*F
Fortunately here in eastern Virginia I can ride year around, even if it's just enough to keep everything in good shape. I do remove the fuel if it sits for more than 3 weeks and put it in my car then fresh fuel in the bike. Move it around to keep the flat spots off the tires if it sits long enough.
regards
Badger
regards
Badger
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