Prepping for winter hibenation

benji182

benji182

benji182

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Hey guys,

For those of you who wrap your bikes up over the winter, what do you do to keep them in the best condition?

I've heard keeping the tyres off the ground is a must but never had an issue with the 125CBF but that was a piece for crap :P

I need to figure out how to put my alarm into low power mode so not to kill the battery but anything else?
 
Disconnect battery and stick it on a trickle charger, spray bike fasteners exhaust ect with wd40

Start and run bike every month the or two,pump brake levers,check tyre pressures ever so many months,that's about it

Layed mine up for 3 years,did none of those things and it was fine with a new battery on,as for keeping it off the ground I'd take that with a pinch if salt tbh

A fleece lined dust cover wouldn't be a bad idea either
 
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If your alarm is a Datatool, it'll probably put itself into low power mode after so many days of inactivity anyway. But you should be plugging your battery into a trickle charger anyway to keep bike battery + alarm topped up nicely.

Clean it and clean + lube chain (adjust if required). Lubrication will help to prevent corrosion by not leaving bare metal exposed to the elements.
Take it for a run of about 10 miles, get it upto temperature and use brakes to ensure brakes are completely dry to help to prevent onset of corrosion.
Inflate tyres to a little more than usual.
Fit trickle charger


DON'T start the bike every month or two, this will draw condensation into the engine. If you're not going to ride it, don't start it.

When bringing it out of hibernation (roughly March time) I do the following:
New oil + filter
New air filter
Check condition of tyres - look for any cracking. A slight blue discolouration is normal when subject to cold temperatures, this will go when you start riding again.
Adjust tyre pressures to correct level.
Check condition of brake pads and replace if necessary.
New brake fluid - brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning it attracts water molecules over time, reducing the boiling point and effectiveness of the fluid.
Check condition of chain. Clean old lube off and apply new.

Ideally all this is to be done before the first gritters get on the road as the road salt will get everywhere.
 
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I do nothing at all. Start it up a couple of times, maybe take it for a short ride if there's no salt or grit on the road, but that's it.
 
Starting it every few months won't hurt it IMO,condensation or not

Same for oil/filter,just change with mileage or every one or two years
 
For just a few winter months you don't need to anything
like tyres off the ground or disconnect battery.
just make sure it dry and free from any thing like salt, by all means put act50 or at least wd40 on any bare metal.
mine is outside all winter covered up from end of November to mar/apr and its fine.
I check the battery and charge it when it needs it.
 
Starting it up once a month, warming it up and giving it a bit of a rev is always a good idea.

Keep it clean and protected with AC50 and lubricate it also (levers, chain etc).

Other than that, it's only 4 months, it'll be fine.
 
I've heard starting it up every once in a while but not actually putting any load through it is worse then just leaving it
 
Annual service, clean it, spray a bit of WD40 and put a cover on it. I don't bother starting it, if an engine is so delicate it cannot stand idle a few months then its not a vehicle I want to own.
 
I would also brim the tank. It's an easy way to stop the tank rusting inside.

That being said, my Hornet stood for a year with less than half a tank, no winter prep, no servicing, no startup and it was fine.
 
Craig321 said:
I would also brim the tank. It's an easy way to stop the tank rusting inside.

That being said, my Hornet stood for a year with less than half a tank, no winter prep, no servicing, no startup and it was fine.
Click to expand...

They're nowhere near as delicate as people seem to think.
 
Exactly.

In fact, a guy here at work left his 125 for 9 months without any work, didn't disconnect battery, no prep at all and it started first time at the push of a button :rolleyes:.

So for winter, which is what, 5 months or so before the nice weather starts coming back out, I wouldn't worry much about anything apart from trickle charging the battery with an Optimate. Even that, you probably don't need to do really, but it'll save having to bump start or charge the battery before using when you want to take it out.

Personally, I'd still brim the tank, check fluid levels, adjust, lube, standard servicing stuff, ACF50, but don't worry too much.
 
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