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-   -   Ideal two-wheelers that are least affected if kept idle for a few months (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/273616-ideal-two-wheelers-least-affected-if-kept-idle-few-months.html)

Many two wheeler owners have some compulsions owing to which they are unable to use their moped/step through/ bike/scooter for prolonged phases of one or many more months/ years. This thread will be apt for such owners to vote (multiple votes allowed) for the two wheelers that cause its owner the least botheration, when self (?) or kick started back to life for day to day usage. Self gets a (?) here in the text as in many cases the self starter becomes defunct when the battery is low and will require to be either recharged or in cases replaced due to non-use.

The older times were too ideal for such "idle for months" two wheelers as the electricals and mechanicals were too simple and spartan. Even if kept idle for a year or two, these would fire back to life and emerge with flying colours, not letting down the owner. Only a few precautions, do's and don'ts if followed would keep the machine in fine fettle when stored.

But the present day two wheelers are getting too complicated with newer generations of electronics, electricals and mechanicals. Too add to the misery, we have water in our tanks with the ethanol blended petrol coming of age, getting the blessings of Gadkariji. Even till some two plus decades ago, the then manufactured machines could stand being stored in an idle condition for long phases. The newer generation two wheelers though are much hassle free and the advancements make its owners go gaga over the newer improvements and gizmos, but with a rider that most of these have to be in constant use.

If some brand and model is omitted in the poll list, its unintentional. Please feel free to describe your experiences about how you find the brand/model, if it's decommissioned for months and thereafter brought back on the road for normal use.

I own and have owned some two wheelers and would rate both the Vespa 150 and Bajaj Super, Lambretta Li 150, TVS 50, Yamaha RX 100 and Honda Activa (first generation) as hassle free for such prolonged non-use phases. The Activa is though not as hassle free as the others listed by me. Among the ones that I have known and used too, the Rajdoot Yamaha RD 350, Hero Honda Splendour, CD 100, TVS Scooty and LML 150 NV are among those that endure such "not in use" phases well. Another affirmation for the RD 350 comes from a friend who owns one. The one he owns was not in use for more than a year. It was readied and with just three
kicks sprung back to life. In fact, the chat with him where he was praising his "most sought after now" bike prompted me to have such a thread.

My really bad experience is with our red Suzuki Access that was not in use for a long time. Despite its having undergone a thorough fuel line cleansing, change of CDI unit plus a new battery, it is throwing surprises. Off the topic, the CDI unit by Nippon Electric that I bought cost me Rs 850=00 whereas the OE (Suzuki branded outside its cover pack) CDI unit with ASC costs Rs 2,500 plus.

We can adjudge the personality traits of a wide range of machines with personal anecdotes by owners about eccentricities and straight headed traits of their two wheelers.

Personal experience with 2 brands, RE and Bajaj. Thanks to remote work, I would leave Bangalore and both bikes for up to 6 months at a time. Always managed to start the Bajaj (Pulsar 180, 2009) using kick start, even if it took a few dozen tries. The RE (TB 350 AVL 2007) forget it- always required to be pushed to the nearest mechanic! Both bikes always parked under shade, covered parking, safe from rain. Tyres would develop cracks though.

I'm not entirely sure it's brand specific though, a lot of factors I guess, how old the bike is, how big the battery, how well it was maintained before the period of un-use.

Have owned teo fuel injected motorcycles:
1. Hinda CBR150R
2. Bajaj RS200

Both were left parked for weeks at a time. The former did only 1500km in 15 months while the latter was used for 2000km in less than 2 years.

Bajaj had its fuel tank replaced twice and had to sell it at a loss. No such issues with the CBR.

I have seen REs parked for months despite being fuel injected models and they are doing fine.

I have a Royal Enfield classic 350 CC carburettor Model.
It refuses to start in 15 days Gap.The self starter won’t crank, if I don’t start within a week.

My neighbour’s Activa on the other hand , comes to life even left idle and parked on street for 2 months ,the guy works for Merchant Navy and this is his usual scenario.

Among a ‘98 Bajaj Caliber gen 1, a ‘04 Caliber 115, ‘04 Pulsar dtsi, ‘12 Honda Activa, ‘12 Pulsar 180, ‘17 TVS Jupiter and a ‘23 Suzuki Avenis, only Caliber 115 and Activa throw/used to throw tantrums when left idle for days. Rest of the above two wheelers have remained idle for 10-30 days and still started with a single self or 2-3 kicks.

I've a very mixed experience
Yamaha Rx: I've kept this sometimes 6+ months without even unmounting from stand to use for some 2-3 months; used to have starting trouble due to old fuel, carburettor flooding; these days, I dry the fuel tank, fill in fresh fuel by end of Summer & the bike comes alive in 5-6 kicks.

CBR 250R & Interceptor 650: C250R is serviced once in March/April every year & Inty for once a year for warranty because both of them run no more than 4K-6K annually; I ensure to top up engine oil every 2-3 months that's all. Other than this, general checkups during water washes that's all. Unlike Rx, CBR & Interceptor are used atleast once a month & warmed up othersise. No starting trouble so far.

SCross: Complete negligence other than the religious engine oil change every year!! Drives are no more than 1000 Km annually; idling once in 2-3 months to avoid battery drain. So far, no starting trouble.

I have scooty Zest and Scooty pep+, BS-III and BS-IV, carburettor versions. If I don't start them for a week-10 days, self-starter won't work and have to use the kickstarter, which takes around 15-20 kicks to come to life. Once the Zest kickstart rod broke and had to get it replaced.

If electric bikes are unused for 2-3 weeks, will they start immediately or do they have same issues as IC bikes?

Any two-wheeler can be kept idle for the said period, and if properly prepared, none will be the worse after its hibernation period. Some parts like the battery, tyres and engine oil will have the same deterioration rate in any brand, but those are independent of the brand quotient.

I had a Bajaj V15 with a carburetor, and despite being idle for 20 days, it would refuse to start. On the other hand, my Dominar, during the lockdown period, was not used for more than 3 months. Yes, I didn't start it once during that entire period. It stood there completely still, and after 3 months, I gave it a go, and it fired up with just one press of the self-start button.

Contrary to the belief that old REs are unreliable, I have only good experiences to share.

My 23 year old 350cc RE CI Bullet has been in hibernation a number of times (including the lockdowns) and every time it is brought into use, fires up without much of fuss. (What are few extra kicks between friends ;))

I just take a few precautions, which I enumerate below :-

• Disconnect the battery
• Ensure tank is full
• Carb is emptied
• Wheels placed on wooden planks
• Tyre pressures increase by 5 psi in each wheel.
• Generous application of used engine oil and WD-40 at various places incl chrome parts.
• Precautions from rat menace.

With above preparations, nothing much can go wrong.

Somewhere in 2005, I had my Bajaj Chetak parked for over One Year. It refused to start. Took to Mechanic who drained the Engine Oil. It wouldn't and he had to open the case to clean internally. The smell of the Oil was terrible. Despite being in the open, it was unbearable stench. Never had similar problem again despite it being parked for long stretches.
Bajaj Pulsar 180, 2010 model and has 30K on odo remains parked for Six months with Battery disconnected. No problems encountered ever.

My brother in law have the gen 1 Kawasaki Caliber and I had used it for an year. It always starts in the first kick even if left idle for 2 months. I still have our 2004 Activa. Even though it is trouble free, cold starting is an issue with Activa. If left idle for a week, it takes at least 5-10 minutes of kicking to get it started. Once started, it is trouble free.

I have a 2011 Honda Twister and 2015 TVS Wego. Both were sitting idle during the COVID lockdown. Wego always needed a mechanic visit to come back to life while Honda just needed a few kicks. I never use self start when the vehicle is kept idle for more than a day(a tip I got from a battery shop wala). The Twister was later kept idle for extended periods (~6 months +), and it is easy to get it started - Take the bike to an incline, roll freely and switch to gear, the engine fires up. In comparison the Wego gives a tough time even if kept idle for just 2 days.

I own a 2010 TVS Wego that remained idle in an open yard for nearly 18 months due to the COVID lockdown. Exposed to the elements, it developed rust in some areas, and the battery was an obvious goner. The fuel also went stale during this period. I called a mechanic who drained the old fuel, cleaned the carb, and added fresh fuel. After a couple of kicks, it came back to life and has been working wonderfully since then. I believe that with proper care, a similar revival can be achieved for any bike or scooter. However, I'm a bit skeptical about newer FI two-wheelers with their complex sensors and electricals et al.

Voted Hero Honda Splendor ( Or any 100-125Cc ) because the topic of this thread is exactly what I am in need of.

I have an Activa 125 which I bought in 2018 to take me for quick grocery runs during weekends. The small tyres lose air quickly. Starting them after a week or 10 days of idle time is a real pain. And to top it, almost every mechanic I have seen recommends not to put an Activa on a side stand at all for long durations and they say it will cause delayed starts.

I had enough & i am really planning to move to a big wheeled 110 cc bike for my irregular runs.