Shafty winterise Yamaha 850XS

[machinest]

I am winterizing my girlfriends sons Yamaha 850XS shaft drive (he just left for college) and was wondering if there was anything the had to be done specific to the shaft drive.
Otherwise I have put in stabil ,changed the oil and filter, filled the tank and run the bike long enough to get the stabil into the carbs. I will pull the battery and put it indoors as soon as the bike is in the shed.
Any more to do?

[80-81, GS 1100]

I would drain the gas out of the carbs. But thats just me.
Put the bat. on a Battery Tender (charger). You could change
the gear oil in the shaft drive if he hasn't done it but only if
your bored.

[machinest]

Guess I will drain the carbs ,again after it is in the shed .
The other fluids secondary and rear end I was planning on doing in the spring.

[Steve]

No real need to drain the carbs if you have the Sta-Bil in there. How strong a dose did you use? I usually double up for the winter storage dose and have had no problems.

For oil, it is usually best to change the oil and filter before storage. The principle is that you will have oil sitting on the bearing surfaces in the same spot for several months, so it's better to make sure it's fresh oil, rather than contaminated. Same principle will apply to the secondary and final drives, but they don't see all the contaminants that the engine oil has, so it's not as critical.

No need to remove the battery if you put it on a battery maintainer. 80-81, GS 1100 mentioned a generic 'battery tender', but there is a product with the brand name Battery Tender that sells for about $40. You can get a similar one from Wal Mart under the Schumacher Battery Companion brand name for about $20. I have 4 or 5 of them around the garage for the various off-season batteries, and have never had any problems with any of them. You can get the same unit at Sears under the DieHard name for about $30.

Once you get it all situated, take the bike for a ride around the block to get it up to proper operating temperature. Park it where you are going to leave it, put it on the centerstand. Give it a good cleaning and a good coat of wax. If possible, place a jack or some blocks under the front of the engine to raise the front wheel off the ground, reduce the air pressure in both tires to 10-15 psi. Connect the battery tender (whichever brand you buy), cover it with a sheet or light blanket to keep the dust off it, then ignore it until you are ready to ride it. Do NOT fire it up every once in a while, no matter how sweet it might sound. Short-term operation like that is what builds condensation in the crankcase and exhaust systems and does a lot more harm than good. Many guys start it to 'charge the battery', but that job is already being handled by your battery tender, so don't bother with it.

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[machinest]

Need to take battery out because there is no power in the shed. At that the junk in the shed needs to come out before the bikes can go in.
Should I put a cotton cloth over the bikes under the Nelson Rigg covers I have ? Also can you run two batteries on one tender ?

[Dave8338]

Should I put a cotton cloth over the bikes under the Nelson Rigg covers I have ? Also can you run two batteries on one tender ?

I use an old bath towel under the covers as I have a shop cat that likes to climb on things

[67fire]

machinist wrote: "Also can you run two batteries on one tender ?"
__________________

Yes, just run jumpers between the two.

Eric

[tkent02]

Should I put a cotton cloth over the bikes under the Nelson Rigg covers I have ?

If they are waterproof covers they will only keep moisture in, condensation or whatever will stay and cause rust. If it is not actually getting rained on you don't want a waterproof cover. A blanket or something to keep the dust and cats off is good.

I like to drain the carbs, Stabil does nothing to prevent the gas from evaporating, residue gums things up, especially if the petcock is not sealing completely. Also I leave the float bowl drain plugs loose so I will notice a leaking petcock before it gums up everything. Or better yet pull the fuel line off of the tank, same reason.

[Steve]

I like to drain the carbs, Stabil does nothing to prevent the gas from evaporating, residue gums things up, especially if the petcock is not sealing completely. Also I leave the float bowl drain plugs loose so I will notice a leaking petcock before it gums up everything. Or better yet pull the fuel line off of the tank, same reason.

I agree with the above information, but not sure I can agree about the "Stabil does nothing to prevent the gas from evaporating" part. I live in an area where one engine or another (motorcycle, lawn mower, snow blower, etc.) might be dormant for several months at a time (as does tkent). I have never had any fuel-related problems when I used Stabil in the tank before storage. Might have been because I doubled the dose, I don't know, but bringing the machine out of storage mode was never a problem. I just double the dose of Stabil, run the engine long enough to ensure that the treated gas has made it through all parts of the carb(s), then store it.

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