5 Steps on How to Winterize your Motorcycle
With Winter Arriving Soon, It's Time to Start Winterizing Your Motorcycle
A motorcycle with several issues is not something you want to experience after a winter. With snow already arriving in most states and temperatures already dropping, it might be time to winterize your motorcycle. If you don't prep it before the winter season, it may be difficult to get it running again during the spring.
With the proper care and treatment, you can prevent any unwanted surprises such as a dead battery, corrosion, rust areas, or worse. To avoid these issues, read these five steps on how to winterize your beautiful motorcycle.
1. Clean your Motorcycle and Give it a Bath
If you don't give your bike a proper cleaning, you might potentially see rust and corrosion on it. If there is already dirt on it, that will increase the chance of corrosion. This is the last thing you'd want to see after taking the cover off when it's springtime, right? Give your bike a thorough cleaning before storing it.
To clean it, wash it with water and a gentle mild detergent. For better resistance against moisture and corrosion, add a coat of wax or polish to seal it.
2. Change your Oil
If you haven't changed your oil, consider doing it now. The last thing you probably want to do after winter is changing the oil before you can take it for a ride. Change the oil and if your coolant levels are low, then add anti-freeze.
Once you're done, start your bike up again to let the oil circulate through the engine and provide additional protection against corrosion!
3. Remove your Battery and Store it
Batteries are not cheap, and it is best to remove your battery from the bike. We recommend that you use a battery tender so it can keep the battery charging during the winter! They are inexpensive to purchase, and very reliable to use during the cold winter months. Just be sure to store it somewhere clean and dry where it won't drop below freezing temperatures.
4. Inspect Your Tires for Proper Pressure
We wish this was not an issue, but if you leave your tires to sit in the same position during the entire winter season, then this can potentially cause flat spots. Not only that, they can even absorb moisture from your garage door. To avoid flat spots and moisture problems, get motorcycle stands to prop it.
There are many options to get your bike propped such as investing in stands, getting plywood or a piece of carpet, or blocks to place under your tires.
5. Cover and Protect Your Bike
The most important rule of all? Get a cover to place over your motorcycle so you can protect it! This will help prevent as much moisture and corrosion as it can. If you are storing it inside, you're in better shape of protecting it. If you have to store it outside, it's recommended that you get a cover with motorcycle tie downs to keep the wind from blowing it loose.
If you are looking for durable, reliable motorcycle straps, look into our selection of motorcycle straps. We also carry motorcycle tie down systems and many motorcycle accessories to better support your bike.
Want to read more about winterizing your bike? Consider reading this:
How to winterize your motorcycle
