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winter storage questions


cboogie98

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hey guys, happy holidays,  short back story. 21 year old living in nyc bought a used 2016 fz07 with 27 miles on it, now with almost 600, its been amazing no problems what so ever. I currently have it up on stands in the garage, what should I do about winter storage? fresh oil change ( never been done, not at 600 yet). any chemicals for the gas tank ? battery tender? I'm a newbie rider so any feedback is great. thanks again!

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Just a couple of things and I am sure others smarter than me will chime in but an oil change wouldn’t hurt or you can just do in the spring before you take it out. Battery tender Jr is good or bring battery inside. Some fuel stabilizer is a good idea but not totally necessary if tank is topped off. Chain might need some adjustments but can also be done in spring. Here is what the manual recommends at 600. 

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1ton has you covered. I'd add a good wash and lube (cables, chain, pivots, throttle tube etc) to prevent rust and I like to cover em with an old sheet or linen table cloth, not plastic tarp, so it can breath and stay dry. I always park em with non-oxygenated gas in the tank or Sta-bil in there if it's gonna be more than a month. No worries.

BLR

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Or do what I'm doing again now after too many years not doing so...  Go for a twenty to thirty minute run around on the bike whenever streets are clear, clean, and dry.   Keeps your skills fresh and the bike running great. 

I know not everyone can do that, but definitely the best if it is possible.    I figure if it's in the 40s F, I will get out after work or on the weekend.   If I can hit at least once a month all should be good.  Done a couple days each in November and December.  I'll get January this week and hopefully again later in the month.   I'll need to to try to get February in the first half, having knee surgery Feb 21.  Hopefully I'll be good to go in March...  we shall see.  Acute tear in the right meniscus and a bit of arthritis to remove since they'll be in there.

Otherwise do what they said.

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17 hours ago, klx678 said:

Or do what I'm doing again now after too many years not doing so...  Go for a twenty to thirty minute run around on the bike whenever streets are clear, clean, and dry.   Keeps your skills fresh and the bike running great. 

I know not everyone can do that, but definitely the best if it is possible.    I figure if it's in the 40s F, I will get out after work or on the weekend.

I wish I could do that. Theres so much salt and snow up here that my bike wont see the light til almost May. The winter "I need to be doing something itch" started a month ago already too. ☹️

And there is just enough snow/ice to not ride the bike and not enough to snowmobile 🤬

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@geophb Is there any land/trails close by where you can ride a dirt bike? If so a good used dirt bike could put a big scratchin' on that winter itch. 😉 Of course that'll take a little money also but I think it's a good investment for winters to come.

Beemer

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26 minutes ago, geophb said:

I wish I could do that. Theres so much salt and snow up here that my bike wont see the light til almost May. The winter "I need to be doing something itch" started a month ago already too. <img src=">

And there is just enough snow/ice to not ride the bike and not enough to snowmobile 🤬

Sounds just like where I live. I have a snowmobile (a little banged up now) but it’s a 6 hour drive to decent trails right now. Winter’s are definitely challenging and I feel your pain. 

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12 minutes ago, Beemer said:

@geophb Is there any land/trails close by where you can ride a dirt bike? If so a good used dirt bike could put a big scratchin' on that winter itch. 😉 Of course that'll take a little money also but I think it's a good investment for winters to come.

There are some but alot of the trails close for atvs/dirtbike when the snow flies.  

We have a lot of lakes though maybe I need something like this. 🙂

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3 hours ago, geophb said:

I wish I could do that. Theres so much salt and snow up here that my bike wont see the light til almost May. The winter "I need to be doing something itch" started a month ago already too. ☹️

And there is just enough snow/ice to not ride the bike and not enough to snowmobile 🤬

My brother is up in Manitowoc, don't envy you guys.  At least we get a bit of rain and such to wash the roads a bit to clean them about every few weeks.   I guess you need to get a rat bike and stud up the tires with some sheet metal screws...  

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bornagainbiker

Depending on where you are storing your bike, you might also want to stuff a clean rag in the intake snorkel, and also stuff the exhaust pipe with some steel wool or such.  These measures deter little critters from from entering your steed's orifices.  

Give Respect To Get Respect   https://jeff-galbraith.pixels.com/

 

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30 minutes ago, bornagainbiker said:

Depending on where you are storing your bike, you might also want to stuff a clean rag in the intake snorkel, and also stuff the exhaust pipe with some steel wool or such.  These measures deter little critters from from entering your steed's orifices.  

To add to this- tin foil works great to to cover openings. We use it on boats. Mice around here eat mothballs like candy so dont waste your money on those. 

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Stuffing a rag or some aluminum foil in the exhaust is a good idea to prevent any surprises come spring time. I'm in NJ, so I know what it's like to put the baby away for our gross winter roads. What I do to get ready for winter is the following:

- top the bike off with gas and throw in a fuel stabilizer

- oil change regardless of miles unless you literally just changed it (I like doing this to have clean oil soaking everything for a few months instead of the dirty oil from riding season) - let it run for a few minutes too to get the oil and stabilized fuel circulated

- clean the chain and wash the bike (I like this order...sometimes cleaning the chain gets the surrounding areas pretty dirty)

- wax the bike if you'd like

- lube the chain (cables, too, but the cables on our bike are pretty sealed, so mine haven't really gotten all that dirty)

- put it in the garage up on stands, put an aluminum foil plug in the exhaust, hook up the battery tender and throw a bike cover over it

- be sad for the next few months because of all these sales on parts and gear that you won't be able to use until next season

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Hey!! cool to see another nycer. Winter has been super mild and I still commute daily and run errands. Lots of good advice in here. I have a storage unit but don’t use it unless it’s snowing, and just try to give everything a wipe and do chain stuff more frequently.This website is emptying my wallet but has so much good info. If you need any tools or anything for basic maintenance let me know, it adds up fast. 

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Full tank of juice with Stabil works wonders. Put a battery tender on it every 4 weeks for a top up. I also like to start it up once a month as well. 

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