Winterizing questions

[gnkc]

I bought my Spyder in late March so I really haven't been through the winter storage cycle yet. While I hope there is still some riding time left for the year here in the midwest, I'm afraid the cold blast may be here sooner than later.

Two questions--
--Once the brutal weather gets here and riding is done do you think it would be better to jack the bike up to get the tires off the ground, or will putting extra air in the tires be just as effective to reduce flat spots? Would there be any bad stress to the frame or suspension from supporting the weight on other than the wheels and tires? The bike will be in an attached but unheated garage.
--I plan on buying an indoor cover. I'm also planning on a good quality battery charger such as the one from NMN. I assume because of how the battery is positioned on the bike, it is completely sealed (meaning no venting), correct? I don't want to trap fumes under the cover.

I may be a bit anal but I want to protect my investment. Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Sarge707]

I bought my Spyder in late March so I really haven't been through the winter storage cycle yet. While I hope there is still some riding time left for the year here in the midwest, I'm afraid the cold blast may be here sooner than later.

Two questions--
--Once the brutal weather gets here and riding is done do you think it would be better to jack the bike up to get the tires off the ground, or will putting extra air in the tires be just as effective to reduce flat spots? Would there be any bad stress to the frame or suspension from supporting the weight on other than the wheels and tires? The bike will be in an attached but unheated garage.
--I plan on buying an indoor cover. I'm also planning on a good quality battery charger such as the one from NMN. I assume because of how the battery is positioned on the bike, it is completely sealed (meaning no venting), correct? I don't want to trap fumes under the cover.

I may be a bit anal but I want to protect my investment. Thanks for any thoughts.

As far as the tires I would just more it a foot or two every week so the same part of the tire is not facing down. I do that with my jet ski trailers .

 

[Tom in NM]

R.T.M.

First, read the manual's section on Winter Storage,

Then, check out this thread - more extreme than what you are facing, but pay attention to Scotty's post - excellent advice.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14599

Tom

 

[NancysToy]

I do not jack up my old cars or my bikes for winter. For one thing, there are just too many. I do air up the tires on most of them, though. I prefer to put 40-50 pounds in them, even though the sidewalls are marked much lower. Just remember not to drive them this way...ever! I have never noticed significant flat spotting or cracks in the sidewalls this way. A coat of Armor-All or another rubber treament/UV protectant is a good idea on the tires, too, but don't do the treads. Since I ride the Spyder and my BMW every chance I get if there is no snow or salt, I do not air up those tires.

The other important things, to me, are battery charging, changing the oil, and stabilizing the gas. I use a Battery Tender or other quality, low amperage, charger/maintainer on maintenance free batteries. The NMN one is a dandy! I stabilize the gas with Stabil or SeaFoam. I run to the gas station to top off the gas to reduce condensation, and add the appropriate amount of stabilizer either before, if the tank is fairly full, or immediately after I get home. I change the oil and filter when hot for bikes with petroleum or blended oils. Some folks do it again in the Spring, but I don't. I do not change full synthetic oil. My experience in industry with machinery that is outdoors is that it doesn't suffer from the same contamination and condensation problems that dino oils do. For the bikes I don't ride, I then fog the hot cylinders with fogging oil, and squirt some in the carbs and mufflers. Standard batteries are removed and taken to the basement.

I don't cover the cycles in the winter because they can condense moisture under the covers. I prefer to just clean them in the Spring. I actually could cover them now, since I have started keeping a small electric heater running in the garage all winter, not to keep it toasty warm, but just warm enough that there is no condensation or freezing of the concrete floor. It is worth the few dollars a year I spend on electric. I also toss out rat bait around the garage in case there are any pesky mice. They love the taste and warmth of chewed upholstery and wiring.

Basically, if you change the oil (if blended), stabilize the gas, and keep the battery charged, the Spyder seems to do fine. If you prefer to completely winterize it, the steps in the manual are very complete.

 

[BRPjunkie]

I put small pieces of carpet under the tires to keep concrete chemistry from working on the tires.