Open Road Cycles

Now that winter is almost upon us here in North Carolina, a lot of questions come up about how to prepare your motorcycle for the winter. Since the weather here in NC is relatively mild, say in comparison to Wisconsin or Idaho, you really have two choices depending on how  much you intend to ride your motorcycle over the next few months.

If you don’t intend on riding at all, measures need to be taken.

1. Fill the fuel tank, add fuel stabilizers, turn off the gas, run the engine dry, and empty carburator
2. Also disconnect your battery from the terminals
3. Top it off with distilled water (for non-maintenance-free models)
4. Store it in a cool, dry place
5. Drop / Raise the pressure in your tires by 5 / 10 psi
6. Make sure the bike is off the ground. Put it on some plywood or carpet, or up on stands
7. Use a “smart” trickle-charger

You could go even further if you want to by changing your fork oil, lube your cables, flushing the radiator and putting in fresh coolant/water mixture. More?  Polish the bike, spray rubber protectant on your fork seals, Polish exposed metal and chrome bits, seal your exhaust pipe from unwanted guests with a rag, or wrap it with plastic. Wipe down leather and vinyl with cleaning products.

Now, if you’re like us, we’re always ready to for those wonderful days when the sun comes out and the road starts calling us to ride. If you plan on riding your bike even a couple times in the next few months, do the following.

1. Consider purchasing a “smart” trickle-charger
2. Start the bike once a week and run for a few minutes before riding
3. Add some stabilizer to your gas
4. Keep the kickstand off the ground with a rubber kickstand pad
5. Lubricate your cables
6. Check the tire pressure regularly
7. Check/Change your oil
8. Use a “smart” trickle-charger

All motorcycles should be hooked up to a “smart” trickle-charger during the winter months. These charges keep your battery from draining during periods of low use. We keep these charges in stock. At a cost of $34.95 (plus installation) using one of these charges will save you the cost of a new battery come spring.

Taking these steps to winterize your motorcycle will keep it running smoothly. If you don’t like to do this yourself, we offer a Winterizing Special. And remember, we also offer winter storage right here in our shop.

Give us a call at 704.489.1100

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 6:31 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.