Storing Spyder for winter?

[kytten]

I live in Minnesota and my winters are really bad. It's starting to get cold here and having never had a motorcycle before I'm not sure what I need to do with my Spyder when the time comes that I can't ride it anymore. Any tips from you long time motorcycle and Spyder owners?

I do have a garage, but it's unheated and uninsulated.

[jmcbow]

I live in northern Illinois, and also store my Spyder in an unheated garage. You need to invest in a battery tender, this will keep the battery up all winter even though the bike is not being run, additionally, you'll also want to stabilize the remaining gas in the tank. Any hardware or automotive store will carry fuel stabilizer. Follow the directions for the proper mixing ratio. Run the bike for a few minutes to circulate the stabilizer through the system. Hook up the battery tender and cover her up. I followed this simple procedure this past winter, and Spydie fired right up this spring.

[3wheeldemon]

Move to

3WD

[NancysToy]

I live in Minnesota and my winters are really bad. It's starting to get cold here and having never had a motorcycle before I'm not sure what I need to do with my Spyder when the time comes that I can't ride it anymore. Any tips from you long time motorcycle and Spyder owners?

I do have a garage, but it's unheated and uninsulated.

I live in northern Illinois, and also store my Spyder in an unheated garage. You need to invest in a battery tender, this will keep the battery up all winter even though the bike is not being run, additionally, you'll also want to stabilize the remaining gas in the tank. Any hardware or automotive store will carry fuel stabilizer. Follow the directions for the proper mixing ratio. Run the bike for a few minutes to circulate the stabilizer through the system. Hook up the battery tender and cover her up. I followed this simple procedure this past winter, and Spydie fired right up this spring.

There is a thorough procedure in the Owner's Manual. In my opinion, too thorough. I agree with jmcbow on the important steps...Battery Tender, stabilize the fuel (Stabil or Sea Foam), and top off the tank. Got us through last winter in Michigan, and takes care of one of my BMWs. Spyder should also be clean and waxed/polished, IMO. The 21 vintage bikes are not ridden often, and get a more thorough mothballing.

[dltang]

Or, like bjt and me in Michigan and tatt2r in NH and Nick Caro in NY, you could just ride. We ride year round as long as they have the snow and ice off the roads. I bundle up and I'm ready to go. Also, when we had a couple of weeks in a row that we couldn't ride due to a very hard Jan. last year. They sat in our unheated garage with no prep and they started right up again when we needed them.

[Some Guy]

Or, like bjt and me in Michigan and tatt2r in NH and Nick Caro in NY, you could just ride. We ride year round as long as they have the snow and ice off the roads. I bundle up and I'm ready to go. Also, when we had a couple of weeks in a row that we couldn't ride due to a very hard Jan. last year. They sat in our unheated garage with no prep and they started right up again when we needed them.

I did the same thing last winter and had no problems.

[czdaryle]

There is a thorough procedure in the Owner's Manual. In my opinion, too thorough. I agree with jmcbow on the important steps...Battery Tender, stabilize the fuel (Stabil or Sea Foam), and top off the tank. Got us through last winter in Michigan, and takes care of one of my BMWs. Spyder should also be clean and waxed/polished, IMO. The 21 vintage bikes are not ridden often, and get a more thorough mothballing.

I did all the above but also used fogging oil and also plugged up the muffler pipes to keep moisture and other things out.

[ElkSpyder]

I live in northern Illinois, and also store my Spyder in an unheated garage. You need to invest in a battery tender, this will keep the battery up all winter even though the bike is not being run, additionally, you'll also want to stabilize the remaining gas in the tank. Any hardware or automotive store will carry fuel stabilizer. Follow the directions for the proper mixing ratio. Run the bike for a few minutes to circulate the stabilizer through the system. Hook up the battery tender and cover her up. I followed this simple procedure this past winter, and Spydie fired right up this spring.

live in Southern Wisconsin and did the exact same steps last November. started right up this past March with 0 issues.

[redford_48239]

Has anyone seen the Harley Bubbles? Looks too narrow for a Spyder, but a great idea none the less.

[BRPjunkie]

Make sure you use a breathable indoor cover. Rapid temperature changes inside a cold garage can cause condensation on metal (and even plastic) under a cover.

[mxz600]

I live in Minnesota and my winters are really bad. It's starting to get cold here and having never had a motorcycle before I'm not sure what I need to do with my Spyder when the time comes that I can't ride it anymore. Any tips from you long time motorcycle and Spyder owners?

I do have a garage, but it's unheated and uninsulated.

I agree with jmcbow. Stabilizer for the gas and hook up the battery tender and your good to go. As czdaryle suggested you could fog the engine, it certainly wouldn't hurt, although IMHO not necessary. I fog my sleds because they sit through the most humid time of the year. I have never done it with my bike or lawnmowers. I hope to extend my riding season with the Spyder over the motorcycle, but once that salt hits the roads she doesn't come back out until spring. As also mentioned it never hurts to stuff coarse steel wool in the exhaust pipe, keeps those mice from building a nest in there. For my sleds I also place about 3 or 4 Bounce dryer sheets around the engine compartment. It's supposed to keep mice out, don't know if it really works or not but I've never had a mouse get into my sleds and chew on the wiring. Coincidence?

[Zerocool]

Last year in CT, I rolled the out of the garage every 1-2 weeks and ran it for 30 minutes. A can of SeaFoam in the tank.

No other winterizing, just diligent in starting it and getting everything hot.

[Firefly]

I'm fortunate enough to have heated storage at work--- and I start it up every few weeks during the winter and let it idle up to running temp. Some have said you should not do this if you are storing in the cold.

I also use the battery tender-- even use it every few weeks during the summer. Never hurts to use it too much.

As far as riding in the winter months---- pretty crazy thing to do IMO.
Even after the road seem 'clean' there is bound to be tons of salt residue--- and the Spyder has tons of cheap hardware that will rust. The Spyder also handles like doodoo on snow/ice.

Not to mention you have REAL winters over in MN compared to MI or NY. I've got family that lives in Rochester--- when they first moved there 30 years ago they didn't understand why there were 'parking meters' at work. Upon closer look - they were 'parking plugs'---- as in if you don't plug your car in while you're at work (block heater)---- you aren't going home at the end of the day!

I'm would just do the gas treatment - run it in good so it's throughout the system - and keep the battery tender on all the time.

[Tom in NM]

I agree with Scotty, read the Spyder Storage procedures in your Owner's Manual (page 78 of mine).

The big points:
Antifreeze/Coolant
Just as you do with your car, make sure the coolant/anti-freeze is filled. The standard BRP product is rated to -34F. Last year, Minneapolis got down to -20F in January 2009, but your average lows are around Zero.

Battery
A battery tender is a very good idea.

Fuel
Yes, stabilize the fuel. By doing this, it chemically absorbs any water/moisture that is in the fuel system and keeps it from condensing out, gathering on internal metal parts and causing rust to form.

Keep it dry.
For motor cycles and other equipment going into storage for Winter (and even other seasons) water condensation is the biggest problem. As metal (or anything else)cools to the temperatures around it, humidity in the air will condense on it. This is what you see forming on the glass of a cool drink in Summer. In winter, you will see this as frost.
Metal takes longer to warm up, so any humidity in the air will collect on it. So as water melts and evaporates, any cold metal will be collecting the moisture. Given enough contact time and occurrences, the water will react with some of the metals and rust or discolorations will result. This can be unattractive, but on components like the dashboard (which has air vents or slots) the corrosion can destroy wires and circuit boards. On an all weather vehicle like a motorcycle, these components are protected, but they are not impervious to prolonged exposures to dampness.

There is also the problem of water pooling in small cracks and crevasses and going thorough freeze/thaw cycles. This is generally not an issue on motorcycles.

It is best to keep your Spyder dry as you can when in storage. A breathable cover will let moisture escape and keep moisture from falling on it. There are products that collect moisture and small fans and heaters that you can put under the cover. Some people put a shop light on the floor, even this little bit of heat will circulate the air and help move the humidity out of the cover.

Some here have recommended using an oil or wax on the metal parts. That works, like oiling a gun before putting it away, but to be practical, you will not be able to coat all the metal parts of a Spyder.

In general, do the coolant/antifreeze, battery, fuel and keep it as dry as you can. After all, the Spyder is an outdoor vehicle and getting wet will not destroy it. If it is in your garage, remove any snow, slush, ice that falls off your car - that will help keep the humidity down. While Winters generally are less humid than other seasons, the cooling/condensation cycles are more critical for internal systems and exterior metal parts since you are not riding for an extended period of time.

Oh, and it also helps if you put it away clean. Some things are harder to clean off if they have had time to sit - just like the dishes.

Tom

[Star Cruiser]

There is a thorough procedure in the Owner's Manual. In my opinion, too thorough. I agree with jmcbow on the important steps...Battery Tender, stabilize the fuel (Stabil or Sea Foam), and top off the tank. Got us through last winter in Michigan, and takes care of one of my BMWs. Spyder should also be clean and waxed/polished, IMO. The 21 vintage bikes are not ridden often, and get a more thorough mothballing.

I like to store mine with Fresh Oil in addition to what you have said above. Living in Ontario, I store L'il Miss Muffet for about 5 months, unheated

[Tom in NM]

I'm fortunate enough to have heated storage at work--- and I start it up every few weeks during the winter and let it idle up to running temp. Some have said you should not do this if you are storing in the cold.

In the Maintenance Manual ( not the owners manual ) it instructs the service shop NOT to run the engine during the storage period. But that is mainly because ( I am guessing) they have treated the throttle with oil. Running the Spyder would remove that.

Does not apply to you since the dealer did not prep it.

One other long storage recommendation from the MM is to put a plastic bag over the end of the muffler to keep moisture from entering into the exhaust chamber.

Tom

[steven888]

Last year in CT, I rolled the out of the garage every 1-2 weeks and ran it for 30 minutes. A can of SeaFoam in the tank.

No other winterizing, just diligent in starting it and getting everything hot.

I live in connecticut. Idid the same thing.

[vt228]

i HAVE A TRICKEL CHAGER ON MINE ON A TIMER AND A SMALL HEATER IN MY TRAILER ON A TIMER IF SNOWED i WOULD KEEP IT ON LOW SO THE BIKE STAYS IN A WARM TRAILER V ENT IS OPEN A LITTLE GAS IS FULL STABLIZER IN HER SHE STARTS EVERY TIME IN SPRING 2008 SM5 LIKE THE DAY i GOT HER MY ANGLE HASN'T LET ME DOWN NOT ONCE ..lOVE MY

[truck 85]

make sure to plug the exaust i had a mouse get in the cyl. of a bike once and built a nest. pretty sure BRP wont waranty that.