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Post by torontotonto on Oct 17, 2005 22:49:13 GMT -5
Hi gang...I need to store my BR in a month or so and need some suggestions.I could save some money perhaps by putting my BR on some wooden flats and throwing a motorcycle cover over it. Any thoughts on this? Will it rust? What effect will the cold have on it? It is costly to store it at a dealer....and living downtown..I dont have many friends with garage space. Does anyone have a link to the specifice of what prep needs to be done?
Thx
Len
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Post by tedsmini on Oct 18, 2005 4:45:56 GMT -5
Too bad you have to put it up for the winter. You need to use a milk crate or some other device to levitate the frame so the tires are off the ground. This serves two purposes, no flat spots on the tires and the suspension is totally relaxed. Since there is no fuel shutoff you can't run the carb dry so add a bottle of fuel stabilizer. One brand is Stabil. Honda also sells it in small black bottles. Remove spark plug and squirt some 20 weight oil in the spark plug hole. Use the starter with the spark plug out (cover hole with a rag)this will distribute the oil evenly over the cylinder wall. This maneuver is what prevents rust from forming from condensation. Buy A Battery Tender, disconnect all the terminals and connect the Battery Tender to your battery. If the bike will be outside in real cold temps, bring the battery inside for the winter. I keep a battery tender on all my vehicles year round. When you srart up again you will get a little smoke but it will soon clear. Good luck and stay warm this winter.
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Post by gadgetgirl on Oct 18, 2005 6:34:17 GMT -5
My local Honda dealer in Winnipeg showed me how to drain the carb. It is quite simple -- just one little screw that needs to be loosed (but not removed). The small amount of gas in the carb will drain out the clear plastic tube that you see hanging under the frame (under the seat area).
In addition to draining the carb, I plan to do all of the things that tedsmini indicated although getting the bike up on a milk crate could be difficult for me.
Last year I left my Yamaha Vino 125 just on its centre stand and everything was okay (i.e., no flat spots on tires -- at least that I could see or feel).
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Post by izzynormal on Oct 18, 2005 8:21:51 GMT -5
For storage, be sure to fill the tank up completely (this keeps rust out of the tank)after adding a bit of Stabil to the near empty tank. I, also use, Techron Fuel cleaner. It really works wonders on all types of Gasoline driven equipment. 1 oz. per gallon of fuel, also adding it prior to filling a near empty tank. You only need to put it in, every 3,000 miles. I, put the remaining fuel cleaner into the car's gas tank, rather than storing a partially filled bottle of it. When I put gas into a can I also put both Stabil and Techron fuel cleaner in it. Shaking it up prior to siphoning into the tank. I bought a motorboat siphon hose with a good squeeze bulp on it. The local auto parts store had it in stock.
After running the fuel cleaner through a completed gas tank, the next fill up I put in some Marvel Mystery Oil. Again, a small amount when filling up. This lubricates any o-rings in the system. Never had fuel system problems following this regime. Have been riding over 35 years.
The draining down of the carbs is a good idea, I haven't bothered with raising the bike off the tires. Here, in Pittsburgh there are riding days during the winter so I don't see the advantage of storing it off the ground for a few weeks at a time. If, it was going to be a month or longer, I'd consider that also.
Be careful, leaving the battery tender on all the time isn't a good idea. Best to charge up the battery with the regular cables disconnected and doing it once a month, all year round. Your charging system of the bike does not recharge a WEAK battery, just a fully charged one can be kept up. It still needs a bit of a complete charge from a wall charger once a month. Battery Tender is the brand that I use, there are others; but, I find it's size is convientient.
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Post by tedsmini on Oct 18, 2005 16:32:12 GMT -5
izzynormal, leaving the battery tender on all the time has saved me a lot of money. It is on constantly on on my tractor, generators, cars trucks, motorcycles, spare batteries. It is one of the best float chargers that are meant to be left on indefinitely. It will bring the battery up to it's maximum voltage and then the amperage drops just to maintain the charge. It is not like a trickle or the supposedly automatic demand chargers; I've had them all. The proof of this practice (recommended in the instructions) is that I had one on my Ford Roadster and Corvette. The batteries were 10 yrs old and the cars were used very little. BUT the real proof was my Honda Valkyrie battery. Motorcycle batteries are notorious for short lives: they are not used constantly, they are ridden short distances, the charging systems are not that precise. The battery in my '97 Valk was perfect when I sold it a few months ago. 8 years from a battery that has to start a 1500cc motor is proof positive that leaving the battery tender on all the time is surely beneficial. The one single caution is if it is not a sealed maintenance free battery you should ck the electrolyte level about every 90days and only add distilled water.
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Post by torontotonto on Oct 18, 2005 22:35:59 GMT -5
Thanks for all the suggestions...but could someone lay it out in a simple numbered way what exactly I need to do? Just because I will also be overseas and wont be back until August. Should I remove the battery? I have no one to do any occasional maintenance on it whatsoever...it'll be bagged and untouched for a good 7-8 months. I really appreciate your advice.I've only had a bike in southeast asia and never stored a bike before.
I'm not clear on..do I then leave the tank empty or full? Is there any prep I need to do on the exterior? The bike will also be going through heat from the summer, as I am not back until aug.
thx!
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Post by gadgetgirl on Oct 19, 2005 6:47:28 GMT -5
Step-by-step, this is what I plan to do for storage:
1. Fill up the gas tank
2. Add the recommended amount of fuel stabilizer (directions are on the back of the bottle)
3. Run the engine for about 15-20 minutes so that the stabilizer circulates throughout the engine
4. Put the bike on its centre stand or on a milk crate (if I can get someone to help me)
5. Drain the carb (by turning the little screw described in an earlier post)
6. Remove the battery and store it in my apartment where it is dry and warm (as opposed to the concrete underground parkade -- leaving a battery sitting on concrete can drain the battery)
7. Every month or so put the battery on a trickle charger to "top it up"
8. After the bike is cooled down, wash it.
9. Cover the bike with a good quality motorcyle cover that allows the air to circulate
I did the above (with the exception of the milk crate) last year with my Vino 125 and I had no problems starting it up 5 months later.
Good luck!
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Post by gadgetgirl on Oct 19, 2005 6:50:23 GMT -5
Further to my last email . . .
Every month when I put the battery on the charger, the charger showed that the battery was still well-charged. I never actually had to leave the battery on the charger. This year, I might just check the battery every two months.
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Post by izzynormal on Oct 20, 2005 1:05:05 GMT -5
Battery Tenders are good; but, like all technical items can go bad. If, they do you've got a battery that lost it's fluid or worse. I, would still keep the battery's leads disconnected when charging and only connect the charger and cover the battery with a rag to keep the acid mist off surround items; once a month for a weekend or so.
A solar panel (puts out pure DC voltage) is actually the best charger for a battery. It will actually break down the sulfation that occurrs inside the battery shorting out the plates. Cost per watt is to high for most common folk's budget. They have temperature compensating qizmos for use with the panels. These are connected to the battery; then, the panel is connected. This changes the current levels according to the ambient temperature. You can overcharge a battery using a solar charger all the time; you must use up some of the current out of the battery after fully charging it before the next sunny day or disconnect the battery from the charger.
A motorcycle battery uses a very low current to charge the battery. Usually, it's 1/10th the amperage of the battery. That's why motorcyle battery chargers are ususally 1 or 1.5 amps. The automatic chargers like the, Battery Tender are better as they cut back on the charging current when the battery reaches a full charge.
They CAN go bad, like everything humans manufacture; that's why I limit how long the chargers are left in the circuit. If, you check fluid levels, often you can leave the chargers connected. IF, you are around each day and have no medical emergencies or erattic social schedules that could keep you from checking out the batteries you could chance leaving the charger connect all the time.
Murphy's law prevails in all things electrical and mechanical. If, it can screw up; it will! I, error on the side of caution.
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