• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Winterization-carbs

  • Thread starter Thread starter ddeboer
  • Start date Start date
D

ddeboer

Guest
Hi, I've got a 1983 GS1100E with 17,000 miles on her. I live in Western Canada and would like advice on the best way to store her over the Winter months.

I've heard of two methods:
1) put fresh gas in and add Stabil, run the bike so the new mixture is in the carbs.
and
2) remove the carbs, blow them out with compressed air. Remove the tank, empty it, blow it out. Prime carbs again in spring when ready to ride.

I'm looking to store the bike for 7 months. The carbs currently work great and I don't want any issues in the Springtime. I know the best solution is to run the bike regularly with clean gas but that is not an option in the climate where I live.

Please advise-thankyou in advance!
 
I prefer option 1.

In addition, change the oil so you have fresh oil sitting in the bearings and put a battery tender on it, too. I will also suggest using at least double the recommended dose of Sta-Bil and fill the tank. Remember to leave the petock anywhere but PRIME.

Also remember that one of the WORST things you can do to your bike while it is in storage is to fire it up for a few minutes then shut it down. It does not matter how "sweet" it sounds, it won't charge the battery any better than the tender will, and will promote a LOT of rust and corrosion inside, where you can't see it.

.
 
Fill the tank and add the stabil...i wouldnt blow out anything. To my thinking that leaves exposed surfaces to rust or possible oxidation. Gas in contact with the surfaces wont let that happen..
 
Also remember that one of the WORST things you can do to your bike while it is in sto

Also remember that one of the WORST things you can do to your bike while it is in sto

Thankyou Steve. That's the method I was leaning towards-alot less work too!
Can you explain why starting the bike briefly promotes corrosion?

Thanks!
 
starting runs the gas into the bowls and the stabil keeps the gas fresh..that promotes an environment that resists oxidation on the inside of the carbs and jets..also runs a bit of oil from time to time up to the top end and around everything else that needs oiled. I will start my bikes a few times through the winter and let them run for a while just to keep everything oiled and freed up so to speak. I have heard a lot about the "condensation" from short starting but havent had or seen any evidence of such a phenomenon..I personally think thats a wives tale. I let them run about 10 minutes and the air is cold enough that they wont overheat..
 
Last edited:
chuck hahn said:
... I have heard a lot about the "condensation" from short starting but havent had or seen any evidence of such a phenomenon..I personally think thats a wives tale. I let them run about 10 minutes and the air is cold enough that they wont overheat..
Click to expand...

I've been wondering about that too. How is that supposed to work to promote rust?
 
I believe the condensation you do not see would be in the exhaust,that being said if you let the motor run long enough to get it to operating temps condensation will evaporate,so I would not see a problem with that.
 
i usually run about 10 to 15 minutes..and in the summer months while i am working on a bike i have an old furnace blower i use to push air across the engine..
 
ddeboer said:
Can you explain why starting the bike briefly promotes corrosion?
Click to expand...

Dogma said:
I've been wondering about that too. How is that supposed to work to promote rust?
Click to expand...

As already mentioned, there will be condensation. The moisture that collects inside the crankcase will drip down and mix with the oil.

Moisture also collects in the exhaust system. Although there are (supposed to be) little holes to drain the pipes, not all of the moisture gets drained. The remaining moisture will rust out the pipes from the inside.

Idling the bike in the garage for 10 minutes certainly will not overheat the engine, per chuck hahn's concern, but it also won't heat things up enough to 'burn off' the condensation. As far as "keeping everything oiled and freed up", there is no real advantage to starting the bike. It will still be just as "oiled" after 4 months of sitting as it will after 4 weeks.

What I have practiced for years (and it appears to work well) is "don't start it unless you are going to RUN it". That is, take it for a ride of at least 20-30 minutes to get everything up to temperature. Exceptions are made for repair work, but after most repairs there is always the "check-out ride" that will do the job.


.
 
Steve said:
Idling the bike in the garage for 10 minutes certainly will not overheat the engine, per chuck hahn's concern, but it also won't heat things up enough to 'burn off' the condensation. As far as "keeping everything oiled and freed up", there is no real advantage to starting the bike. It will still be just as "oiled" after 4 months of sitting as it will after 4 weeks.
...
Click to expand...

This is the part that confuses me. The condensation is already there. What is the difference between not running at all and not running long enough to evaporate it? Also, won't any elevated temp (say, warm to the touch) tend to evaporate any moisture? Why is full operating temperature necessary?

Not that I don't need another excuse to take it out for a ride - I'm just trying to understand.
 
Dogma said:
This is the part that confuses me. The condensation is already there. What is the difference between not running at all and not running long enough to evaporate it? Also, won't any elevated temp (say, warm to the touch) tend to evaporate any moisture? Why is full operating temperature necessary?

Not that I don't need another excuse to take it out for a ride - I'm just trying to understand.
Click to expand...

The hotter the motor,pipe you will have a longer period of time for the evaporation proses.
 
I think the biggest reason not to run the bike during the winter is all the exhaust fumes in the living room :lol:
 
Dogma said:
Also, won't any elevated temp (say, warm to the touch) tend to evaporate any moisture? Why is full operating temperature necessary?
Click to expand...
Were you awake in your physics and/or chemistry classes? :-k

When I went to school (many years before you did :p), we were told that water evaporated at 212 degrees F. Not sure about the sensitivity of your touch, but I feel warmth considerably before that.

There is also the water vapor that is a by-product of combustion to consider. Surely you have noticed all the clouds of vapor trailing cars in the winter? Ever notice that you don't see that on cars that have been out long enough to get fully warmed up? Same thing with the bikes.

Simply warming the pipes ("to the touch") might reduce the relative humidity, but the actual moisture is still there. As the temperature cools, the relative humidity increases to the point of saturation, then condensation forms.

.
 
Condensation is real, and is the reason mufflers rot out.

BTW, Suzuki recommends draining both the fuel system and carbs for winter storage. I don't think it will cause issues to do so unless you're carbs are full of 30 year old O-rings.
 
A lot of Craigs List sellers prepare for storage by removing the carbs and plugs, and put them in storage. Then the bike is carefully placed leaning on the site of the shed or tree outdoors. Removal of the stator cover and disassembly of the carbs is optional. Airbox and filter should be placed on the ground, open

I'm with Suzuki on preferring to drain the carbs. I prefer to leave the fuel tank full. Corrosion in the tank comes from condensation of moisture in the air. Full tank minimizes the quantity of air.

As to condensation, a minimium operating oil temp of 180 degrees in the is recommended for drying condension out. 10 minutes of idling isn't going to heat up the oil. It will probably keep the carb jets from gumming up though.
 
What were they teaching kids in school in those days?

Water boils at 212?F, but evaporation happens at lower temperatures, if humidity is low enough. For example, the humidity in Buffalo during the winter can drop very low as the moisture freezes out of the air. My roommate in college (I went to UB), would set a full mug of water on the heater to be evaporated in order to raise the humidity in the dorm room to protect his delicate sinuses. Wuss. Too many years in Florida for him. Anyhow, on really dry days, he would need to refill the mug 2 or 3 times versus none during a thaw. That heater was nowhere near 212?F. "Concentration of the substance evaporating in the air" and elevated temperature both affect evaporation.

I'm not sure it matters though. The morning after you take it for a ride, the engine will be cool, and the condensation will be right back in there (and rotting the mufflers). So what's the additional harm in not boiling it off in the first place? This is the part I don't get.
 
Last edited:
Nessism said:
Condensation is real, and is the reason mufflers rot out.

BTW, Suzuki recommends draining both the fuel system and carbs for winter storage. I don't think it will cause issues to do so unless you're carbs are full of 30 year old O-rings.
Click to expand...


automobiles that nake short trips rust out mufflers more than those used on long trips.

the pipes never get hot enough to evaporate the moisture and it is that moisture combined with th byproducts of combustion that rust things.

sulphur and water nake for sulfuric acid if I recall.

I read an mc mag article once that claimed that all of the stresses were not out of an engine till after it had been run for a long time about two hours or so--seems unimagineable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top