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Advice on Winterizing--GS850G

  • Thread starter Thread starter nate875
  • Start date Start date
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nate875

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I'm doing some winterizing on my 1980 GS850G, and I have this question: After draining the carb float bowls, is it better to leave the drain screws completely out of the bowls?
 
Depends on your definition of "better".

From a purely winterizing standpoint, it makes no difference. The trace amounts of gas left in the carb after being drained will evaporate quickly, drain screws or no.

The only advantage I can see to leaving them out (or leaving them unscrewed) is that if you still have gas in the tank and the petcock fails while sitting, the gas gets emptied onto the outside of the engine instead of the inside.

Just remember to put them back in come spring or you'll have a mess on your hands!
 
Along those lines (pardon the pun) I would disconnect the fuel line going from the tank to the carbs at the petcock and put a line on the petcock nipple with a plug in it. You may want to disconnect and plug the vacuum line as well. Fill the tank full with gas and add Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer. The plugs for the petcock are to keep gas from pouring out if the petcock fails. The reason to fill the tank is to keep moisture from creating rust. The reason for the Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer is self evident.
 
I don't drain anything. I fill up with premium fuel plus stabilizer, leaving no room for moisture to rust anything. Stabilizer is a no brainer. Then a few times when the temps aren't terrible. I start up and warm up, running thru the gears on the center stand. If possible I'll take it down the road a short piece to keep things from getting sticky, clutch, throttle, brakes & such. I will also run the carbs empty, or close to it, and then turn the gas back on, which forces the floats to cycle down and back up. On a chain bike I lube it when parked with oil. I don't like carbs sitting empty.
 
wymple said:
I don't drain anything. I fill up with premium fuel plus stabilizer, leaving no room for moisture to rust anything. Stabilizer is a no brainer. Then a few times when the temps aren't terrible. I start up and warm up, running thru the gears on the center stand. If possible I'll take it down the road a short piece to keep things from getting sticky, clutch, throttle, brakes & such. I will also run the carbs empty, or close to it, and then turn the gas back on, which forces the floats to cycle down and back up. On a chain bike I lube it when parked with oil. I don't like carbs sitting empty.
Click to expand...

Doing this fills the mufflers with condensation. You are better off not starting the bike if you don't plan on running it long enough to dry out the pipes.
 
What part of warm up don't you understand? That involves running it long enough to do the job.
 
wymple said:
What part of warm up don't you understand? That involves running it long enough to do the job.
Click to expand...

What part of "warm up COMPLETELY" do you not understand? :-k

You can not warm up the parts enough to 'burn off' condensation while the bike is on the centerstand.

.
 
i think if you are running it long enough fast enough to get it hot enough on the stand, you best have a fan blowing on it, even when it's cold out. takes like 20-30 minutes on the road to get it fully up to temp. at idle-ish, i dunno, 45 minutes?
 
I just dose the fuel with stabil, go for nice long final ride to make sure carbs get stabil. I don't drain carbs, any fuel will slowly evaporate. I pull tank and store in a location where temps don't fluctuate much (basement). 5 months later bike wakes up nice and happy. As mentioned, no need to run bike periodically- bike doesn't know/care if it's been sleeping a week or 5 months.
 
If you feel like you have to run the bike do this instead, pull the spark plugs and put the bike in high gear and rotate the engine by grasping the rear tire and turning it a few rotations. This will help with the rings and valve springs. Oh by the way, if you store for a bit, might want to oil fog the cylinders to keep the rings from possible sticking.
 
greg78gs750 said:
i think if you are running it long enough fast enough to get it hot enough on the stand, you best have a fan blowing on it, even when it's cold out. takes like 20-30 minutes on the road to get it fully up to temp. at idle-ish, i dunno, 45 minutes?
Click to expand...

In less than 10 minutes you wouldn't lay your hands on ANY motorcycle cans I've ever owned. And that's a lot of bikes.
 
I don't think it's necessary to start and run the bike over the winter. I would though if it were being stored for a longer period than 3 months. Otherwise, I pour enough Sta-Bil for a full tank, take the bike out for its last ride, then gas up and return the few miles home. That way gas with Sta-Bil is in the float bowls. I think it's wiser and easier to keep the bowls full of gas rather than to drain them, provided you have Sta-Bil in them already. I clean and lube the chain while it's still warm, then after the bike cools down I change the oil and filter, start it up to circulate the new oil, lube the clutch cable and its end, put on the smart charger, air up the tires, give it a coat of wax, and wait till spring (sigh). It could be a while.
 
Why store it... Just ride it.:onthego: It was close to 20 degrees today and I still rode mine to work. Last year it was 6 degrees and I was aabbllee to to gettt to workkk.:snowman:
 
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