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Motorcycle Winter Storage Checklist

Medium 21 items · 2 hours
testuser's avatar
testuser Published 5 days ago
Lifestyle

Most bikes that refuse to start in spring sat all winter on old gas with a battery nobody charged. Ethanol-blended fuel goes stale over a few months and can gum up the small passages in a carburetor or injector. A battery left connected can drain even with the key off, because clocks, alarms and some electronics keep drawing a little current.

This checklist is for riders putting a motorcycle away for a few months where the roads get too cold or too salty to ride. Start it on the last ride of the season, so the treated fuel gets through the system and the engine is still warm for the oil change.

Your owner’s manual has the last word on fuel, fogging and battery care for your model. Follow it wherever it differs from this list.

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  1. Add fuel stabilizer and fill the tank with fresh fuel on your last ride — A full tank leaves little room for moist air, which helps keep a steel tank from rusting inside.
  2. Ride a few more minutes so the treated fuel reaches the carburetor or injectors — The ride home from the gas station is usually enough.
  3. Drain the carburetor float bowls if your manual says to
  4. Change the oil and filter while the engine is still warm — Used oil carries acids and moisture that would otherwise sit inside the engine all winter.
  5. Wash the bike and let it dry completely — Road salt, bug residue and bird droppings keep eating into paint and chrome while the bike sits.
  6. Clean and lube the chain, if your bike has one
  7. Wax the paint and wipe a protectant onto bare metal and chrome
  8. Test the coolant's freeze protection on a liquid-cooled bike — A cheap coolant tester shows the lowest temperature it is good for. Compare it with the coldest night where the bike will sit.
  9. Fog the cylinders if the manual recommends it for long storage
  10. Park it away from water heaters, furnaces and anything with a pilot light — Fuel vapor and an open flame in the same garage is a fire risk.
  11. Inflate the tires to the pressure in the manual or on the frame sticker
  12. Put the bike on stands so the tires are off the floor — Without stands, roll it a little every few weeks so the tires do not rest on the same spot all winter.
  13. Connect a battery maintainer, or take the battery out and keep it indoors — Use a charger made for your battery type. Lithium batteries need one that supports lithium.
  14. Clean the battery terminals before you hook up the maintainer
  15. Plug the exhaust outlet and the air intake to keep mice out — A wad of steel wool or a rubber plug works. Hang a bright tag on the handlebar so you remember to pull them.
  16. Cover it with a breathable motorcycle cover — A plastic tarp traps moisture against the paint and metal.
  17. Lock it, especially in a shared garage or storage unit
  18. Ask your insurer what storage coverage makes sense — Theft, fire and a falling shelf can all damage a bike that never leaves the garage.
  19. Don't start the bike just to idle it for a minute over the winter — A short idle never gets the engine hot enough to drive off the moisture that combustion leaves inside.
  20. List the repairs and parts you want done before spring — Winter is when parts arrive without costing you riding days.
  21. Tape a spring start-up note to the seat — List the exhaust and intake plugs to pull, the battery to reconnect and the tire pressure to check, so nothing gets missed before the first ride.
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