Winter on way

[mushroom]

With freezing winter weather on the way! Should I drain my coolant when I put the little girl up for the Winter?
Us newbies need all the help you old timers can give

[Dudley]

With freezing winter weather on the way! Should I drain my coolant when I put the little girl up for the Winter?
Us newbies need all the help you old timers can give

You live in Ft Worth and you won't ride this winter???

[SpyderSteve]

Isn't Forth Worth in Texas? How cold does it get 60?

[freebob]

With freezing winter weather on the way! Should I drain my coolant when I put the little girl up for the Winter?
Us newbies need all the help you old timers can give

Buddy you live in Texas not Canada....Locals bundle up for holiday shopping in Sundance Square, when average winter temperatures generally hover in the 50s and 40s but sometimes dip to the mid-30s.
Anyway that is what coolant is for..(Antifreeze)..Yearound use Do Not drain....freebob....

[Questions]

Bought my Spyder in Greenville Texas the last of December and rode it home to Arkansas. between 30-32 degrees. Wish I didn't know about the thermometer on the dash as everytime I looked at it I felt colder. Had a heated vest that I hooked up temp at the dealer but no heated grips o heated gloves. Had to stop every 45 min to regain feeling in my hands. Now I have heated grips plus touring sceen so bring on the cold..I have ridden in 0 degrees on my old BMW, but I was a lot younger and stupider. With age comes wisdom or at least experience. I pretty much ride all Fall and Winter in Arkansas. Do Toys for Tots in Dec and we have a New Years Day Ride to Petit Jean Mountain if anyone in Arkansas wants to join we meet at Toad Suck Park in Conway on The Arkansas River.

[altonk]

Get a heated jacket and ride it

[ataDude]

Leave the coolant alone. I would, however, recommend a Battery Tender (or similar) to keep the battery at its peak for those weeks when you may not ride.

.

With freezing winter weather on the way! Should I drain my coolant when I put the little girl up for the Winter?
Us newbies need all the help you old timers can give

[1VENOM]

[QUOTE=mushroom;247177]With freezing winter weather on the way! Should I drain my coolant when I put the little girl up for the Winter?
Us newbies need all the help you old timers can give[/QUOTE

Bundle up and ride. I ride down to 35 degrees. Anything below that and bridge freeze is my main concern. Just make sure you have a 50/50 mix of coolant and water in your system, just like a car.

[NancysToy]

Leave the coolant alone. I would, however, recommend a Battery Tender (or similar) to keep the battery at its peak for those weeks when you may not ride.

.

A 50:50 mixture of ethylene glycol antifreeze (coolant) protects to -34 F. If your winter temps get lower than that, you would need to take other means to protect your engine, but draining the system will probably not do the job alone. Battery Tender is a good idea. There is a complete long-term storage procedure in your manual...although much of it is overkill, IMO.

[Florida Rev]

Winter coming? Saints be praised! It has been hotter than the hinges of hell for months. On top of that there have been " pop-up" thunderstorms almost every day and at virtually any time. Now, if we could avoid the cold winter we had last year I'll be one happy Spyder owner.

[MoonChaser213]

COME ON WINTER, I can't wait. Sick of the heat and sweating all the time.

[mvengineer]

Battery tender and a small electric heater in the garage for December through March in Michigan. Always ride when temp above 30 and dry pavement. Never had an issue.

[NancysToy]

Battery tender and a small electric heater in the garage for December through March in Michigan. Always ride when temp above 30 and dry pavement. Never had an issue.

I do the Tender and heater, too, plus gas stabilizer (Stabil or Sea-Foam), and fill the gas tank to limit condensation. For bikes I don't ride during the winter, I ride them to heat them up, then pull the plugs and fog the cylinders, blow up the tires to max or greater, change the oil, and lube the grease fittings, chains (if applicable), and cables (if applicable). With this many bikes, it takes a while.

[scudrunner]

I would hope that Dallas doesn't see any -34 degree weather. That would mean that down here near Galveston, it might freeze!

[grumpybob]

I would hope that Dallas doesn't see any -34 degree weather. That would mean that down here near Galveston, it might freeze!

If Dallas sees -34 we will all be ice sculptures here in Central New York by Christmas.

[fastfraser]

Lets hold up for a minute here folks !! Freezing ,winter,storing the Lets enjoy the rest of the summer and the beauty of the fall before we rush into winter .

[Mo Lee]

The Spyder is my winter bike, in the summer I just keep it exercised. After all when there is a little ice on the roads the Spyder won't fall over like a motorcycle.

[Star Cruiser]

With freezing winter weather on the way! Should I drain my coolant when I put the little girl up for the Winter?
Us newbies need all the help you old timers can give

In a word NO. You do not have to drain the rad. I am in Canada and keep my Spyder in an Unheated Garage when it gets cold. Last winter there were a couple of -20° days and I did not have a problem with the Rad at all. I usually put in new oil, Gas stabilizer and remove the battery before winter storage. Some use a battery tender, but I haven't. I just keep the battery in the house. I usually ride until the Temp drops to about 35°F. Then I wuss out and enjoy the car heater.