Storing Bikes in cold weather


Probably the best advice I have read here. After doing a little research, it is the ethanol that is the problem. Gasoline with ethanol absorbs moisture and only has a shelf life of 90-100 days. Fuel without ethanol can last a long time and with the addition of stabilizer it can prolong that storage for well over a year. Gasoline that sloshes around in a tank in hot weather (like a boat fuel tank) can also develop gummy deposits, but not a problem for the Rocket as we know it doesn't have enough time to sit around in the tank for long.

In the future I will be looking for some ethanol free fuel for winter storage making sure I run a couple of tanks through before putting my bike up for the season. I generally use some sea foam and stabilizer as well making sure my tank is full to help prevent moisture from forming in the tank.

As for bike itself, I keep mine sealed in a cargo trailer with a small fan running to circulate air, I keep an infrared heat lamp on, an Optimate to maintain the battery, two or three bags of damp-rid to help absorb moisture and last but not least...a small ceramic heater running on low. The wife does not like the electric bill adding about $250 to our bill for the whole season worth of energy.

The real issue here, aside from gasoline, is the formation of moisture on your chrome and metal surfaces. I have seen the chrome on several bikes develop microscopic pitting from moisture over several seasons. In the spring when I take my bike out for a ride, I find it just as pristine as the day I put it away. No, it's not warm in the trailer, but circulating air around and maintaining the heat lamp prevents moisture from forming on the surfaces. If you really want to go crazy spray some ACF-50 on those surfaces. Here in Michigan we can get some really damp winter and early spring days. What I have described above has been the only effective solution I have found to totally prevent problems at my home storage site.
 
All I've done for the pass eleven years is add seafoam to the gas ,keep it on the trickle charger,and keep it out of the elements. I'm lucky to be able to keep it into a heated garage which is part of my basement. I invested in a nice Triumph cover which keeps the dust off it. I used to spray fog oil the spark plugs but not so much with a heated garage.
 
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Nice video, although from my experience I wouldn't use brake cleaner on a o-ring chain because it would dry them out. And I feel like if you waxed the chain it would just cause road dirt and grime to stick. I'm still a little torn between the ideas of filling the tank up full and using Sta-Bil or just drain everything out completely. My question would be on draining the system down if that would cause moisture inside the tank to accumulate because of the freezing and thawing they described in this video. That seems like it would cause condensation in my opinion.
 
If you drain it dry, leave the cap off for it to breath. For if you have snow all the time the humidity should be low enough to keep it from getting dewey. But as spring comes and days warm and nights cold, that would be the time to fill it with non ethanol gas and all will be well when time to ride.
 

@rocketjohn speaketh truth ! Read and heed, and be happy.
 
I've found through past experience don't start them if they are really cold. Below 0C. or 32F. Gaskets seem to want to start leaking. Especially the Beemers, Triumphs R3 I'm not sure, and I'm not willing to try to see if it happens. I charge the battery and that seems to be all that should be done if they are stored in the cold.
 
Forgot to say to take the batteries out of the bike and keep them charged on the bench in a warm area. I charge them once a month.
 
On the other hand wife and I are talking about building a house and she was asking me why I want a patio door on my man cave room, duh.
 

I use ethanol free fuel as a habit. Even though the Rocket doesn't need premium fuel it seems to be the only way to get gasoline that's ethanol free. If you use your bike daily as your commuter machine and burn through your fuel quickly it shouldn't be a problem. If you are like me and your Rocket is not your only motorcycle and it doesn't get ridden everyday, you don't want ethanol sitting in your tank.

Don't purchase your stabilizer from a motorcycle shop, go to an automotive parts store. What's good for your car, lawn mower, snow blower etc. is fine for your motorcycle. MC shops charge 4x as much for bottles half the size.
 
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