How to Prep bike for winter

I think the premix 50/50 is good to 30 below. Even if it got a little colder than that it's not going to freeze and ruin a motor, might get a little slushy at worst. That's what I have in everything and we get cold.

 

From what I've read, you get WAY beyond "cold."

You get f'ing cold.

 

Yeah, we get that here, you're missing out.

Along with a relentless wind most of the time that magnifies it times 10. You should come visit.

 

I tried to drive mine upstairs once when I got my ex to agree to let me store it in a spare room... I asked her to push on the back to help it up the ramp and instead she lifted and I did a burnout right in the middle of the living room on the carpet. The burnout mark is still there... she isn't...

 

I guess you've had to go through that type of event to laugh at it. Its funny as hell afterwards and the anger dissipates.

 

I helped a buddy take a dirt bike into his basement once and it wasn't a walk out one. Right down a full flight of stairs from his living room but we had to take the triple clamps loose and turn the bars 90 degrees to get it through the door. That was interesting.

 

Well I suppose I could try to take my track bikes down into the basement. Procedure: ride them 20' across uphill grass make a 90 degree right turn, ride about 70 feet, make another 90 degree turn, then down a grade for 8 feet, then 6 feet down a 6' wide exterior stair, over a metal drainage grate, up about a 6" rise, through a glass door (preferably open), across the carpet making another 90 degree turn in about 12' of space and then two more 90 degree turns and through the door into the storage room. Then assuming I make it contact my lawyer so I can prepare for divorce proceedings. Should be a piece of cake.

 

Ah... the gas vapors are working their magic on that helmet liner and styrofoam.

 

Move to a warmer climate

 

I'm a Floridian who spent the last 9 years in TX, so I prefer a warmer climate. But the Army determines where I move to.

 

There is warmer and there is hell on earth. I'm a Floridian who left in '68 and don't want to return other than to visit. FWIW, Augusta is damn near as hot as central FL.

 

I live in WI and never seen -50*F. Windchill maybe, not ambient. And more antifreeze definitely does lower the freeze point, 70% mixture is like -85* or so. Any cooler then that I doubt your bike isn't going to be a part of your worries.

 

I retired that helmet in turn 8 @ Jennings back in 2003 . Rich Oliver replica was/and still is my favorite troy lee design replica, so I used it for the joke photo a couple years ago.

 

Got it. So at most I'd be looking at 70/30 then if I leave the bike in the garage.

I think I have settled on putting it in the back of the living room. Plan is to put in fresh oil and filter, new brake fluid, new brake pads, 50/50 antifreeze, non ethanol pump premium with stabil (and run it to circulate the stabil thru the entire fuel system), clean and lube chain, plug in the battery tender, and put it on front and rear stands under a dust cover in the back of the living room. Should be ready to roll straight to the track in the spring.

 

How are you going to stare at it all winter if it's under a cover?

Don't forget to put a rubber rug under it. You won't scratch your floors with the stands and it'll catch any leaks/drips that may arise.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Traffic...c-Rib-Door-Mat-60-443-1902-30000500/202072107

 

Good idea.

 

never understood why folks "fill a tank" up with fuel prior to storage??

 

Condensation builds up inside the tank otherwise.

 

More fuel takes longer to varnish? Was always my thought process on it. It seems the cold slows this process as I've never had shitty gas over winter months. Evaporation is a huge thing in fuel going south. Carb bowls are the first thing to evaporate and leave behind crappy stuff you dont want in there. Like i said, i've never seen -50*, windchill doesn't matter. I've seen like -30 but even then you're still fine with 50/50 mix, no need to really do anything more. You could fog the cylinders, something we've always done.

 

Keep in mind that water will not freeze at 36 degrees, even if the windchill is -10.