Simplest way to store the motorbike

[Floppy disk]

Folks,

I looked online on how to store the motorbike for a few months. It seems to be longer and harder process than building the entire bike from scratch. :brick: :crazy:

When I am back, the bike will be taken for service, so I don't need to change oil or any of that, and I can't put the tires off the ground.

What would be a simple and easy way to store the bike for 6 months in a garage-like premise?

[catatonicChimp]

I've not done long term storage for a bike, but I assume it would be pretty similar to car..

Do an oil change before you leave.
Fill the fuel tank to the top to avoid it rusting on the inside and put some stabilizer in it so it doesn't become vanish.
Pump the tires up, and ideally get them off the ground or with minimal weight on them, so centre stand or paddock stand and some milk crates or similar

[smmudd83_1999]

If it's only 6 months, and you're going to service the bike when you get back, maybe you don't HAVE to change the oil.
Ditto the previous post about fuel in the tank.
I would also say that it isn't good for the battery to be stood without a discharge/charge sequence for 6 months - so it's up to you whether you're happy dropping $170 on a new battery when you get back if a battery tender is too difficult (take the battery out and leave it plugged in to a tender if you can).
Is it undercover? if not, buy one. They're cheap. If it's a windy under apartment car park garage in Wellington, I'd still cover it.
Grease/APF50 exposed metal work (not brake discs or tyres :-/ ) That takes 10 minutes.
You'll sometimes read about folk dropping a teaspoon of oil in a cylinder (via the spark plug hole) and maybe turning the back wheel in 6th gear to move the piston up/down the cylinder to oil your bore. Personally, for 6 months I wouldn't bother unless it's a 2 stroke. If it is a 2 stroke, think about filling the bottom of your crankcase.

This is all cheap and quickly done stuff. When you get back, the calipers might be stuck on or something but that's no big issue. The internet is a dangerous place - a lot of suggestions seem overwhelming but I can only assume they're storing their bike for decades. Just do the basics and fork out for a good service when you get home again.

[Honest Andy]

+1 all of that
Also disconnect the battery and charge it before you go, or put it on a maintainer. Store it inside where it is warm too if you can.
Pour a few mls of clean engine oil down the spark plug holes too if you can

[jellywrestler]

Do an oil change before you leave.


why? please impart your knowledge behind this

[jasonu]

Folks,


What would be a simple and easy way to store the bike for 6 months in a garage-like premise?

Stop being a fucking homo for a start.
Pull it in to the garage and put the side stand down then leave. Job done.

[Gremlin]

Hornet CB919 was parked in a carport for 8 months, nothing done. Started with a slight cough afterwards. Horribly reliable beasts.

[sidecar bob]

Stop being a fucking homo for a start.
Pull it in to the garage and put the side stand down then leave. Job done.

Six months? That's hardly storage, it's just how long it takes to get around to riding the entire fleet.
I wouldn't call it storage, just a short period of inactivity.

[AllanB]

Plenty of bikes sitting in bike shops for a longer period. Other than regularly charging batteries they do nothing to them.

[Honest Andy]

yeah yeah righto fair enough don't go on about it just because no-one ever actually bothers with all that rubbish...

actually I usually do
mostly
well, sometimes
when I remember

Look, don't bother with any of it

except the battery part. Those tiny little things are too flamin' expensive!

[russd7]

a lot of the shit ya read on the net about storing bikes seem to refer to the colder climes, although a lot of the softc**ks in jaffa land believe it gets cold there it don't. six months is nothin. all i would do is discconect ya battery other wise ya will have to replace it. don't leave it connected and put a tender on because someone is likely to come along and unplug ya tender and then ya battery will be screwed anyway.

[Honest Andy]

It does so get cold up here!

I'll have you know we had a slightly chilly breeze here just this morning :cold:

[russd7]

It does so get cold up here!

I'll have you know we had a slightly chilly breeze here just this morning :cold:

yeah yeah yeah, :yawn:

[sidecar bob]

I am aware of one of our southern sidecar brothers that had a race bike head crack from freezing in his internal access garage when it went minus 5 degrees & he hadn't drained the cooling system.
Fuck that, I'd just move a bit further north. He's nice, but clearly not too smart.:p

[rambaldi]

why? please impart your knowledge behind this

From what I gathered from George for oil guru from the duc forums old oil ends up getting acidic. You won't want that to be sitting in an around the engine for long periods of time as it will slowly corrode things. Whether 6 months is long enough to worry about (for anything other than a duc) for how ever old the current oil is?? Fuck knows.

[jellywrestler]

I am aware of one of our southern sidecar brothers that had a race bike head crack from freezing in his internal access garage when it went minus 5 degrees & he hadn't drained the cooling system.
should have run glycol...

[husaberg]

should have run glycol...

Propylene glycol is not slippery or toxic plus its not dyed green like ethylene glycol is....just saying......
https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/2GL30NNEI/title/coolant-1-89l

[Coldrider]

What a load of codswallop. Fuel goes off, battery needs maintaining. Bikes sit in the showroom for longer.

[Daffyd]

When/if you fill your tank, add 1/3 cup approx of Methylated Spirits. It will dissolve any water that gets there through condensation.

[MarkH]

From what I gathered from George for oil guru from the duc forums old oil ends up getting acidic. You won't want that to be sitting in an around the engine for long periods of time as it will slowly corrode things. Whether 6 months is long enough to worry about (for anything other than a duc) for how ever old the current oil is?? Fuck knows.

Oil changes should be done at least once per year for those that don't run enough kms. I would apply that to a bike that has been sitting for 6 months, doing an oil change 12 months after the previous one even it it hasn't done the specified amount of kilometres.

I would also disconnect one of the battery leads before leaving a bike for 6 months.

I personally wouldn't worry about anything else, I don't think that 6 months is all that long. Plenty of bikes in NZ sit for 6 months throughout winter, rego on hold, waiting for the warm weather.

[Akzle]

Stop being a fucking homo for a start.
Pull it in to the garage and put the side stand down then leave. Job done.


Six months? That's hardly storage, it's just how long it takes to get around to riding the entire fleet.
I wouldn't call it storage, just a short period of inactivity.
rbcidjip .

[Old Steve]

I am aware of one of our southern sidecar brothers that had a race bike head crack from freezing in his internal access garage when it went minus 5 degrees & he hadn't drained the cooling system.
Fuck that, I'd just move a bit further north. He's nice, but clearly not too smart.:p

Serves him right, bloody fool for not using a proper antifreeze, bet he just had water in his cooling system if it froze and cracked a head at only - 5 deg C. The use of a 50/50 antifreeze concentrate and water mix or a pre-mix antifreeze will also ensure there is the right level of anti-corrosion additives in the coolant fluid, and corrosion protection is one of the major reasons why you should use a proper antifreeze mix.

There's no need to drain the cooling system if storing a bike over winter, a 50/50 antifreeze mix will give freezing protection down to about -55 deg C.

Your sidecar mate is an F**wit.