With the change in weather, it’s time to winterize your motorcycle. Properly winterizing your bike helps protect it while in storage and helps ensure it will be ready to go in the spring. While you can hire someone to take care of winterizing, it’s pretty easy to do it yourself.
Here are the items you’ll need to winterize your motorcycle:
- Cleaning cloths
- Spark plug wrench
- Trickle battery charger
- High quality oil
- New oil filter
- Oil can
- Chain lube (if your bike has a chain drive)
- Fuel stabilizer
- WD-40
- Breathable motorcycle cover
- Plastic wrap
- Rubber bands
- Gloves
- Cleaning and waxing supplies
- Rear paddock or main centre stand if your bike doesn’t have one
Here is our step-by-step process to winterizing your motorcycle:
- Clean your bike.
- Remove all debris from the bike
- Don’t spray water in the muffler opening
- Clean and polish with appropriate metal polishes
- Clean and lube the chain if your bike has one
- Use WD-40 to spray off any built-up residues
- Wax all painted areas and chrome
- Clean and treat leather,
- Make sure the bike is completely dry before storage
- Drain the gas tank and add a fuel stabilizer. This protects the gas tank from rusting and primes it for the next season. Run the bike so the fuel stabilizer can reach the carburetor and fuel injectors. Also, drain your float bowls if you have them.
- Check your coolant levels and fill or replace as needed
- Change the oil and filter. Leaving old oil can corrode engine parts as it becomes more acidic over time.
- Use a trickle charger to keep your battery charged. Smart chargers, though expensive, can help preserve your battery life as well. You may need to pull the battery. If you don’t have a trickle charger, you should charge the battery every four to six weeks, so it doesn’t become totally depleted.
- Wax, lube or grease all moving parts.
- Plug your exhaust pipes and muffler to keep pests out.
- Put your bike on stands to prevent flat spots, or utilize your centre stand, if you have one. If you are unable to keep the weight of the tires while storing your bike, rotate the tires once a month. (Do not overinflate your tires before storage.)
- Store your bike inside a temperature-controlled area, or cover your bike with a weatherproof cover designed specifically for motorbikes. (Do not cover your bike in plastic.)
- Keep the bike out of sight from people passing by, and lock it to help prevent theft.
A secured, heated garage is the ideal storage space for your motorcycle but not everyone has access to this. Avoid storing your bike anywhere it is exposed to chemical fumes, mildew, dripping water and critters. Don’t store it next to any motors, freezers, fridges, furnaces or electric heaters as the ozone gas produced by these appliances may damage your motorcycle. Finally, if you’re parked on concrete, consider placing plywood or thick carpet beneath the tires.
Remember, just because you are not riding it, doesn’t mean you don’t insurance on your bike. Motorcycles are susceptible to theft all year, and bikes can be damaged while in storage by fire, vandalism, or falling object. Talk to your broker about storage insurance coverage for your motorcycle in the off-season.