Storage - preservation
-
Hey everyone! Enter your ride HERE to be a part of this month's Bike of the Month Challenge!
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
Joined
·
1,133 Posts
That's a long time!
Fuel has to be a major issue. Guess I'd take the tank off and get all the fuel out of it. Drain the fuel rails and run some light oil to the injectors.
Pull the plugs and squirt some oil into the cylinders and turn the engine over a couple of times with the plugs out to spread the oil around. Reinstall plugs.
I'd try to store it in a very dry atmosphere if possible.
Remove the batteryand keep it charged.
I'd store it with the weight off the wheels if possible.You can fill the engine with oil and restore the proper level after storage.
A light, breathable cover for inside storage.
That's all I can think of.
Good Luck!
Fuel has to be a major issue. Guess I'd take the tank off and get all the fuel out of it. Drain the fuel rails and run some light oil to the injectors.
Pull the plugs and squirt some oil into the cylinders and turn the engine over a couple of times with the plugs out to spread the oil around. Reinstall plugs.
I'd try to store it in a very dry atmosphere if possible.
Remove the batteryand keep it charged.
I'd store it with the weight off the wheels if possible.You can fill the engine with oil and restore the proper level after storage.
A light, breathable cover for inside storage.
That's all I can think of.
Good Luck!
Joined
·
848 Posts
+1! I think something like this would be great for such a long storage.
take tank off, totally drain and thoroughly rinse it out.
change oil, do the oil in the cyl bit mentioned above.
take the battery out for sure. i wouldn't worry about putting it on the charger.. it's not going to be any good 3 years from now.
buy some pit bull stands and put the bike on them, or else the tires will be toast when you get back.
keep it covered, in as cool and dry a place as possible
Honestly, if I were not going to ride for 3 years, I'd sell the bike and buy one if/when I decided to start riding again.
change oil, do the oil in the cyl bit mentioned above.
take the battery out for sure. i wouldn't worry about putting it on the charger.. it's not going to be any good 3 years from now.
buy some pit bull stands and put the bike on them, or else the tires will be toast when you get back.
keep it covered, in as cool and dry a place as possible
Honestly, if I were not going to ride for 3 years, I'd sell the bike and buy one if/when I decided to start riding again.
Joined
·
2,561 Posts
Storage
The main things: 1. keep it in a low humidity (A/C if possible) environment away from sunlight.
3.drain the carbs, fuel lines and fuel tank completely and allow it to dry. Then put a coating of Wurth liquid car body wax inside the gas tank - pour it in the tank and slosh it around -drain the excess out and put it up! Do #2 before this step! Put agood coat of good wax all over the bike and the chrome plus a treat the seat with a good vinyl treatment. When you come back a good rinse of the tank with gas will remove the wax-
this prevents RUST in your gas tank.
2. Sit the bike on the centerstand with a fresh oil/filter change and run the engine a bit before you shut it off to drain the fuel. A shot of oil in the cylinders wont hurt .
Also, dispose of the battery and plan on buying a new one along with new tires when you
come back after your 3 year hiatus. hope this helps....this is part of the drill for some of the newer bikes at a motorsports Museum where I am a volunteer. They keep them almost ready to ride at any time this way.
The main things: 1. keep it in a low humidity (A/C if possible) environment away from sunlight.
3.drain the carbs, fuel lines and fuel tank completely and allow it to dry. Then put a coating of Wurth liquid car body wax inside the gas tank - pour it in the tank and slosh it around -drain the excess out and put it up! Do #2 before this step! Put agood coat of good wax all over the bike and the chrome plus a treat the seat with a good vinyl treatment. When you come back a good rinse of the tank with gas will remove the wax-
this prevents RUST in your gas tank.
2. Sit the bike on the centerstand with a fresh oil/filter change and run the engine a bit before you shut it off to drain the fuel. A shot of oil in the cylinders wont hurt .
Also, dispose of the battery and plan on buying a new one along with new tires when you
come back after your 3 year hiatus. hope this helps....this is part of the drill for some of the newer bikes at a motorsports Museum where I am a volunteer. They keep them almost ready to ride at any time this way.
Joined
·
1,387 Posts
I think the best thing you can do is sell the bike for whatever you can get. When you're ready to ride again buy a nice modern new bike. Or, I can come and get it and ride it for you keeping it from getting all moldy inside and out.I'm considering putting the bike away in storage for 3-5 yrs- what is the top ten list of things to do to best preserve it? It's a 2002, ~15k mi, did 12k mi service couple yrs back. No known issues, electrical or otherwise.
Thanks
if you are talking about a 2002 speedy, then i don't think you need to worry about the gas tank rusting as it is plastic...
but honestly, sell it, it isn't particulary collectible, there are lots out there, and it doesn't have extremely low miles. I sold my 98 s3 when i moved for my job (to europe for 2.5 years), came back, and bought a bike that was 5 years newer and had 1/3 the miles for what i sold my old bike.
who knows what kind of problems you will have when you pull it back out. not being used is the worst thing you can do to a mechanical device.
but honestly, sell it, it isn't particulary collectible, there are lots out there, and it doesn't have extremely low miles. I sold my 98 s3 when i moved for my job (to europe for 2.5 years), came back, and bought a bike that was 5 years newer and had 1/3 the miles for what i sold my old bike.
who knows what kind of problems you will have when you pull it back out. not being used is the worst thing you can do to a mechanical device.
before I tell you to sell it for financial reasons like everyone else...why do you want to keep it? sentimental reasons, first bike ever, conceived a child on it, etc, etc???
all the advice above is good, but I'd definitely have to agree with give the battery away and if you don't have stands and dont' want to buy them now then don't bother, new tires would be advisable after sitting for that long. I know that newer tire compounds last longer but that's all that is keeping you gripped to the ground
...why do you want to keep it? sentimental reasons, first bike ever, conceived a child on it, etc, etc???all the advice above is good, but I'd definitely have to agree with give the battery away and if you don't have stands and dont' want to buy them now then don't bother, new tires would be advisable after sitting for that long. I know that newer tire compounds last longer but that's all that is keeping you gripped to the ground
If your really serious about storage, find an aircraft manual online or go to your local small aircraft airport and pick up the storage procedure.
Here is what has been recommended to me for winter storage by the aircraft guys.
1. Add fuel stabilizer to the gas in the recommended ratio. Run the bike until you have the mixed gas in the carbs or fuel line. Once that is done, drain the tank, bowls or fuel rail. If it is a metal tank, you can buy fuel safe corrosion protectants or use fogging oil. DO NOT USE WD-40 for any components during storage. It will flash off and remove any oil that is there.
2. Drain and refill engine oil with equivalent or better grade. Marine oils have additional corrosion preventatives and will be a better choice. DO NOT START THE BIKE! Any engine running after this point will lead to moisture in the engine. Remove the plugs, and crank the engine until you have oil pressure, this pushes the new oil, through the oil filter. THEN change the oil filter.
3. Pull the plugs, spray fogging oil into the cylinders and rotate engine until the entire bore is coated along with the rings. Re-lube the plug threads with anti-sieze and reinstall. Use dielectric grease on the plugs, boots, and any connections you can find. Remove the battery.
4. Spray fogging oil into the exhaust, then apply 1 mothball per tube or muffler. You may want to hang the mothball, so you can remove it at the end of storage. Use a rag or canvas with a rubber band and secure it over the exhaust. Do the same on the intake, with the oil, mothball, and rag, except add a 1-2 lb bag of desiccant. If you have a paper filter, remove it completely. Leave nothing paper or thin plastic (map coverings) for the mice to chew on.
http://www.theruststore.com/Moisture-Control-C6.aspx
5. Lube all hard points with grease. Apply chain wax to the chain, and remove the brake pads. Your tires will need to be replaced after 3 years, so don't worry about them. Spray the entire bike down with a storage oil. Waxes DO NOT WORK long term.
http://www.kanolabs.com/
Weatherpruf is a good one. There are also commercial aircraft grade storage "oils" made for this purpose.
http://www.theruststore.com/Rust-Preventers-C4.aspx
Let it dry, and it will leave a film on the entire bike.
You will get this on your brake rotors which will need to be cleaned thoroughly with acetone before you ride the bike again.
6. Put the bike up on center stands to remove weight from the suspension. A spool stand in the back and front axle stand is NOT good enough. You want to lift the bike off the suspension. When the bike is in its storage spot and up, spray the shocks again to make sure all exposed metal is covered.
7. Cover the bike with a breathable cover, cotton, canvas, or commercial equivalent. Apply liberal mothballs on the floor underneath the covering.
Walk slowly away from the bike. Its ok to cry a bit at this point.
Here is what has been recommended to me for winter storage by the aircraft guys.
1. Add fuel stabilizer to the gas in the recommended ratio. Run the bike until you have the mixed gas in the carbs or fuel line. Once that is done, drain the tank, bowls or fuel rail. If it is a metal tank, you can buy fuel safe corrosion protectants or use fogging oil. DO NOT USE WD-40 for any components during storage. It will flash off and remove any oil that is there.
2. Drain and refill engine oil with equivalent or better grade. Marine oils have additional corrosion preventatives and will be a better choice. DO NOT START THE BIKE! Any engine running after this point will lead to moisture in the engine. Remove the plugs, and crank the engine until you have oil pressure, this pushes the new oil, through the oil filter. THEN change the oil filter.
3. Pull the plugs, spray fogging oil into the cylinders and rotate engine until the entire bore is coated along with the rings. Re-lube the plug threads with anti-sieze and reinstall. Use dielectric grease on the plugs, boots, and any connections you can find. Remove the battery.
4. Spray fogging oil into the exhaust, then apply 1 mothball per tube or muffler. You may want to hang the mothball, so you can remove it at the end of storage. Use a rag or canvas with a rubber band and secure it over the exhaust. Do the same on the intake, with the oil, mothball, and rag, except add a 1-2 lb bag of desiccant. If you have a paper filter, remove it completely. Leave nothing paper or thin plastic (map coverings) for the mice to chew on.
http://www.theruststore.com/Moisture-Control-C6.aspx
5. Lube all hard points with grease. Apply chain wax to the chain, and remove the brake pads. Your tires will need to be replaced after 3 years, so don't worry about them. Spray the entire bike down with a storage oil. Waxes DO NOT WORK long term.
http://www.kanolabs.com/
Weatherpruf is a good one. There are also commercial aircraft grade storage "oils" made for this purpose.
http://www.theruststore.com/Rust-Preventers-C4.aspx
Let it dry, and it will leave a film on the entire bike.
You will get this on your brake rotors which will need to be cleaned thoroughly with acetone before you ride the bike again.
6. Put the bike up on center stands to remove weight from the suspension. A spool stand in the back and front axle stand is NOT good enough. You want to lift the bike off the suspension. When the bike is in its storage spot and up, spray the shocks again to make sure all exposed metal is covered.
7. Cover the bike with a breathable cover, cotton, canvas, or commercial equivalent. Apply liberal mothballs on the floor underneath the covering.
Walk slowly away from the bike. Its ok to cry a bit at this point.
I'll come back twice a year to start the bike a ride it for a few miles - will that change/reduce the need for some of the preservation steps suggested?
I know economical reasoning suggests selling and then buying a better bike in 5 yrs - however not sure that will be easy to to justify with growing family, wife, etc. At least this way I KNOW I'll have a bike later on. Also - I am slightly sentimental about the bike - didn't exactly conceive my first child on it, but there were a few close calls...
I know economical reasoning suggests selling and then buying a better bike in 5 yrs - however not sure that will be easy to to justify with growing family, wife, etc. At least this way I KNOW I'll have a bike later on. Also - I am slightly sentimental about the bike - didn't exactly conceive my first child on it, but there were a few close calls...
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!