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| synaptyx |
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synaptyx
Crazy Courier
Joined: 05 Jul 2004
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| mr.z |
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mr.z
World Chat Champion
Joined: 04 Feb 2004
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 Posted: 04:19 - 12 Oct 2004  Post subject: |
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Fist things first, if you intend doing anything to your bike, get a manual, haynes, clymer or the factory manual if you can.. because it will save you any nasty supprises when something flys accross the garrage when your not expecting it, or you end up takeing something off that needs the seal replaceing... (which you never have unless your expecting to)
First thing to do is fill the fuel tank... whattt? yes really, it wont go rusty with a full tank, but when you get to summer dont use that manky stale petrol, put it in a reasonably full car...
Switch the fuel off, run the bike till it dies, that (as far as i know) empty the carbs and fuel system, that way it wont get gunked up...
Take the battery off, being very carefull if you have an injected bike (because it wont do your ecu much good afaik...)
The little plastic bits are fork shrouds, a comprimise between clean forks and not looking crap (i.e. gaiters, but they do keep you forks in top condition) all they do is stop dirt getting at your forks, which can scratch them, which = knackered fork seals within 5 minutes of changeing them and allot of hassle... you really dont want pitted forks... if they are keeping the filth off and are not about to fall off then dont worry about them.
The chain should have a certain ammount of play (it depends allot on your bike) at the tighest point, move the wheel arround while you push against it, it will tighten up, this is where you mesure the play from... if its loose (which it probably is, they stretch) the adjustment bolts need to be tightend or loosened *equal ammounts, you can get the laser alligned, this will make your chain last a allot longer apparently...
Thats all i can think of really, appart from oiling any controll cables... i might have missed allot out but thats probably what i'd do... but then i don't 
*very important, if its not alligned properly it will kill your chain and sprockket fast, could result in iffy handleing at best and explodeing chains at worst...
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes< |
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| Jaz |
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Jaz
Renault 5 Driver
Joined: 26 Jul 2004
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| synaptyx |
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synaptyx
Crazy Courier
Joined: 05 Jul 2004
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| Posted: 08:33 - 12 Oct 2004 Post subject: |
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Thanks!
I was more meaning what should I do to keep 'er running nice and looking after the physical condition in the winter.  No garage you see, the poor beast is sitting out on my front path.
Last edited by synaptyx on 10:50 - 12 Oct 2004; edited 2 times in total |
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| Ninja |
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Ninja
Caption Abuser
Joined: 22 Apr 2004
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| stryker |
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stryker
Brolly Dolly
Joined: 30 Aug 2004
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| mr jamez |
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mr jamez
World Chat Champion
Joined: 04 Aug 2003
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| Posted: 10:25 - 12 Oct 2004 Post subject: |
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Well a waterproof cover is probably a good idea and if you keep everything polished it shouldn't corrode. If you keep it clean, and don't let the salt just sit in the bike, It will probably be ok. Perhaps if the frame is prone to rust you could brush a bit of waxoyl on there, don't spray it though because if it gets on anything that will get hot it will produce lots of smoke |
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Mr Calendar
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
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Mr Calendar
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
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| Sadie |
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Sadie
World Chat Champion
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Posted: 10:35 - 12 Oct 2004  Post subject: |
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Hints & tips for protecting your bike from the bad weather in winter
Degrease bike really well with Gunk or Jizer, pour some into an old bowl and use an old paintbrush to work it in well.
Wash the bike with car shampoo really well, use an old toothbrush to get in awkward areas. Hose off with clean water.
When dry and clean and looking at its best then:-
Polish tank/mudguards/seat surround with car polish
wipe over rubber (inc sides of tyres) and black plastic with Armour all protectarant.
Put a large dob of Vaseline into a metal tin/tray and heat up till vaseline is liquid (be carefull it is very flammable)
Paint the now liquid Vaseline onto all nuts/bolts brackets/frame bits and anywhere that gets road crap on.
Now spray all the bike except brakes/tyres/seat/lights with WD40, do it so it is dripping off the bike. Don't be afraid to spray lots on.
Lube your chain really well (after cleaning it)
That's it now you can ride it for weeks in-between cleaning it and it should come up like new, the Vaseline can be a pig to get off but at least your bike is not corroding.
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| iCraig |
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iCraig
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| Posted: 16:33 - 12 Oct 2004 Post subject: |
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Waxoyl is another good thing to coat the bike with liberally in the awkward places.
I have been know to cover the swing arm and other vunrable areas in it to stop things corroding.
WD40 is also good for keeping things in tip top condition and its also a bloody good degreaser.
Another point other people haven't mentioned if your not going to be using it for a long while try and get both wheels off the floor so the tyres are touching the floor and sitting in stagnant water or picking up lots of moisture.
Also if you intend to keep her outside get a bloody good cover that reflects UV light and keeps the rain/wind/snow/hail off, or do what my mate did and get an old blanket to keep the bike warm as he put it and then put the cover on it.  |
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| dandit |
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dandit
Nearly there...
Joined: 04 May 2004
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Mr Calendar
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
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Posted: 10:42 - 26 Oct 2004  Post subject: |
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Came across the following advice and remembered this thread.
Unfortuately I can't find the author. If anyone knows I'll credit it.
The wording would indicate it came from our ex-colonial cousins across the pond.
| Quote: | The best solution is to move someplace where you never get snowed in more than 3 days at a time. A man has to have his priorities. If for some inexplicable reason this is not an option for you, here's an alternative.
1. Find a nice place for your bike to spend the winter. You want to avoid water condensation. Water condensing in the engine or exhaust pipes can cause rust. You can guard against water condensation by keeping your bike somewhere where the temperature doesn't change so very much, like never below 50f. Your living room is a great place, although if you're married, I concede that your wife will likely have a different view on this point. A heated and secure garage would be good. An unheated garage is next best. Outdoors under a waterproof tarp where the bike is sometimes in the sun is the worst possible location. The daily heating and cooling under a waterproof tarp is guaranteed to cause water condensation. Avoid wind, dripping water, damp and musty places, and vermin. Another thing to avoid is a garage holding a dryer which is not vented to the outside. Make certain your dryer is vented, or you'll pay an extraordinarily high price. Unvented dryers have been known to lead to completely siezed up motors.
2. Completely wash the bike and dry the bike. Wax the bike and polish all the shiny bits.
3. Clean and lube the chain.
4. Gasoline oxidizes as it ages. This produces varnish as a byproduct, which is bad for carburetor jets and fuel injector outlets. To avoid this use a fuel stabilizer. Add the amount recommended on the bottle in the tank and fill the tank completely with gasoline - a full gas tank won't rust internally. Run the engine for a couple minutes to warm up the engine oil and to get the stabilizer into your carbs/fuel injectors.
5. Now that the engine is warm, you can change the oil and filter. Water in your crankcase oil will combine at room temperature with sulpher to form sulpheric acid. This is a bad thing. The sulpher mostly gets into the oil as combustion by-products, so if the oil is new, this is not a problem. Synthetics have a big advantage here: the increased film strength of synthetic oils means it takes considerably longer for the oil to all drain down to the oil pan, so when you finally do start your engine there's still a little oil on all the bearings. If you drained out normal oil and replaced it with synthetic, you have to start the motor and run it for 30 seconds to get the synthetic oil pumped all throughout the motor.
6. If you have carburetors, turn off your fuel and drain your float bowls.
7. Some people like to remove the spark plugs, put a tablespoon or two of oil into each cylinder, and turn the engine over a couple times. The idea here is to coat the iron cylinder sleeves and iron piston rings with oil to help protect against rust. It's been about 10-20 years since Japan, Germany, Italy, or Milwaukee shipped an engine with iron cylinder liners or iron rings, so this is not really necessary anymore. Doing this makes the bike harder to start in the spring, obviously.
8. Spray Pledge furniture wax on any chrome, or polished or raw aluminum.
9. Clean and treat all leather.
10. Treat plastics and vinyl with Armorall. If you really want to go nuts, you can armorall your tires and hydraulic hoses too.
11. Put some motor oil all over the front fork tubes. Get on the bike, hold the front brake and bounce the bike up and down to work the front suspension. This will keep the rubber seals from drying out and protect the exposed fork tube.
12. Check your battery, make sure it’s full. If not, add distilled water. Use a trickle charger every four weeks or even better, get a "Battery Tender" and leave it on 24/7.
13. Check your radiator level, add aluminum safe antifreeze as necessary.
14. Put the bike on it's center stand to take as much weight off the wheels as possible. The tires don't like to sit in one place with weight on them for a long time. This is a bigger problem if you live in a city with smog, as the ozone makes this problem a lot worse. On the center stand the bike is almost balanced, so the rear tire is in the air and the front tire has only maybe 50 pounds on it.
15. Use plastic wrap and rubber bands to seal the outlets of the mufflers. Also seal the engine air intake, if you can get to it.
16. Use a good breathable motorcycle cover to keep the dust off. Don't use plastic covers, they trap moisture. An old sheet works great.
17. Before you start the bike again, remember to remove the plastic from the exhaust pipes and airbox inlets, and wipe the Pledge wax off the exhaust pipes. If your memory is as bad as mine, you might tape a note to yourself over the ignition keyhole. You don't have to worry about the fuel stabilizer, it will just burn away.
18. You can just leave the bike in this condition for many months. You don't have to worry about valve springs - modern valve springs that are made to allow the engine to rev to 8000+ rpm won't sag. If you're so desperate for a motorcycle fix that you simply have to start it, make certain to run it for at least 5 minutes or so. Starting your engine for, say, 30 seconds is a bad idea - you pay the extra wear and tear price of starting an engine where the oil is cold and has all sunk to the sump, and you don't heat the oil and exhaust up enough to boil off sulpherics and water vapor. Remember to open the garage door while the engine is running.
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HTH
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?  |
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 21 years, 241 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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