Is winterizing necessary?

Many of us go though a late Fall ritual where we prep our bike for long term storage. Stablizing the gas in our tanks is one of those preps. But with gas prices going up, many of us have chosen to park our cars/trucks and take our the bikes out more. I haven't heard anyone talk about stabilizing the gas in our cars, and yet they seem to run just fine even after sitting for a while. So, is winterizing over-rated, or will there be a rash of gummed up fuel systems as these cars come back into service later this Fall?

Cars /= bikes, for one. A little Stabil goes a lonnnnnng way, too. I wouldn't bother with it if the bike sits for a week or even two, but any longer than that, a couple capfuls doesn't hurt.

More important to me for the winter riding season is keeping the gas tank close to full (to minimize humidity in the tank) and keeping the battery hooked up to a tender when I'm not riding. Also, for folks with liquid cooled bikes, just make sure you're using antifreeze instead of pure water (who does the latter anymore anyway?).

If you get snow (and thus salt), just make time to wash the crud off the bike.

Thankfully, this has been the mildest winter in forever around D.C., riding all season long hasn't been a chore at all...

Winterizing in NC? Really? I get why guys in the upper mid-West and Northeast need to put the bikes away while the roads are covered with snow, but North Carolina? Just ride the thing and don't worry about Stabil.

i don't.

I think the thread should have been called, "Is Summerizing your cage necessary".

Are you going to ride in rain during the summer and never touch the cage? Then do as daveinva said...

If you will be driving every two-three weeks? If so, don't sweat it.

To be clear, I've never felt the need to winterize here and haven't. My point is, many riders do this when they expect to park their bikes for a long time. Since gas doesn't know if it's in a car or a bike, I would think it would congeal no matter where it's kept. If cars can sit for months and still be fine, then why can't bikes, too?

one key difference...

all modern cars are fuel injected.

many bikes still have carbs.

Great topic.

A bit of Sea Foam in the gas perhaps the way to go, it keeps stuff clean and running (poor mans tune up) and also works as a fuel stabilizer. The wee bit required for a cycle tank to treat 5 gals or so could be measured in a couple tablespoons, and you would be covered and or tuned in one step.

It's what i do the the atv and other such beasts and seems to work fine.

Winterizing is for pussies that think 1500 miles a year is hard core.

carb Yes

F/I No

Actually, it'd be 10 tablespoons for 5 gallons. SeaFoam is 1oz/gal for fuel treatment and 2tbs=1oz.

Just sayin...

I have never wintereized/summerized.

7 years of winter storage on my SV, no fuel system problems.

2 one year periods of my jeep sitting, no fuel system issues.

Fuel has ethanol in it as well. Swell my plastic gas tanks up, you bet, but the vehicles run fine.

You can stabilize the full tank of fuel, change the oil and filter with a coating oil treatment like Duralube, change the other fluids, put the car just off the ground with jackstands under the framerails, drop a fistful of dessicant packets in the interior, and put a tender on the battery. Treat the accessible rubber with a preservative and the accessible chassis metal with a rust inhibitor. Check the car often for nesting rodents, opening the doors, trunk, and hood when doing so. Take it out for a decently-long drive every 2 weeks or so if you can.

If the car has sat for longer than a month or two, check your fluids for level and contaminants, remove the sparkplugs, squirt some Lucas Oil into each cylinder and turn the crank by wrench a few times. Then crank it with the starter a few short times. Reinstall the plugs and check tire pressures, lighting, and brakes. It should be good to go after fresh fluids and a cleaning.

Carbs have the bowls drained, EFI nothing. Battery tenders on everything, cover bikes. We had a warm day today, and I uncovered the Kawi that's been sitting since November and it fired right up. Aired up the tires and went riding.

Ride at least twice per week :)

We typically have substantial winters here in Edmonton. I have had no winter problems however on my carbed SR500 or my R12GS. I try to run them untill good and hot 2 or 3 times over the winter and watch the battery charge. Our humidity is quite low and water in fuel has never been a concern.

Lee

Most I've ever done is sea foam in the gas tank and hooked up to a battery tender. My FI bike didn't even get the tender and still fired up after a few months in the garage.
Draining the bowls on a carb'd bike is probably a good idea but then again I've never done it the two years I've had a carb'd bike and haven't had a problem.

I've had my Speed Triple 11 years, and have always used Stabil, and kept the bike on stands with a tender plugged in. The last couple of years i've used Marine Stabil, as it is supposed to be better with the 10 % Ethanol. Bike fires up ready to go every spring.

"Winterizing" is preparing the vehicle for use in the Winter.
"Storing" is preparing the vehicle for a long lay-over (3-4-5mos?) of near zero maintenence which may include low temps..

Just one of those little pet peeves in nomenclature that 'Riders' seem to share.

Neither do I.


What I do is fill the tank full, drain the carbs, and bring the battery inside. I don't bother with stabil or seafoam or any of that shit anymore. I've never had to deal with gummed up carbs, unless the bike has been sitting for years.