I already know we're going to be getting a rash of dead-batteries, clogged jets and fouled plugs in February and March by people who are going to leave their bikes in the garage all winter, and go out and start them once or twice a week instead of properly storing them. So if you'd like to avoid everyone laughing at you and pointing you back to this thread, At the very least, I'd:

~Run the tank almost out of gas, or add the proper amount of fuel stabilizer to whatever's left in there.
~Turn the fuel petcock to [OFF] and run the engine until the bike stops on its own (basically you're emptying out the float bowls and everything south of the petcock.)
~Get a Battery Tender Junior for less than $30 and leave it plugged in overnight at least once a week.

~Clean all the current rust & grime off and leave a fine spray of your preferred spray-cleaner on those rust-prone surfaces. (I like the Honda Spray):

~Set the bike up on the centerstand, and change the oil & filter before you start it up for the first time in Spring.

Here are some more detailed links about properly winterizing your bike:
http://bcrider.com/winterize.html (A nice quick-n-dirty by the Canadians, who probably know more about winterizing than anyone.)
http://www.wikihow.com/Winterize-Your-Motorcycle
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/winterize.htm

If you have any questions about any of these, don't be embarrassed to ask in here or email me directly: calamarichris@yahoo.com
Peace!
-CCinC

 

ive heard that you should top it off with gas instead of running it out. reason being that rust can possibly form? it seems plausible to me. i understand it being empty prevents it from gunking up and stuff, but the ppl ive heard say fill it say that even if the gas sits for 4 months, its cheap insurance for the bike, and your car will still drink it up

thoughts on this?

ive never really worried about it, as i usually get it out a few times a month no matter how cold it is, so i never fully winterize it.

just curious.

 

A lot of modern day bikes you can't shut off the petcock. There is only RES, PRIME, and RUN. So you will have to put Stabil in the tank and let it run for awhile so it can get into the carbs. Fill the tank up with gas so no condensation will form in the tank and cause rust. Also change the oil. The old oil has contaminates in it that can cause some corosion in the engine. Any cheap oil is ok. Then in the spring, drain it and put what you normally use back in.

 

Thanks for visiting the 500 forum and pointing out yet another reason why our bike is superior to yours.
I've heard two schools of thought on that:
1) If your tank has ever been treated with Kreem, or other rust-inhibiting sealers, drain it and the carbs as much as possible. Then start the season in Spring with a fresh tank of high-test.
2) If your tank hasn't been treated, drain the carbs, shut off the petcock and put Sta-bil in that full tank of gas. The bike will pretty much run like dookey for the first hundred miles (or in the case of bikes with superior mileage like our 500) TWO-HUNDRED miles, but will be fine on the second tank of the season.

Those six items were meant as a VERY least. But of course there are lots of other things that would be helpful. I live and ride in San Diego, so winterizing is an interesting (but strictly hypothetical) tradition to me.

Thanks for the point-well-taken, but if we cover EVERY aspect of winterizing (like Kreeming the tank) some riders might get overwhelmed and discouraged from even doing the basics.
Peace!
-CCinC

 

I said that about the petcock as a generalization of bikes, not bike specific.

I've don't like to totally drain the carbs. I've heard of diaphrams and gaskets drying out over the winter, causing big problems in the spring.

 

fuel stabilizer and dry-gas/fuel-line-antifreeze (its just alchohal but its an important ingredient to prevent water from rusting things)

this combo will keep that water out, keep the fuel from gunking up, and keep the seals from drying out.