Caring for the bike that will rarely be ridden

[simonp]

Now that I have my GS850 running I'm wondering about it's long term care and storage. I won't be riding it every day. Even in the summer I expect it will only get ridden one or two days a month.

Are there proactive things I should do to keep it up given it's going to sit 99% of the time? For example, should I always put fuel stabilizer in the tank when I park it?

I would like to keep it in good enough shape that I can hop on and ride anytime I feel the need without having to fuss with it.

Does anyone have any advice?

[DanTheMan]

No, other than ride it a lot............99% sitting time doesn't do a lot for most auto/cycle/boats/lawn tractors etc.............well you get the idea. Things gum up and dry out and unless you've got an environmentally controlled room, and religiously take care of that toy, it will give you fits when you take it out on the 7th day of the 3rd week of the 8th month to play with it...........:-D

[mortation]

So then the best solution would be park it at my place and I will ride it for you to keep it in top condition

[koolaid_kid]

You might want to put fuel stabilizer in the tank, and get a battery tender to keep the battery charged...
And certainly keep it away from mortation, I have heard things...

[Grandpa]

What you're planning on doing to this 850 is criminal, in my opinion.

Best thing for that bike is to sell it to someone who will ride it often, ride it hard, ride it for many miles at a given time.

I have 122,000 miles on my GK, (basically the same bike as your 850). The reason it runs so well, after all those miles and years, is that I ride it every day. Do that bike a favor and sell it to someone that will appreciate it.

How does one show appreciation for a wonderful machine like a GS850? By riding the hell out of it!

[ScottMc1100L]

I'm with these two...

...Things gum up and dry out and unless you've got an environmentally controlled room..

You might want to put fuel stabilizer in the tank, and get a battery tender to keep the battery charged....

I use Marvel Mystery Oil as a stabilizer though for both the fuel and oil. IMO proper storage is the single best thing you can do for it. Mine is ridden rarely but stored happily. If only its present situation could "roll back the clock" from her "the cover blew off, I'll get it back on eventually" days!

[gsgeezer]

garage queen

it's going to sit 99% of the time

Buy an electric motorcycle

[Dave8338]

What you're planning on doing to this 850 is criminal, in my opinion.

Best thing for that bike is to sell it to someone who will ride it often, ride it hard, ride it for many miles at a given time.

I have 122,000 miles on my GK, (basically the same bike as your 850). The reason it runs so well, after all those miles and years, is that I ride it every day. Do that bike a favor and sell it to someone that will appreciate it.

How does one show appreciation for a wonderful machine like a GS850? By riding the hell out of it!

In addition...don't just fire the thing up and let it idle for twenty minutes as it wont due a thing to keep all the rest of the issues from popping up and the engine will only be running fuel through the idle circuits in the carbs. Why such a limited life for the bike?

[Steve]

I agree, with virtually all of the above. Riding only one day a month is absolutely criminal.

But, if you must treat it that way, always park it with stabilizer in the gas. Some people use Marvel Mystery Oil, I have used Sta-Bil and SeaFoam. Never had any problems with Sta-Bil, but have recently learned that it has an expiration date, and have since switched to SeaFoam.

If you have run it long enough to get the engine thoroughly warmed up on the day that you ride it, you should not need any kind of treatment in the oil. If you are going to store it over the winter, change the oil before shutting it down.

Connect the battery to some type of Battery Tender. The "Battery Tender" brand is good, but a bit pricy. You can get a similar 'automatic battery charger/maintainer' from Wal-Mart or Sears for about half the price ($30). Make sure the charger lists the word 'maintainer' in its description. Don't settle for an automatic battery charger. When the automatic charger is 'done', it merely reduces the charge rate, but keeps charging. When the 'maintainer' is 'done', it stops charging, but monitors battery voltage. If the voltage drops, it kicks the charger back in.

Keep the bike on the centerstand. Put a piece of plastic or plywood under the front tire to get it off the concrete. Check tire inflation before you ride (oh, you do that anyway, don't you?).

And, as mentioned above, do NOT start the bike unless you intend to ride it. Yeah, it sounds so good, but all you will do is create condensation that will build up in the crankcase and exhaust system, creating problems in both areas.


.

[simonp]

This is my third bike now, and the first one that I haven't needed as practical daily transportation. I live in rainy Portland, Oregon and my daily commute is 35Miles (one way) straight up I-5 into downtown. Rush hour, stop and go traffic, in the pouring rain, on a 4-6 Lane interstate is miserable. It was riding daily in the rain that discouraged me from motorcycles the last time around. It was 7 years later that I got interested enough by helping a friend work on this 850 that I decided to just by it from him.

The way I see it is with 10500 original miles on it, it may be the last motorcycle I ever want or need. That's my goal here. Owning this machine for the rest of my life, and enjoying it on occasion, as I feel the urge.

[koolaid_kid]

Simonp, it is your motorcycle. Ride it when and how you see fit. Since your question was how to take care of it under your conditions, read the posts that pertain to that and ignore any others.
As an owner of 5 vehicles, it would be improbable, if not impossible, to use every single machine every day. So I take precautions to insure that each vehicle is ready when I am. That is all it takes.
Best of luck, and enjoy your motorcycle.

[Pete Logan]

After standing for a while it can take some time for the starter to suck fuel into the carbs. I've flattened batteries this way. I find setting the petcock to Prime (gravity feed) and letting the bike stand for 15-20 minutes before trying to start it seems to help.

Alternatively, pull the air filter and spray a load of 'Get er Started' (or equivalent) rocket fuel in there. This'll run it long enough to suck regular fuel through. It's a bit brutal, though.

[spchips]

Fuel Tank: Full
Carbs: empty (disconnect vacuum and supply from petcock) and run dry. possibly also drained the carbs from the bowls.
Crankcase: plenty of oil in it
Cylinders: possibly oiled
Chain: loosened
Throw a blanket over it.

I have more than I can ride, and sometimes it makes me sad. However, I don't trust others to take as good care of them as I do.

Everything's for sale if you promise to treat it nice.

[walt]

Something I did was install the bowls from a Kawasaki with BS34's. Much easier to drain the carbs for lay up. Also for winter lay up, I have the bike on it's center stand and a support under the pipes at the front of the motor. If your bike has case savers those are a good support spot as well. Just high enough to raise the front tire off the floor.With the front and rear tires off the floor, reduce the air pressure in both tires to appox. 5psi. No flat spots will develop over the winter.

[Pete Logan]

Oh man, I'm getting old.

I have no idea why anyone would want to drain the carbs. Petrol evaporates. The carbs will be empty soon enough if you just leave them alone. That's why the damn bike don't start after a couple weeks FFS :-D

Flat spots on the tires happened on the old stuff - cross plys - doesn't happen with radials, but whatever floats your boat.

On the center stand, there's about 20lbs pressure on the front tire and none on the back.

Like that's gonna do anything.