I woke up this morning to 5 inches of snow!! Yuck.

 Unfortunately for those of us who don’t have year round riding season, it’s time to start thinking about winterizing our sportbikes. There are many things you can do to help ensure sure your ride makes it through the winter. Here are a few basics to make sure your sportbike is as good next spring as it is now.

• First off, give your bike a good cleaning to remove any contaminants and prevent scratching from any cover you may use.

• Top off your fuel tank and add the right mixture of a fuel stabilizer such as Sta-bil or Seafoam. Be sure to run the engine long enough to ensure the stabilized fuel runs through the injectors or carbs. It’s debatable whether or not to drain the carbs on carbureted engines. It depends on the length of storage, unless you plan on storing your bike for more than 6 months, I really don’t think it’s necessary. The fuel stabilizer will take care of short term gumming or clogging issues.

• Change your engine oil and filter. It’s not a good idea to leave contaminated oil in over the winter as it can be harmful to the engine parts.

• Put your bike on a center stand to take the weight off the suspension and to avoid flat spots in the tires. Its also a good idea to put a piece of carpet or cardboard under the front tire, rotating it occasionally. 

• Removing the spark plugs and adding a fogging oil is good for longer term storage. Just be sure to crank the engine a few times to get a good coat on the cylinder walls.

• Clean and lubricate the chain,cables, and all other lubrication points on the bike (check owners manual so you don’t miss any).

• Check and top off all other fluids, if your bike is liquid cooled make sure your antifreeze is full and not diluted with water to prevent freezing.

• Disconnect the battery and keep it on a battery tender. Make sure your not using a charger that doesn’t monitor the volts, you don’t want to overcharge your battery. Top off the cells with distilled water if needed.

Personally, I like to start my bike twice a month and run it through the gears while on the stand. If you do this however make sure you run the engine long enough to bring it to normal operating temperature, if not you may be doing more harm than good.

Again, these are just some general tips, for info more specific to your bike and situation you can check with your local dealer or bike shop. There are some good forums on the Internet you can check out as well.

What are some things you do to winterize your sportbike? Leave your comments below.

Thanks!  

Ride Safe.. Ride Smart.. Ride Sane..

  Take Care of Your Sportbike and it Will Take Care of You

 Breaking down on a motorcycle is never fun. You definitely don’t want to blow a tire or lose a chain while your riding, especially on the freeway.  Trust me, I’ve done it! I was doing about 70 mph in the fast lane and the bike suddenly felt like it went in to neutral. I looked down and saw a naked sprocket. Trying to coast to a stop while merging over 3 lanes of traffic with people rushing to get home was not something I wanna do again! 

 Here’s a few quick checks I do before each ride.. 

1- Inspect the tires & wheels..You have very little rubber actually making contact with the road so you want to make sure that rubber is going to perform optimally. Along with checking your air pressure & tread-wear, you should inspect the tire for cracks, uneven wear, foreign (and domestic) objects, and rub marks that may come from something on the bike rubbing the tire. Give your wheels a quick look for cracks and make sure your axle nuts are tight while your down there.

2- Check your fluids.. 

 -Fuel-Seems like a no brainer, but are you sure you fueled up before you parked it??

 -Engine oil- Along with the oil level, check the color & consistency, if it’s black change it soon! If it’s gritty or has metal flakes, you may have other issues.. This is common however with a brand new engine that is still in the break-in period.

-Brake fluid- You should have 2 separate  reservoirs for the front & rear brakes, make sure they are to the max level and there are no leaks.

-Coolant- If your bike is liquid cooled vs. air cooled.

-Clutch fluid- If your bike has a hydraulic clutch, it will be similar to the brake fluid reservoir on the clutch side.

3- Brake & throttle cables.. Make sure your cables are not starting to fray or rust. You can’t see the whole cable but you can feel if the cable is kinked or too stiff. Just work the controls and see if they feel right.

4- Brakes & rotors.. Check the thickness of the brake pad linings between the caliper & the rotor. Make sure the rotor isn’t discolored from heat,warped or cracked.

5-Lights & signals.. Make sure your brake light, headlight and signals are working properly and have no cracks. Give your horn a quick chirp while your at it. Although a loud exhaust is much more effective ;)

6-Chain & sprockets.. Make sure your chain is in good condition, lubed, and has the proper tension. Tension will vary depending on model, generally 1 to 1 1/2  inches of free-play is good. This is measured by moving the chain up & down half way between the front & rear sprockets. Check the sprockets for cracks & broken teeth. The teeth should be rounded off at the tips, if they are getting too pointed you should replace the sprocket soon.

7-Kickstand.. Most motorcycles have an engine kill switch that shuts the bike down when you put it in gear with the kickstand down. Just give it a quick glance before you take off & make sure its going stay up.

Now you can ride with a little more confidence knowing you gave your sportbike a quick pre-trip inspection..

Ride safe.. Ride Smart.. Ride Sane.. 

Sportbike Bliss