What do you do with/to your bike over the winter?

[AlmostSensibl...]

I called it quits and put my bike to bed over the winter a couple of weeks ago, recently had a brain spurt and ordered an Oxford Stretch cover and some ACF50 to spray the bike with and keep it under cover over winter.

She's an old 2003 Faired Bandit 600 MK2, so not like it's an 8 grand bike but felt like as I've had it for only a year and like everything to be as clean as possible I'd go ahead and do my bit..

She's in the garage (soon to be on the centre stand) and I think I'll give her a turn over every couple of weeks, needs a major service and oil change soon anyway as sometimes doesn't like cold starts.. or starting at all - first carbed bike!

What do you guys and girls do over winter? Drain the fuel, fill it up? Paddock stands? I'm intrigued to know!

https://i.imgur.com/4MsDJtC.jpg

[Pigeon]

Prior to winter, bike has had a damn good clean, wax and spray with WD40 and ACF50.

I brim the tank to avoid condensation build-up and it then potentially running into tank and sinking to bottom. Is this based on science? No, but I feel better for it.

Lube the chain (rollers and plates).

Time my oil changes so the bike isn't sitting with old oil in it.

Put it on a trickle charger for 5 days out of 7.

People say to get tyres off concrete floor. But I tend to run the bike for 70 miles in one ride every 4-6 weeks if weather is ok.

If wasn't going to run it at all for 3-4 months and had other transport, then would consider removing the battery + declaring SORN

[Fisty]

Declare it SORN.


Thats all you need to do.
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TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
Fatter and faster than Fret

[stevo as b4]

You'll get alot of "Just ride it all winter" responses from the commuters and real riders.

If your garage or shed is not warm or heated to a constant temperature, then don't cover the bike with anything un-breathable, and if placing a breathable sheet over it, it's best to have some sort of makeshift frame over the bike so that the sheet never touches the bike itself.

Drain or fill the tank, you can get quite a good argument going on here about which is best, and take out the battery and keep it in the house and occasionally trickle charge. This is important as no battery fitted will stop you from starting the bike every week or so thinking your doing so with good intentions.

If you can run the carbs out of fuel that's a good move IMO and don't think about running the engine again until your ready for your first ride of 2019.

[Islander]

Clean the road crap off and put it away. Connect a smart charger if you have one. Job done.

[Pete.]

[notbike]

ride it

[pepperami]

Fill tank, put in garage, connect to Optimate/trickle charger.
Already to go on nice days
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[Courier265]

[Kentol750]

Like meef said, ride it. Acf it and clean crud off when I get a chance. When weather gets shitty, i leave it alone. Riding in shite conditions for the sake of it is for idiots.
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Some bikes.

[Courier265]

[NJD]

Ride it.

PR3's handled the 0 degree conditions perfectly from the off tonight, and having good tyres if half the battle won; warm hands, and warm gear is the rest.

I'll say no thanks to snow, and preferably avoid the roads when they've got grit sprayed all over them.

Bike gets serviced over the year and ACF-50'd well before winter is even a thing. Bike gets serviced during winter as much as it needs it.

If riding during the colder months isn't for you then it's whatever your into.

Slightly odd to ACF-50 it just to keep it under a cover.
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The do it all, T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶l̶u̶m̶p̶,̶ ̶C̶h̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶N̶o̶o̶d̶l̶e̶

[Beehive Bedlam]

Lols some of these responses.

There's really no need to ride it every few week or go start it up as you will be doing more damage than good.

3/4: months is nothing just put it away clean and stick it on charge.

[Sister Sledge]

This winter for me is a little strange. It's killing me not using it and what I'm doing is a 'slow service' including some important engine internals. Tyres will also be added and should the chance arise then I'll be out on those glorious crisp winters days.
If money doesn't stretch quick enough then my bike this year will be on a stand being slowly worked on!

Future winters will be bike on stand, optimate on trickle, bike smeared with protection and with each awesome crisp day I'll be out.
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CCM 404 DS

[grr666]

While mines away I'm fitting a tail tidy, HID kit for the headlight and whipping the wheels off for some new tyres.
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Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[P.]

Mines not moved since September. It's in the garage, I turn the trickle charger on every other week and rotate it when I do that, just wheel the bike round in a circle, reattach cables and leave it.

[redeem ouzzer]

Send them away for work to be done. Or take them to bits.
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Be a REAL MAN!

[talkToTheHat]

I could say ride the fucker but your're not going to. Get it clean and dry like everyone's said, put a bung in the exhaust to prevent it filling with condensation and rusing form th einside if it's original. Don't bother if a proper FULL stainless system.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

No special treatment, just rinse salt off if I ride on a shitty day.
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Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[ThatDippyTwat]

Ride it. Really.

Unless it's icy out and you live in fuckwitville in the middle of nowhere, it's not a problem.
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[notbike]

Tbh I rode for two winters on worn out supercorsas on an R6 in ice and snow that was settling. The only issue was freezing my bollocks off and having a few sketchy moments with the snow.

Any other usual winter "setup" would be way better than my setup was.

If I can do that without crashing anyone else can do it.

Take your tampons out.

[Bloggsy]

I ride my bikes all year round, so have no experience of laying a bike up
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If It Aint broke Don't Fix It

[grr666]

I don't care about crashing. But I don't like being cold when there's absolutely no need to be. I have a car and a
van here, both fitted with heaters and seats. Also I don't want my bike to get dirty, it will be worth more when I chop it
in than a well used grubby bike of the same year. That's why mine stays in the shed. Any colder than 10c whatever time
of year and riding anywhere is off the table. I don't do rain either. For some of us, biking is about having fun and a bit of a thrill.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[stevo as b4]

Mines not going anywhere soon, it's got no cylinder head on it and layers of clingfilm over the cylinder barrel with the piston at TDC. Im procrastinating over my simple top end re-build and I'm not sure if I should ring Mr Abbey for his advice or services.

I've got two different skimmed heads, but the bigger bore cylinder overhangs the edge of the squish band so there's a 1.2ish mm ledge between the head and cylinder wall.

Im expecting the compression ratio to rise a bit, but don't want it much over 8:1 or I think it's likely to blow up or run flat up top.

Two strokes, such simple engines they say.