[ashwinprakas]

Prepping Motorcycle for Long Term Storage, The Indian Way!

Now I know ya'll YouTube enthusiasts would've already raided the Winterization videos like the following;

How to Winterize Your Motorcycle | MC Garage

10-Minute Motorcycle Winterization

But since the world has come to realize the way us Indians do certain things are effectively better, let me show you how its done Indian Style!

So here goes, since plans were already made to lock-down motorcycles in the wake of the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, I'd prepped the motorcycles for hibernation.

Though I clock anywhere from 20~30k km's a year on motorcycles what most do not know is that my motorcycles only clock miles when I'm on extended rides and the rest of the time they or at least one of them remains idle, and I follow the same pre-hibernation protocol;

Step 1:

Fill Both motorcycle tanks to the Brim and make sure to pour some oil on the tank cap latch, seal and generously into the overflow area. This prevents stuff from going hard and stubborn and ensures the most obvious point of rusting i.e the fuel overflow drain to remain unaffected by long term storage.





Don't be bothered if oil falls into the tank, won't create any bothersome concerns.

Step 2:

Apply oil on the exposed area of the fork inner tubes, this prevents rust spots from forming.





As rust spots tend to go unnoticed and the next time you ride the motorcycle tend to get driven into the seals resulting in them going for a toss and the motorcycle warranting a front suspension rebuild costs of which depends on whether the fork tube can be salvages or not, and boy they're not cheap.

Also do remember to give the tubes a well enough wipe down when you decide to take the motorcycle out of storage.

Step 3:

Last but not the least, lube the drive chain.





Having covered the basics I'm presuming the motorcycles would only be idle for a month or so, if intending to keep idle for periods exceeding that it is advised to;

Lube the Cylinder:

1. Pull the plugs.
2. Pour some oil inside the cylinder.
3. Block the port with your thumb and crank the motor a few times.
4. Reinstall plugs and then let the motorcycle be.

This is done to prevent the cylinder wall from rusting.

Deal with the Carbs:

Finally when it comes to carb's there are two schools of thought;

1. Cut the fuel and run the carb dry before storage.
2. Cut fuel and store the motorcycle with the fuel still within the carb, then drain it before riding the motorcycle again.

I have done both, and honestly do not really care, go with what feels ideal for you, personally I simply cut the fuel and only turn the tap back ON when I resume riding, too cheap to drain the fuel left inside the float.

Now as for the kind of oil to use, use whatever is available, I had a bottle of gear oil with me so that is what I'd used.



So that's all there is to it!

Oh Wait! What about the battery?

Now it is recommended to undo the Negative Lead and make sure its not in contact with the battery. This is done in order to prevent the battery from dying from idle drain, some take it a step further and store the battery indoors.

I have not bothered to do either and have left motorcycles in storage for the better part of a year without facing any concerns and that is not something out of mere luck, I do not do anything that has an adverse effect on my electricals and that even includes washing the motorcycle quite too often.

Happy Lock-down Folks!



Regards,
A.P.

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing! As requested, moving your helpful post to a new thread .

[dkaile]

To be frank, for just a month or so of not riding, nothing really needs to be done other than perhaps putting your (clean) bike under a good cover. A old bedsheet over the fuel tank before you put the cover on, does help protect it further.

Cheers...

[Kosfactor]

Thanks AP.

Adding a few more things to the list.

1. A dry clean.
2. Cover with an old cotton bedsheet.
3. Apply silicone emulsion to the rubber and black plastic bits.
4. Keep it in a place that is least likely to have any water splashes \ rain.
5. Spray some strong smelling stuff to repel rats and other bugs, especially for scooters.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by dkaile

A old bedsheet over the fuel tank before you put the cover on, does help protect it further

Presuming that there'd be fuel in the tank that is a safety hazard, especially on older motorcycles.

You could see for youself, if you tape a tissue over the fuel cap.

Hence why its advised to keep motorcycles uncovered.

As for cleaning the motorcycle, do not let the motorcycle remain in storage after a wash, though not evident due to the presence of panels, the weld joints of the chasis would be the first point to rust if done so. A lesson learnt the hard way, fortunately my dad was here to give me a hand in repainting the affected areas after a strip down.

In fact a senior enthusiast known among enthusiasts circles as Dan Pada once said that motorcycles are not water proof and should be cleaned judiciously, which is also something I'd learnt the hard way after the ignition went for a toss due to a shorted Pulsar Coil on my CT100B.

As for the forks, this is something passed down and hence havent had the misfortune to experience a busted fork myself, but a friend recently did on his sparingly used Dominar which is what promted me to share this as until then the notion was that such things were common knowledge.

Then again for the most it depends on where you're from and the conditions you ride and park in, hence being from a coastal city I'm guessing those from the other spectrums would be able to add more interesting info on how they go abour this.

Cheers,
A.P.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Thanks for sharing!

Isn't petrol corrosive in nature? If we keep the tank filled to the brim, isn't there a risk of ending up with a corroded fuel tank over extended periods of hibernation?
For Diesel, I think it is recommended to leave fuel in the tank as it acts as a rust remover.

Please shed some light on this!

[bigron]

Good write up.

Frankly if my bike is idle for 2/3 months, I just let it sit on paddock stands front and rear with a battery tender attached.

Any longer and I add Seafoam to the fuel tank and disconnect the battery and put it on trickle charge.

Of course for carbureted bikes it is more or less what you ve written. But unless its over 2 months I dont bother.

[NH08]

I have kept my motorcycle many times idle (1-2 months) without any preparation, not even a cover. The only issue I noticed was that it took time to start. A 2004 Caliber.

Do new age motorcycles need this much preparation?

[KiloAlpha]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

...
Isn't petrol corrosive in nature? If we keep the tank filled to the brim, isn't there a risk of ending up with a corroded fuel tank over extended periods of hibernation?
...

Petrol is very slightly corrosive - but it needs air (or oxygen) as well, in order to corrode metals. Hence, if we fill the tank to the brim, the petrol displaces all the air in the tank and hence there will not be the corroding chemical reaction due to the absence of oxygen.

Case in point: I have a friend who believed in never putting more than 1-2 litres petrol in his (sparingly used) bike. 5 years later, his petrol tank had started to corrode. He lived in Mysore at the time.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Isn't petrol corrosive in nature?

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Petrol is very slightly corrosive - but it needs air (or oxygen) as well, in order to corrode metals. Hence, if we fill the tank to the brim, the petrol displaces all the air in the tank and hence there will not be the corroding chemical reaction due to the absence of oxygen.

Spot on @KiloAlpha.

One of the reasons I stopped draining stale petrol from the float bowl is if by chance you accidentally spill some on yourself it burns pretty bad such that even after washing you'd need an ice-pack to ease the stinging.

Motorcyclists from before my time would mix a bit of 2T with the Petrol for the reason that it'd prevent the fuel tank from deteriorating plus the added benefits of PIB being present.

I've given that a try as well and it did help a bit with my CV carb's vacuum piston that was having a hard time maintaining a seal, but other than that I do no have enough evidence to recommend the same.

But filling the tank to the brim is universal for the reasons already stated by KiloAlpha, if availability is not a concern then you could also give Seafoam or other fuel stabilizers a shot as bigron does, which is what you see Ari and Ryan do in their respective videos.

Originally Posted by NH08

Do new age motorcycles need this much preparation?

Actually a few of the suggestions I've made are present in ownership manuals that came with motorcycles uto 3~4 decades ago, one I recall distinctly is the one about lubing the cylinder, I believe to have read the same in an older Royal Enfield manual pertaining to the Cast Iron era.

Maintenance is purely optional, personally I go the extra mile cause I intend to keep my motorcycles for a really long time as I simply cannot cope with riding interstate on motorcycles I cannot fix myself i.e read, I'm not smart enough to work on FI motorcycles and with BS6 in place FI is the norm.

Cheers,
A.P.

[rahulskumar]

My interceptor usually stays idle for 2-3 weeks when I'm out of town. I am searching for options to protect her in case I am out of country for 8-10 months. Even if the bike is kept idle for a week in Trivandrum, many insects start making their nest especially inside the silencer and around the spokes. I dont want to leave my bike with others as they wont take care of my bike the way I do. Once the lockdown is over,I will have to check with some fabricators to make a enclosed shell which can prevent water and insects to enter. Similar options are available abroad http://www.bikeshel.com/ . I'm not a fan of poly cover option as rodents can easily tear them and make it useless. If the hardware shops were kept open now, this was the best time to do a DIY project at home

[su1978]

I have a Thunderbird 350 and i undertake the following precautions if my bike needs to be parked for more than 10 days at a stretch.

1. Turn off the fuel and start the bike till the bike runs dry. This will help drain all the petrol from the carburetor.
2. Disconnect the battery
3. Engage the clutch and tie it with a piece of cloth. Due to this the clutch plates would not stick with each other. Move the bike a little to free-up the wheels

Since i stay in delhi/NCR, i take all the advice from NCR motorcycles. They are basedin NCR itself and the guy is a very knowledgeable and genuine person. They have been servicing Royal Enfields from 1965. First it was his father and now his son. Father is such an expert that he can tell u about the condition of engine from the first firing of the engine. Below is the youtube link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be82bUtbUY4&t=562s

[NiInJa]

Thanks, my bike stays parked in shade for quite a few months at a stretch. The conditions are not humid or corrosive here in Pune, but somehow, I have seen that rubber caps get 'caked' over the period of time. E.g. My bike's coolant reservoir cap has lost its outer rubber lining and spark plug caps too have cracked (genuine Yamaha part). Any idea on how to reduce this ?

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

Any idea on how to reduce this ?

Silicon spray all the rubber parts.

Cheers...

[aargee]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

This is done to prevent the cylinder wall from rusting

Have a old Rx from 90's, I haven't used it literally in the year 2018-2019, for one whole year; it wasn't even moved from the stand; last month I took it out, cleaned externally, filled fuel in tank, air in tires, kicked several times & the bike came alive.

CBR 250R, was never used one whole month of Jun (or Jul) 2011, came back from US, started & the bike started; 2017 Apr to Aug, never touched, meanwhile battery got drained as well so changed battery & started, bike started in second or third crank. This one has clocked 130,xxx until now.

Point - Cylinder walls are coated or made out of alloy, they never, never, never get rusted!!