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Time to put the bike into hibernation for the year...

24K views 88 replies 14 participants last post by  Anton Chigurh  
#1 ·
Well, it snowed here in Edmonton later Saturday night, and that's my annual cue to put the girl to bed for the winter season.

Plan to give her body a good wipedown (got a couple warmish afternoons coming up), clean/lube the chain, fill the tank to the brim, and put the battery on a tender.

I will then roll it up into my spare living room where she'll be put on stands, stared at / stroked for a few minutes, and then covered by her favourite blankee for 5 months of rest / respite.

Rest well sweet Harlequin...a new puig DB windscreen, shermoto levers, and fresh blood are on the way.


You guys have a good routine? Anything that you do out of the ordinary to show your real girl that you love her?
 
#2 ·
Been living in Edmonton for a few months, bikes at my parents place in red deer. Unfortunately I had to winterize it about a month ago :(. Just aired the tires +2 psi over max, gave it a good clean, poured fuel stabilizer in it and cleaned and lubed the chain, hooked up the tender and put the cover on it. I'll do an oil change in the spring.
 
#4 ·
Airing the tires up because it's being store in a non-heated room?

I lubed my chain with a wax lube for storage, instead of the nice clear thin teflon spray I normally use...figured it should be coated and caked up if it's going to sit for 5 months.

Put my 2012 ninja 250 away yesterday. Took her out for a ride, filled the gas tank full and put some deadpan in it, did an oil change and parked it until I can clear out the area I park the bikes. Next bike will the the 99 R6 but I still have work to do on it

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Is this your first time storing a bike? Why a '99?
 
#8 ·
Ha, yeah sorry I read that and thought you meant you were going to buy a '99 R6 next, lol. I've never met anyone that has a 600 and a 250 in their own personal stable...other than when they have someone else less experienced / a girlfriend that rides the 250.
 
#10 ·
^^ now that's a plan! and good on you for taking the time to learn to ride properly, patiently, and pleasantly on your 'ja 250...especially for taking the time to rebuild your R6 over the span of years.

Rolled my bike up my front steps with a ramp, and got stuck pulling its heart (battery) out...gotta get my socket set back from a friend because the screw slots are all stripped on the bolts...she be like "I DON'T WANNA GO TO BED!!!!!!"
 
#11 ·
Unfortunately, I put my R1 up about 6 weeks ago, and the R6 about 4 weeks ago.

I had an "off" at about 90kph while riding the R1, and broke some shyt, so I'm still waiting for a few parts to show up for her before I can get her back out, but I'm in no hurry. Its already been down to 35° here, and the highs are only around 50° or so from here on out. It's not too cold to ride here, but by the time I get all my parts, it will be. The R6 had her last trackday on 8 Oct, so my off season maintenance has already begun with her. But, I like to take it slow so I have something to do all winter when I need some time to myself.

OP its a sad day when you have to put your girl up, but at least you got to ride this long bro.
 
#23 ·
Nice. I was just notified yesterday my ERMAX screen is finally shipping to me. I've replaced the case covers already, and put hid's on her. The bar end mirrors are next I think, then I'll pull the tires for some eurospec Q2's before next spring. (Lots of work to do on the r6 this winter too.)

Get the vortex bits. They're nice. I have them on the r6 (and have crashed them) they crash very well
Its sounds like I've crashed out a lot huh? Haha. I've just done WAY more track riding over the past summer, and the more you track ride, the more you eat shyt. (My r1... that was just a dumb operator error)
 
#24 ·
Will u take pics of the barend mirrors for me?

I think you're right about the vortex rearsets...I am currently deciding now between them, and a slightly more expensive set (Lightechs)...vortex's are costly to get up here in Canada, so it's pushed me up a bracket in what I'm looking at.

What happened on your R1? You mentioned it was 90kph...did you lowside? Go into gravel?
 
#28 ·
Spring is coming, Canadian members, hold on :)

For myself, I usually go for a long (last) ride in october with depressing music in ears, then:

1) Clean it up, wax metal parts
2) Put fuel stabiliser, let it run for 5-10 minutes, top off fuel
3) Clean&lube chain
4) Remove battery, put it inside on a tender
5) Put the bike on stands, cover it up
6) Close the lights of the garage and wait patiently
-
7) Change oil in spring, start it, let it roll to hear the beast and go for a little ride when the roads are clear.

Winter here is soooo long this year. We had the coldest one in 20 years, according to Environment Canada.

Hopefully I'll be back on it in a month :)
 
#29 ·
For myself, I usually go for a long (last) ride in october with depressing music in ears, then:

1) Clean it up, wax metal parts
2) Put fuel stabiliser, let it run for 5-10 minutes, top off fuel
3) Clean&lube chain
4) Remove battery, put it inside on a tender
5) Put the bike on stands, cover it up
6) Close the lights of the garage and wait patiently
-
7) Change oil in spring, start it, let it roll to hear the beast and go for a little ride when the roads are clear.
That's great that you run the stabil through your bike for 5-10 minutes like that, I only found out a couple years ago that it should be done that way (instead of just dumping the stabil into a full tank and leaving it).

It's #6 that gets me...the "wait patiently" thing, lol, not my forte.
 
#30 ·
Bike cover cames off today so that I can get on her and start doing some exercises.

Do any of you find that after a season off, certain muscles just need to be worked back out?

For me, it's the inner thigh muscles that allow me to squeeze the tank with my legs. I get on my bike, squeeze the tank with my legs and without touching anything with my hands lean forward slowly with a straight back, and sweep back and forth (right and left with my shoulders) over the gas tank. I do this all very slowly, and for sets of 10-15.
 
#37 ·
It was on my 2012 ninja 250, ran great before I stopped riding it, through the cover on it and rode the r6. I filled it up before I parked it as well. Let it sit, went to ride it and it wouldn't start. Checked my fuel filter and it was clean. 20 minutes of trying to start it with full choke did nothing. Add throttle and it would pop but as soon as you let off he starter it would die. Got it running after about and hour and it ran like shit until that tank was empty and I filled up else where. Sounds like bad 91 to me!

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#39 · (Edited)
I think that something could definitely have been wrong with the gas in that situation, but it just isn't likely that it went bad/stale in the 2 weeks that it sat.

For example, maybe you were in a hurry and put the wrong octane in, that particular gas station screwed up their reservoirs, maybe the gas station hadn't filled their reservoirs in forever (and you put lots of bottom sediment in your tank), or perhaps there was a totally different issue that was solved by your emptying the tank out (some sort of clog).