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Winterizing ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jon
  • Start date Start date
J

Jon

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Winter is coming here in Norfolk, England (not that you'd know it by the temperatures lately - nearly 65* the other day). I am wondering what advice other GS owners might be able to offer on preparing my GS1000G for its hibernation, until April? It will be in an unheated, uninsulated wooden shed (watertight roof and not too draughty, but basic). I can take the battery off and put it on an optimiser. I'll spray it all over (except brakes & tyres of course) with GT50 or ACF or similar. I'm wondering more about petrol (gas) issues. I'm thinking about taking the tank off, draining it and bringing it indoors. Then draining the carbs. Or would it be better to replace the petrol in the carbs with something else? I keep seeing mention of magic potions called Sea Foam and I can't remember what else, but no idea what they are or even where to get them.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Get some fuel stabilizer (over here Stabil marine formula -blue- is a good choice) , add to gas tank before your last hour of riding so it works itself into carb passages before bike's hibernation. Try a boatyard and ask for advice- boats tend to have similar petrol storage issues.
Only charge up battery every other month.

oddly still warm in my area too, but I'm not complaining!
 
Winterize? I can't imagine it getting cold enough there that you can't ride every once in a while. Not like you are in Winterpeg or Astana or someplace.
Ride it for an hour or more once a month or once a week if you can and don't worry about it. Fill the gas tank when you put it away. If your petcock leaks disconnect the fuel line from the petcock, put on a long one and loop it over the handlebars so fuel doesn't keep going into the float bowls and evaporating. If the fuel doesn't keep getting into the float bowls nothing will clog up. If your crappy lead acid battery won't hold a charge for a month bin it and buy an AGM, it will stay charged a lot longer than winter lasts. If you get a big cold snap and can't ride for a month it's no big deal.
 
tkent02 said:
Winterize? I can't imagine it getting cold enough there that you can't ride every once in a while. Not like you are in Winterpeg or Astana or someplace.
Ride it for an hour or more once a month or once a week if you can and don't worry about it. Fill the gas tank when you put it away. If your petcock leaks disconnect the fuel line from the petcock, put on a long one and loop it over the handlebars so fuel doesn't keep going into the float bowls and evaporating. If the fuel doesn't keep getting into the float bowls nothing will clog up. If your crappy lead acid battery won't hold a charge for a month bin it and buy an AGM, it will stay charged a lot longer than winter lasts. If you get a big cold snap and can't ride for a month it's no big deal.
Click to expand...

I was asking for advice on the best way to store the bike over winter - from now until April, as I won't be using it during that period. I wasn't seeking opinions on whether or not I need to do that.
 
tom203 said:
Get some fuel stabilizer (over here Stabil marine formula -blue- is a good choice) , add to gas tank before your last hour of riding so it works itself into carb passages before bike's hibernation. Try a boatyard and ask for advice- boats tend to have similar petrol storage issues.
Only charge up battery every other month.

oddly still warm in my area too, but I'm not complaining!
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom, that's helpful. There are boatyards not far from here.
 
Suzuki details their recommended storage method in your bikes Owners Manual. You might want to check it out.
 
I've winterized 12 out of 15 bikes so far. What I do:

- Fill the tank with non-oxygenated gas
- add Stabil
- start and run the bike for 5 minutes
- shut the petcock off if possible
- shut the bike off and change the oil and filter
- put the bike on the centerstand and prop it up so the front wheel is just off the ground (if you can't do this over inflate the tires 5 psi)
- attach a battery tender to the battery

Been winterizing for over a decade this way and never had a problem. Given the number of bikes I have, sometimes a bike will sit for 8 months before being started after being winterized.
 
Not sure If the UK has E10 (ethanol) petrol yet. If so It might be wise to fill up with some non-oxy fuel for the winter nap. You can get that at the boat yard too.

Ray916MN said:
I've winterized 12 out of 15 bikes so far.
Click to expand...

What about the other 3 Ray ? Holding out for indigenous people summer.....
 
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bonanzadave said:
.....
What about the other 3 Ray ? Holding out for indigenous people summer.....
Click to expand...

2 are winter projects that are drained of gas because they need work that requires the carbs to come off and the other is scheduled to arrive tomorrow from NC. Forecast looks like I might get another day of indigenous people summer riding in, so it is slated to be winterized next week or after Thanksgiving.

P.S. forgot to mention I check the electrolyte level too and refill as necessary before putting them to bed.
 
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I don't think you can find non oxygenated gasoline at the pump in the US. Maybe in more rural states?

I'm gonna try the ride it once a month approach. At a minimum, I'll csn start it up every few weeks. Might pull off the tank in between and store it inside. My bike will live outside in the elements are winter with nothing but a cover. Will definitely run the carbs empty in between starts.
 
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hannibal said:
I don't think you can find non oxygenated gasoline at the pump in the US. Maybe in more rural states?

I'm gonna try the ride it once a month approach. At a minimum, I'll csn start it up every few weeks. Might pull off the tank in between and store it inside. My bike will live outside in the elements are winter with nothing but a cover. Will definitely run the carbs empty in between starts.
Click to expand...

DO NOT start it for a few minutes every week or two, or monthly. If you can't take it for a 30 mile (minimum) ride, then DO NOT start it up at all.
 
hannibal said:
Could you explain why? Does that just introduce more water and other junk to the carbs?
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Actually it is more that it introduces moisture into the oil and the exhaust system because unless it's run for a while fully warmed up the moisture from multiple cold starts will accumulate and contaminate the oil and possibly prematurely rust out the exhaust system. The more humid the air the bigger the problem. I've been storing for many winters and usually fill the tank and add stabiliizer, sometimes change oil if it's near due, run carbs dry or drain, pull the battery, make sure the bike is clean especially in humid climates (moisture likes to stick to dirt) and park it on the centerstand. Luckily I'm in a very cold and dry climate so zero moisture issues and usually store in an unheated shelter with no problems. Also the more you can keep the sun off it the better. My original stock instruments still show no fading. If moisture is a big issue you may need to fog the cylinders and do some sort of rust prevention to other external parts.
 
hannibal said:
I don't think you can find non oxygenated gasoline at the pump in the US. Maybe in more rural states?

I'm gonna try the ride it once a month approach. At a minimum, I'll csn start it up every few weeks. Might pull off the tank in between and store it inside. My bike will live outside in the elements are winter with nothing but a cover. Will definitely run the carbs empty in between starts.
Click to expand...

Non-oxygenated gas is typically available at small airports, marinas and gas stations near marinas. Also sometimes available in wealthy communities as the exotic car guys typically have no problems with the extra cost.

Full tanks are less likely to explode and more importantly to rust. A full tank is less prone to internal condensation. Start up from long periods of sitting creates the greatest amount of wear since, oil will drain off of surfaces leaving them without much lubrication until oil gets pumped through out the engine. Running bikes in cold weather tends to result in condensation forming in the exhaust system which promotes rusting from the inside out.
 
Some helpful replies, thanks folks. I have never come across either oxygenated or non-oxygenated gas - at the pumps it just says unleaded or superunleaded or diesel, in my experience.Is this an American thing?

On the subject of petrol (sorry, gas), I've seen a lot of stuff on bike forums claiming that ethanol-added gas (E5 or E10) goes bad really quickly when stored, and also attracts water out of the atmosphere, like meths will. The people who say this claim that leaving the tank filled right up is the worst thing you can do. Partly because all that ethanol-added gas will attract water, which sinks to the bottom and causes rust, and also because at the end of winter, the gas will have gone off and need chucking away (or at least draining and keeping for your lawnmower). What to believe is the big question"

On my old Triumph its no big deal - one carb which takes half an hour to remove, strip, clean out thoroughly and re-fit. The GS is a very different kettle of fish, hence wanting to avoid any carb-cleaning needs in spring.

If non-oxygenated gas goes under some other name here in UK, and I can get some, maybe that would help?
 
Ethanol is the oxygenate used in the US. The purpose is to add a compound that contains oxygen ("pure" hydrocarbons have no oxygen molecule) so the gasoline burns cleaner. I say "pure" because ethanol is technically a hydrocarbon but seldom found in petroleum. E10 refers to the percentage of ethanol content. Methanol behaves similarly.

The down side is that alcohols (like methanol and ethanol) love water and trap it between molecules where gasoline will form a layer on top of water and not absorb it.

I work in the energy industry and was not aware that non oxy gasoline was still available.
 
We've only had ethanol infused gas here for a while now and as long as you add a fuel stabilizer you should be fine. I've used Stabil for years with great results in all my bikes/mowers/trimmers/saws.

I do pretty much the same thing as Ray does above and get the tires off the ground or overinflate slightly and I remove the batteries and bring them inside to rotate on a -quality- battery tender monthly for any that are not AGM type. I fill to the brim with Stabil already in the tank and run it for ~5 minutes to get it all through the carbs, wash it, wait for it to cool, clean and coat the chain (if applicable) then cover it and wait until the snow melts to get it out again.

Oil life depending, I sometimes wait until spring to do the oil change, and on my favorites, I'll pull the plug wires and crank over a few times before I fire it up for the first time, check the tire pressures and ride off!
 
Jon said:
....
If non-oxygenated gas goes under some other name here in UK, and I can get some, maybe that would help?
Click to expand...

Race gas is non-oxygenated, and if you speak with anyone who has a motorcycle with a plastic/nylon tank (late 00s Ducatis and some Aprilias) they'll let you know where non-oxy is available in the U.K. Alcohol causes plastic/nylon gas tanks to expand which at the best makes fitting them hard and at worst causes rupturing.
 
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