The fuel in your Carburetor over the winter will begin to degrade and break down into it’s original components. When your carburetor sits full of fuel for the winter the ethanol found in most fuels here in Canada will start to line the inside of its container with a varnish. This over time will seal off orifices so fuel cannot pass into the engine thus making your bike not start. We recommend that you use a good fuel stabilizer to keep the gas in your tank from breaking down and run your machine for a few minutes prior to storage. Be sure to drain your carb before storage and this will make things easy for you come spring.

Your gas tank over the winter becomes its own sealed environment. As the temps rise and fall the moisture in the air trapped inside will condensate. This moisture will sit on the walls of the tank and can cause rust. Rust can clog injectors and jets and can be a major headache for you come spring. An easy way to avoid this is make sure your tank is full when storing your machine. This way there is no exposed metal on the inside of your tank and your rust problem is not a problem anymore. Be sure to also add fuel stabilizer to the tank and run the bike prior to storage.

When parking your machine for the winter your tires are left supporting the weight of your bike for 6 months strait. This weight mixed with falling temps can cause tire pressures to fall. As a result your tires can get slightly deformed in extreme cases.

1 – Using wheel stands is the best remedy and backing off your tire pressure slightly. This relieves the tires from any stress.

2- If you do not have stands fill the tires up to maximum pressure rated on the sidewall before storage. Make yourself a note come spring to check your tire pressures again. Driving on highly inflated tires can be dangerous.

The body work including your fairings, frame, tank and other body panels are all subject to whatever environment you store your bike in. Moisture is the number one cause for corrosion so making sure your exhaust tip and air intake are blocked are a good way to prevent corrosion from happening inside your engine. Prep your body work for winter storage with a generous amount of wax. This will help protect the paint and finish for the winter. Also your chain will appreciate a good cleaning and lubricating, this will help fend off any rust that it may encounter over the next few months.

Your motorcycle battery contains 2 elements that give it the ability to create electricity. If left unused it will discharge and loose its strength to crank over your engine. If left long enough it will loose all of its charge and may loose it ability to receive a charge. The cold temps will accelerate this loss of charge. A simple way to avoid this is to remove your battery from the motorcycle. Hook the battery up to a charger and store inside. Once charged remove from charger and store somewhere warm. Come spring hook it back on the charger overnight and you will be ready to ride. If you do this every year your battery should last you a long time.