How to store your motorcycle long term.

Before you store your bike because you are relocating, or maybe for the winter season, or maybe you are just going on a long trip, there are a few steps you’ll want to take to ensure your motorcycle is ready to go when you need it to. This post is going to show you how to properly store your bike. Storing your bike for a long term is a real bummer and if your idea of putting your bike to bed for the winter entails throwing an old sheet over it and calling it good, you’re liable to have some issues when you use it again and then you will really be bumped. Luckily a little prep work now means your bike will be ready to ride later. Here are some essential steps you have to take if you want your motorcycle to start again, also you will be able to learn a few more ideas that’ll help ensure your motorcycle stays in tip-top shape. 

At minimum you have to attend to the battery and the fuel system, that’s because any time you put your bike away for an extended period of time, you run the risk of the battery going dead and the gas getting stale. A tank full of foul-smelling swill is actually pretty easy to avoid if your bike has carburetors you can drain all the gas out of the system, however most modern motorcycles are fuel-injected and there’s no easy way to get the gas out of the tank, so what you will do is fill the tank to the brim and mix in a quality fuel stabilizer like Bel Ray all-in-one fuel treatment, a stabilizer like that one is going to help preserve the gas so it doesn’t go stale and it also helps neutralize the ethanol that’s in today’s gasoline. Storing the bike with a full tank of gas does two things: first since the tank is full there’s less room for air which means it’s less likely that rust is gonna form inside the tank, second it means you’ve got plenty of gas for that first ride, so go ahead and fill the tank to the brim, add stabilizer and then run the bike for a few minutes so that treated fuel makes it all the way through the fuel system. The next big concern is the battery. Traditional lead acid batteries tend to self-discharge over time, it might lose enough voltage to not be able to crank your motorcycle, so it is really important that you hook the battery up to a smart charger that will ensure the battery stays topped up and is ready to crank. There are a lot of different chargers out there to choose from, but you want to make sure that you get one that only feeds current to the battery when it needs it. Now if you’ve got a lithium-ion battery in your bike, you can actually get away with just disconnecting the negative terminal. Lithium-ion batteries have an extremely low self discharge rate and if there’s no draw on the battery it can sit for up to a year and not leave as much juice.

If you’re short on time or maybe just lazy, those are the minimum steps you need to take to prepare your bike for storage. However if you want to do everything you can to preserve your motorcycle, here are a few more suggestions for you. Before you store the bike give it a proper bath to wash off the grime and dead bugs and other stuff that can corrode the paint and metal, then wax the painted parts, apply a silicone protectant to plastic panels and wipe down chromed polished or anodized metal components with a rag that’s been moistened with an aerosol lubricant. The wax and silicone will keep those painted and plastic parts clean and protected and the light oil and the lubricant will help prevent metal from rusting. Speaking of rust, don’t forget to clean and thoroughly lube your chain to keep it from rusting. The bike is all clean and the surfaces are protected, now let’s take a look at the engine. You don’t want your engine sitting with old dirty oil, so if you’re more than halfway to your next scheduled oil change just go ahead and do it now, that way your engine has nice clean oil that’s bathing all these parts and you’ll be good to go once you are ready to ride again. If the oil that’s in your engine is already pretty clean, just make sure it’s topped up. Another thing you may want to do for your motor is sealing the exhaust and airbox inlets with heavy plastic and rubber bands or zip ties, this takes care of two things: first it’ll help discourage rodents from nesting in your muffler or air box and second it helps seal out moisture that could potentially corrode your valves and cylinder walls. Also if you really want to protect your cylinder walls and your piston rings, you can remove the spark plugs and spray some fog oil directly into the cylinders. 

Next up are your bike’s tires. Sitting still is not good for the rubber, so to help prevent flat spots and dry rot there are two things you want to do. First something easy, make sure your tires are properly inflated, next you’re going to want to prop the bike up on stands, so the tires aren’t loaded. If your bike has a center stand you’re golden, if not it’s worth investing in a set of paddock stands since they’re really useful not just for storage but also for regular maintenance like oil changes and lubing the chain. Finally you’re going to want to give your motorcycle a nice comfy blanket to sleep under. Something as simple as a little cotton bed sheet will do the trick, however cotton tends to attract moisture and it may mildew, so you’re better off with a synthetic bike cover which is going to keep your bike clean and it only cost you 25 bucks. A lightweight bike cover is perfect for storing your motorcycle. 

To recap, when you’re putting your bike away for any extended period of time, it’s very important that you treat the gas with a fuel stabilizer and that you hook the battery up to a maintainer. It’s also a good idea to wash and wax your bike, to inflate the tires and prop it up on front and rear stands. Also block the exhaust and the intake and of course put a cover on it to keep it clean. Doing all this is going to keep your motorcycle happy and that means you’re going to be happy when you can ride again.