Questions about Winterizing the R3 !

4450 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Yamamama, Nov 7, 2015

Nankov

Discussion Starter · Oct 30, 2015

Hi guys i am about to put my R3 away for the winter and i have a couple of questions for the more experienced riders out there.

1st- I had half a tank of gas in the bike which was about 4-5 weeks old i filled it up and added the required amount of stabilizer. Now do you think i shouldve used the old gas first and then add completely new gas to the bike with stabilizer or do you think im ok? The reason i ask is because i have read that the gas which contains ethanol degrades in about 3-4 weeks.

2nd- I understand that its good to change the oil and filter before storing it away. Now i only did my last oil change at 1000km and now its at 1800km do you think i should change it again or is it fine to sit trough the winter? The reason i ask is because i heard oil gets acidic after use and is bad for the engine parts, my question is am i ok not to change it with only 800km on it or should i just do it?

My complete steps that i am doing to store the bike.

1. The bike is stored in a garage and i plan to not cover it so moisture doesnt accumulate.
2. Did a last ride for about 20min to get the engine warm to operating temp and burn through the moisture and gunk.
3. I have filled the tank, added stabiliser and ran the bike for 5 min.
4. Washed the bike and let it air dry also ran for 5 min.
5. I will be connecting it to a trickle charger without taking the battery out- is that ok?
6. I will cover the exhaust with a plastic bag so no critters get in.
7. As i do not yet have stands i will be rotating the tires once a week so no cups develop from sitting in the cold at one spot.
8. I dont plan to start the bike right up until riding season as i heard it does more harm than good correct me if im wrong.
9. I plan to change the current 800km oil when the riding season begins- is this ok?

Thats basically what im doing do you guys think its right or am i missing something? Any feedback is apreciated

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Vince

· #2 · Oct 31, 2015

how long ago was the previous oil change?
If youre just sitting the by garage without covering it, why not keep an eye on craigslist to snatch an used stand so you can run it for a few minutes every week or two? The extra money you spent on winterizing the bike would cover you for the stand already. And not to mention years to come with the use of the following winters, lubing chain etc
that's the perk of having a garage, might as well use it

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Jay Joe

· #3 · Oct 31, 2015

Although ideally you want to put in stabilizer on fresh gasoline, the whole thing of adding stabilizer was more for the carburetor days. You should be fine in your case.

As far as changing 800km of oil usage, you should be fine waiting until the next riding season. But you'll come across people who will tell you to change it before storing it. IMO 800km (500 miles for you other folks) isn't much to warrant a change... unless of course it has been over 4+ months since the last change, then maybe... maybe but considering the R3 was released 6 or so months ago, I think you're ok.

Spinning the tires was more for the old tube days, but it doesn't hurt to spin them around, so that's ok. And yeah, don't start it up unless you'll be doing an actual 40+ minute ride.

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Nankov

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 31, 2015

Vince said:
how long ago was the previous oil change?
If youre just sitting the by garage without covering it, why not keep an eye on craigslist to snatch an used stand so you can run it for a few minutes every week or two? The extra money you spent on winterizing the bike would cover you for the stand already. And not to mention years to come with the use of the following winters, lubing chain etc
that's the perk of having a garage, might as well use it

The previous oil change was done august 12 as i recall, i am planning on getting a stand to do the basic maintanace but i wont be starting the bike because i heard it does more harm than good unless i ride it for an hour or so to burn the contaminants and moisture. However i am currently looking to get front ans back stands.

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Vince

· #5 · Oct 31, 2015

Nankov said:
The previous oil change was done august 12 as i recall, i am planning on getting a stand to do the basic maintanace but i wont be starting the bike because i heard it does more harm than good unless i ride it for an hour or so to burn the contaminants and moisture. However i am currently looking to get front ans back stands.

it's close enough that I wouldn't do another change. If you plan on stopping now I guess you don't live super up north where there's 7-9months of winter so you should be good.

I constantly get an itch that's starting my bike daily. Even I'd have a day off and still doing it for few minutes run. Even crashed mine few days ago I still started it yesterday and brought to the bike shop today. I guess I'm just addicted lol

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Nankov

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 31, 2015

Jay Joe said:
Although ideally you want to put in stabilizer on fresh gasoline, the whole thing of adding stabilizer was more for the carburetor days. You should be fine in your case.

As far as changing 800km of oil usage, you should be fine waiting until the next riding season. But you'll come across people who will tell you to change it before storing it. IMO 800km (500 miles for you other folks) isn't much to warrant a change... unless of course it has been over 4+ months since the last change, then maybe... maybe but considering the R3 was released 6 or so months ago, I think you're ok.

Spinning the tires was more for the old tube days, but it doesn't hurt to spin them around, so that's ok. And yeah, don't start it up unless you'll be doing an actual 40+ minute ride.

Thank you for your help, thats what i was thinking as well, the oil was changed begining of august and its getting closer to the 3 month mark so want to see what everyone does...

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Nankov

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 31, 2015

Vince said:
Nankov said:

The previous oil change was done august 12 as i recall, i am planning on getting a stand to do the basic maintanace but i wont be starting the bike because i heard it does more harm than good unless i ride it for an hour or so to burn the contaminants and moisture. However i am currently looking to get front ans back stands.

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it's close enough that I wouldn't do another change. If you plan on stopping now I guess you don't live super up north where there's 7-9months of winter so you should be good.

I constantly get an itch that's starting my bike daily. Even I'd have a day off and still doing it for few minutes run. Even crashed mine few days ago I still started it yesterday and brought to the bike shop today. I guess I'm just addicted lol

Ooh i hope youre ok and not hurt... I live in Niagara Falls si winter lasts till end of march pretty much so it will be stored for about 5 months more or less.

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Yamamama

· #8 · Oct 31, 2015

Running the bike "for a few minutes" is a bad idea. If you run it at all (which is completely unnecessary when you're storing the bike for less than nine months or so), make sure the oil has come up to temperature before you shut it down. Otherwise, you're just inviting moisture into your exhaust system.

If you want, every couple-three-four weeks, when it's dry and there's no snow on the ground, take it out for a ride. Just be careful of cinder in the corners, and if they salt the roads where you live, wash the bike afterward.

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t-rav_12

· #9 · Oct 31, 2015

And lube your chain.

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KahSoSuave

· #10 · Nov 4, 2015

Yamamama said:
Running the bike "for a few minutes" is a bad idea. If you run it at all (which is completely unnecessary when you're storing the bike for less than nine months or so), make sure the oil has come up to temperature before you shut it down. Otherwise, you're just inviting moisture into your exhaust system.

If you want, every couple-three-four weeks, when it's dry and there's no snow on the ground, take it out for a ride. Just be careful of cinder in the corners, and if they salt the roads where you live, wash the bike afterward.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what your saying , but are you alleging that its completely ok to not operate the bike at all for a nine month period? ( Implying it hasn't been set up with a smart charger )

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Tim8858

· #11 · Nov 7, 2015

Fuel stabilizer recommendations

My first bike and first winterizing. Any suggestions on stabilizers?

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Torchsport

· #12 · Nov 7, 2015

I'll second the suggestion not to start the bike while being stored.

Just fill to the top with fresh gas, put in a little Seafoam and run it thru the system for several minutes, pull the battery or hook it up to a tender and kiss it goodnight.

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Yamamama

· #13 · Nov 7, 2015

KahSoSuave said:
Maybe I'm misunderstanding what your saying , but are you alleging that its completely ok to not operate the bike at all for a nine month period? ( Implying it hasn't been set up with a smart charger )

If preserving the battery is your main concern, that's all the more reason not to start the engine unless you intend to run it for at least half an hour, preferably longer. Nothing drains the battery like turning over a cold engine!

If you want the clock and the trip meters to be accurate when you wake it back up, use the battery tender.

If you just want to put the bike to bed with a minimum of hassle, disconnect the battery.

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