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Winterization-carbs

  • Thread starter Thread starter ddeboer
  • Start date Start date
fill tank to keep from rusting.
drain carbs.
remove battery from bike and trickle as needed.
change oil now or before starting in the spring.
these are all simple things.
stabill smabill...
no fuel in carbs = no gummy gum gum stuff to deal with.:)
 
blowerbike said:
fill tank to keep from rusting.
drain carbs.
remove battery from bike and trickle as needed.
change oil now or before starting in the spring.
these are all simple things.
stabill smabill...
no fuel in carbs = no gummy gum gum stuff to deal with.:)
Click to expand...

With me living in CO I could see myself doing that. But one question, we still have good days out here during the winter where it's still possible to ride. Unfortunately, my closest gas station is 10 miles away from the house. What is my best option if I follow your advice but still try to ride during the winter?
 
cowboyup3371 said:
With me living in CO I could see myself doing that. But one question, we still have good days out here during the winter where it's still possible to ride. Unfortunately, my closest gas station is 10 miles away from the house. What is my best option if I follow your advice but still try to ride during the winter?
Click to expand...

my suggestion does not count if you chose to ride your bike any durring the storage period.
mine is for parking it till the season is 100% in.
i stored a persons bike like i stated for over 3 years.
i went to sell it for them and installed the battery/turned full on to fill carbs/flipped the choke and it started....
carbs leaked between each other a little but after the 1st ride it was dry as a bone.
gas was flat to say the least and some had evaporated..added half bottle of lucus octane booster and the rest is history.
 
Blower, I understand what you are saying but should I still put some Stabil in or should I do something else if I want to continue riding?
 
cowboyup3371 said:
Blower, I understand what you are saying but should I still put some Stabil in or should I do something else if I want to continue riding?
Click to expand...

there's others that can answer that for you..
i have never seen stabil has any kind of miracle additive for storage.
maybe i never gave it a chance....
 
A friend of mine does the following to winterize his bike:

-drain tank,blow dry, keep filler cap off to allow tank to remain dry=no rust
-drain carbs, blow out, put back on bike, keep empty
-remove plugs, put 1 tbsp of oil in, replace plugs
-fill engine oil to top of crankcase

During the winter: spin rear wheel (by hand) a few rotations every week or 2. He claims this keeps everything lubricated, carbs clean,tank rust free. The only thing he says is that when starting the bike in the spring, the carb seals can leak for a short amount of time. He claims the leaks go away shortly when they are rehydrated.
 
ddeboer said:
A friend of mine does the following to winterize his bike:

-drain tank,blow dry, keep filler cap off to allow tank to remain dry=no rust
-drain carbs, blow out, put back on bike, keep empty
-remove plugs, put 1 tbsp of oil in, replace plugs
-fill engine oil to top of crankcase

Leave gas cap off all winter? I hope he has a clean room!
Remove carbs? Ok, for a twin- too much work for me!
Remove plugs and add oil makes sense!
Fill oil to top of crankcase? does stuff really need to be submerged?
Click to expand...
 
cowboyup3371 said:
Blower, I understand what you are saying but should I still put some Stabil in or should I do something else if I want to continue riding?
Click to expand...

blowerbike said:
there's others that can answer that for you..
i have never seen stabil has any kind of miracle additive for storage.
maybe i never gave it a chance....
Click to expand...
I have used Stabil for many years with good results. Not sure if my double-dosing it was helping it any, but that's what I have done for any long-term hibernation. My snowblower will sit for 9 or 10 months at a time, but fires up on the first pull every time. My lawn mower also will sit while the snowblower is being exercised. It also fires quickly.

The only bike I have winterized so far is my wife's bike. Mine tends to get fresh gas run through it at regular intervals, so winterizing would be pointless.

If you have Stabil (or any other stabilizer) in the gas, there is no problem riding with it in there, just be sure to refresh the mixture when you top off the tank after your mid-winter ride.

.
 
Steve said:
I have used Stabil for many years with good results. Not sure if my double-dosing it was helping it any, but that's what I have done for any long-term hibernation. My snowblower will sit for 9 or 10 months at a time, but fires up on the first pull every time. My lawn mower also will sit while the snowblower is being exercised. It also fires quickly.

The only bike I have winterized so far is my wife's bike. Mine tends to get fresh gas run through it at regular intervals, so winterizing would be pointless.

If you have Stabil (or any other stabilizer) in the gas, there is no problem riding with it in there, just be sure to refresh the mixture when you top off the tank after your mid-winter ride.

.
Click to expand...

Steve, I am switching to the marine stabil (seems to work better). I would advise draining the tank and carbs except I cant think of any good way to keep the tank from rusting. But, if I were to advise leaving gas in it, I would say to fill the tank all the way. a half full tank would be a rust haven.
 
Old thread, but I am curious.

My generators and other small engines that have fuel shut offs always start and run fine after very long periods of storage, providing that I turn the shutoff valve to "off" and run them till they starve for fuel.

I wonder if an easier way to drain the carbs may be to just run them till dry, and add StarTron to the full tank?

On my 78gs1000 there is no off for the petcock, so I was wondering if I could just unplug the vacuum line and run it till it runs out of fuel?
 
cowboyup3371 said:
Blower, I understand what you are saying but should I still put some Stabil in or should I do something else if I want to continue riding?
Click to expand...

If you can ride once a month or more, just park it on the centerstand and ride when you can. Don't take it for a short spin, give it a good long ride especially the last ride before it sits a while. It takes time to cook the water out of the oil, a short ride leaves some water in the oil. The part about combustion byproducts and water forming acid is true. How much water depends on the climate, it's dry here especially in winter so there's not much condensation to worry about. Ohio is probably more humid. Top the gas tank off after every ride to keep condensation from collecting in the tank. I haven't winterized a bike in years, but I try to ride each one at least once a month. I don't use a battery tender, but I charge the battery if it goes over a month between rides. I put Stabil in the gas just in case the weather turns and I can't ride a month, this only happens rarely. How long the fuel lasts depends on the formulation of the fuel and on the climate, more moisture in the air seems to make it go bad quicker. I have had no problems running fuel that has sat in the bike several months. Others have.
 
tkent02 said:
It takes time to cook the water out of the oil, a short ride leaves some water in the oil. The part about combustion byproducts and water forming acid is true. .
Click to expand...

Not just water in the oil, you gotta cook the water out of the pipes too. Short trips in a car during the winter here in New England cause pipes to rust out pretty quickly. I think some of that is a by-products of the catalytics, but happens in all pipes to a point. Too much risk of ice on the roads around here for winter riding, so I'll be putting mine up soon; tear-down time!

Cheers!:)
 
Drain the bowls, remove from bike, remove all the orings and apply grease, fully coat them with Cosmoline, spray the insides till they drip of WD40 , and then use the Seal A Meal so no air can get to them.
 
chuck hahn said:
Drain the bowls, remove from bike, remove all the orings and apply grease, fully coat them with Cosmoline, spray the insides till they drip of WD40 , and then use the Seal A Meal so no air can get to them.
Click to expand...

Was that sarcasm?

This thread is ONLY winterization isnt it? I owned GS's for years back in the 80's and dont remember doing anything during the snowy Illinois winter months.
 
Everything except seal them in the Food Saver...LMAO. Yeah i was feeling sarcastic at the time. Basically all you really need to do is run about a 1/4 can of seafoam in with a full tank..then start the bike and run it down the raod a few miles to get the treated gas thru the bowls and the carbs. Place on Battery Tnde and sleep easy.
 
True Tom...but some geographical locations dont lend well to year round riding. When I was in MI, you basically were done from mid November till around early May...damned aweful cold, snow, ice, and black ice werent very conducive to survival on 2 wheels at the time.
 
I have actually been there in winter, it is amazing to me that anyone would actually choose to live there.
 
Many Many Many moons ago when i got my first bike, i rode that bike year round..had on insulated underwear, wool socks, winer gloves with extra liners...everything you could think of short of a snowmobilers suit. Was fun for sure...then came the scaling and corrosion from daily salt spreadings on the roads..MAJOR mistake!!!!
 
Ever take a bike to a car wash when its 10 degrees out??? Instant cycle centered icicle..freezes on as fast as you can spray it off.
 
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