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[Les]

I would not start and run up my bikes epically in the winter you will fill the exhaust and contaminate the oil with water. You really need to go on a run of several miles to clear it all out, if I do use my bikes in the winter I generally ride at least 10 miles to get them good and hot, I do not even do it to my car I find the best way is to use my wife's car

[Nettshubby]

Exile, just starting amd running for a few minutes doesn't let the engine, and especiely oil, get hot enough to "burn" off the condensation in the engine caused by the engine getting warm, while the outside is cold. Just like your bathroom when filling a bath in winter! The condensation can rust the steel parts inside the engine, crank, bearings, cams, etc.

[Nettshubby]

Beat me to it Les!

[Exile]

Netshubby, Les.


Thanks for clearing that up. Condensation? Who'd have thought it...

Maybe I need to reconsider my winter programme. I've been starting Thumper on a regular basis to keep the oil pumped around the motor. I usually let him run for about ten minutes, varying the revs, until the exhaust appears dry and clear. I should add that he's in an insulated shed and I use a paraffin heater to warm the shed up before I go out and start him. I wait until the air temperature is at least 10°C before I get going...


Your thoughts..?

[Michael]

Exile, that is not too dissimilar to what I was doing this winter. I wanted to keep oil going round the engine (I am concerned I am burning/loosing oil somewhere but not yet convinced), I wanted to keep the battery topped up and the leccy system working, plus I like listening to my bike when I am pottering doing other things (don't worry - the garage door is open!!!). I tend to do this on the evening before I expect to go for a ride (been caught out with flat batteries/blown bulbs/tough starting enough times before an appointment which needs transport to get to!) but this winter each time I did this there was a cold snap overnight

[Thack]

Exile: All of this is completely unnecessary. I've done a lot of winter-time bike storage over the years, and the only thing you need to do is make sure it's clean and dry (especially clean of any salt), and the last run before storage was a good run that got the engine fully warmed up. Before you arrive home, fill the petrol tank. Oh, and as it's a Bullet, use the kickstarter to take the piston up to TDC (top of the compression stroke).



All you need to do then is maintain the battery with one of the various products you can buy for this purpose. You can leave the bike like this, completely untouched, all winter.



If you want to, you can squirt WD40, Duck Oil, or another similar product on the chrome and alloy, but I've never found it necessary.



You definitely do not need to keep starting it. The internal surfaces will NOT corrode due to the oil draining off them. In fact, I've unearthed engines that have been left for years like this, and they have no internal corrosion. Regular starting without a decent run will cause condensation to build up internally and do more harm than good.



If you are storing it for years, rather than months, then you need to mess about with the tyres and such, but none of that is necessary for winterizing.



Honestly, that's all you need to do: take it for a good run, fill up the tank, stick it in the shed, set it to TDC, connect a battery maintainer, and walk away. Duck Oil is optional. In the Spring, start it in the normal way and check the tyre pressures before riding. I've done this with LOADS of bikes over the years, and they were all fine.

[Thack]

Oh, the only time I had a problem with winterizing a bike was an MZ which refused to start in the Spring.



Investigation revealed that a mouse had made a nest under the seat and stripped a 12 inch length of the wiring loom of all the insulation! Why she wanted the insulation I've no idea.

[Nettshubby]

She obviously got mixed up between house insulation and wiring insulation!😉

[papasmurf]

I have been, when our motorcycles are not in use, (not laid up) starting them and running them, once a week or so, with no problems for the last 30 years. I make sure the clutch is free, operate every lever and switch, checking the tyre pressures and so on.
That way I don't get any nasty shocks when I do go out for a ride on them.

[Thack]

Hi Papasmurf.



The risk of condensation build-up in the engine is a theoretical one - all hydrocarbon fuels produce water vapour when they burn. I don't know how much real-world harm is caused by it.



However, I maintain my position: that it is completely unnecessary and has the potential to cause internal condensation, so don't bother doing it.



Honestly, in the past I've laid up bikes for many months in the way I describe, not touched them at all, and they start and run exactly like they'd been ridden the day before.