Tips for the winter Lay-up
Maybe you are the hardy biker who rides through the winter and never takes their bike off the road. Fair play to you, once upon a time, I had no choice but ride through the winter as my bike was my only mode of transport, but like most, unless it’s absolutely essential, I don’t ride much after the roads have had their first salt.
There is nothing worse than come spring, and the bike is a mess. Well, there are a few things you can do to ensure the bike is ready to roar whenever you are!
PETROL
Do you drain the tank or fill it up? It’s the age old question, but you should do one or the other. Never leave ‘a wee drop’ in the tank as that creates the perfect environment for petrol to go-off and make a mess of things.Fill it to the brim or drain it, simple as. If you want a bit of extra protection, add some petrol stabiliser such as LiquiMoly Benzin-stabilisator. This will greatly increase the petrol longevity.
If your bike has carbs, switch the fuel tap off and allow the bike to idle until it conks out. That drains the fuel system including the carb bowls and hopefully when it comes to starting in the spring you will be good to go.
BATTERY
Batteries hate winter and the worse thing you can do is just leave it in the bike, or leave it on a trickle charge. If leaving it in the bike, make sure you have it attached to a MAINTENANCE charger.We run classes explaining the difference in the various chargers, but suffice to say, all chargers aren’t equal. For long term lay-ups, you need a maintenance charger. If removing the battery from the bike, store it somewhere warm and dry. I set mine in the Hot-Press or close to the central heating boiler.
Never leave a battery on a cold concrete floor. If you have nowhere warm and dry, at least get the battery up off the floor. You will need to pop a charge into the battery every few weeks to maintain it’s health.
Remember a battery will naturally discharge over time, it’s important to allow it to discharge and then recharge it, as this maintains battery health.
TYRES
It may sound obvious, but keep tyres inflated correctly and check them regularly... flat spots arent cool on the road!If you can, elevate the bike on paddock stands, that’s even better. But as a minimum you should get a bit of old carpet and roll the bike onto it. That provides a barrier to the cold in the concrete which can cause havoc to a good piece of rubber. Cold is the tyres enemy.
CLEAN & DRY
Before you put your bike away for the winter, you should clean and dry it thoroughly. Also a healthy application of ACF50 over metal and plastic surfaces will help to keep corrosion at bay. Cover the bike with a breathable sheet or bike cover.I’m not a fan of throwing an old duvet over a bike, as these can quickly gather moisture, and the last thing you want is a dripping duvet on your pride and joy.
MAKE YOUR MIND UP
Some people decide to go out periodically, fire the bike up and warm it up. Either you are putting the bike off the road or you are going to keep it operational.Letting the bike warm up then putting it back under wraps is one of the worst things you can do. The heat cools down and turns to condensation which can live in the exhausts, under the chassis and can even reside inside the crank-cases.
If you are going to start the bike, take it for a short blast round the block. Allow the wheels, tyres, gearbox, bearings etc to turn (as they were designed). Either the bike is off the road, or you’re keeping it operational, never try and do both.
POSITION
We would suggest you chose your storage location/position very carefully. You want to have somewhere that does not gather a lot of moisture. DO NOT place your bike anywhere near a tumbledryer as these produce huge amounts of hot humid air and will eat your bike in a very short period of time.
If you would like more information on winter lay-ups or general motorcycle maintenance, come along to one of our classes.