Winter Storage Help

[andyfazer600]

Hello folks,

My bike is now off the road for a 6 month winter lay up. I've read the Haynes and Yamaha manual on tasks to carry out prior to storage but have a couple of questions.

The fuel tank is nearly full so I had intended on adding a fuel stabilizer and topping it right up from a jerry can. Can anyone recommend a good fuel stabilizer? Also I am intending on doing a couple of small jobs under the tank (plus remove the battery) which I think I will only require moving the tank up on its rear hinge to do, my question is does the tank have to be empty to do this?

I'm sure I will have a couple more in due course.

Many thanks

 

[yamihoe]

I would strongly recommend the tank be empty any time you move it.

Whenever I plan on storing a vehicle I disconnect the fuel pump relay, and the line, then start it until it stalls.
take the battery off or put a tender on it, put it on the center stand and support it so that the front tire is off the ground as well, you can air the tires down but that's just a personal thing.
I usually coat the chain with a good thick coating of lube to make sure there's no rust or kinking that can come.

 

[Ramarius]

I like the Amsoil fuel stabilizer. I use it in my snowmobiles, just add to the gas and run it long enough to ensure its in the injectors. I also make sure the tank is topped off.

Not sure if this is ok on the motorcycles, but I also put a tablespoon or 2 of fogging oil in each cylinder and then turn the engine over to make sure everything is coated and reinstall the spark plugs.

 

[Baci]

Some people have to cover their airbox so that mice or other creatures do not try to nest anywhere.

 

[ccew]

I've read that the marine grade fuel stabilizer is better, especially when it comes to fuels with ethanol.

 

[yamihoe]

I would only coat the cylinder walls if you were planning on letting it sit for a year or more....but it certainly cant hurt....just remember to change the oil AFTER you pull it out of storage.

 

[iviyth0s]

I would only coat the cylinder walls if you were planning on letting it sit for a year or more....but it certainly cant hurt....just remember to change the oil AFTER you pull it out of storage.

When winterizing my Ninja, I'd simply add some fuel stabilizer and cover it up. But may center stand it this year... it still started right up on the next nice day when winter was mostly over...would you guys still recommend I disconnect the battery??

 

[kenh]

Hello folks,

My bike is now off the road for a 6 month winter lay up. I've read the Haynes and Yamaha manual on tasks to carry out prior to storage but have a couple of questions.

The fuel tank is nearly full so I had intended on adding a fuel stabilizer and topping it right up from a jerry can. Can anyone recommend a good fuel stabilizer? Also I am intending on doing a couple of small jobs under the tank (plus remove the battery) which I think I will only require moving the tank up on its rear hinge to do, my question is does the tank have to be empty to do this?

I'm sure I will have a couple more in due course.

Many thanks

How are the winters in West Scotland?
The first couple of winters here in the midwest, I added fuel stabilizer, removed the battery and hooked to a tender, lubed chain, plugged the exhaust openings, put on centerstand and covered it. Then near the end of January the temps rose to upper 60's for 3-5 days (usually every year) and I was wishing I could ride, but did not want to siphon off the tank so I could raise it and reinstall the battery, etc. Now I leave the battery in and tender it if we have a really cold spell, otherwise I run it every couple of weeks and find that I actually have a lot more opportunity to ride during the winter.
The stabilizer is still a must because you cannot burn through the fuel as fast and it become stale after about 30 days.

 

[andyfazer600]

I would strongly recommend the tank be empty any time you move it.

Whenever I plan on storing a vehicle I disconnect the fuel pump relay, and the line, then start it until it stalls.
take the battery off or put a tender on it, put it on the center stand and support it so that the front tire is off the ground as well, you can air the tires down but that's just a personal thing.
I usually coat the chain with a good thick coating of lube to make sure there's no rust or kinking that can come.

How can I drain the tank now that's its off the road? I'll look into removing the relay or fuse to completely drain the system. Thanks for the other advice too

I like the Amsoil fuel stabilizer. I use it in my snowmobiles, just add to the gas and run it long enough to ensure its in the injectors. I also make sure the tank is topped off.

Not sure if this is ok on the motorcycles, but I also put a tablespoon or 2 of fogging oil in each cylinder and then turn the engine over to make sure everything is coated and reinstall the spark plugs.

I'm thinking of putting some oil down the cylinders but my biggest worry is how to earth the plugs on the cylinder head to turn the engine over without it firing afterwards?

Some people have to cover their airbox so that mice or other creatures do not try to nest anywhere.

Won't have any rodent worries with the temperature drop around here lol

I would only coat the cylinder walls if you were planning on letting it sit for a year or more....but it certainly cant hurt....just remember to change the oil AFTER you pull it out of storage.

I had planned on changing the oil as the first job out of storage, is it worth the hassle of adding oil to the cylinders as I only storing the bike for 6 months?

How are the winters in West Scotland?
The first couple of winters here in the midwest, I added fuel stabilizer, removed the battery and hooked to a tender, lubed chain, plugged the exhaust openings, put on centerstand and covered it. Then near the end of January the temps rose to upper 60's for 3-5 days (usually every year) and I was wishing I could ride, but did not want to siphon off the tank so I could raise it and reinstall the battery, etc. Now I leave the battery in and tender it if we have a really cold spell, otherwise I run it every couple of weeks and find that I actually have a lot more opportunity to ride during the winter.
The stabilizer is still a must because you cannot burn through the fuel as fast and it become stale after about 30 days.

Winter here is brutal! lol -20C regularily

 

[Ramarius]

When I oil the cylinders down in my snowmobiles I don't worry about grounding the plugs, not sure if this is proper but that's how I do it. The engine just needs to turn over a few times.
As far as do you need to oil them down, IMO if its going to see a lot of temp fluctuation you should. If it's going to be stored in a heated shop you probably don't need to. When the temp fluctuates a lot moisture condensates inside the cylinders.

 

[andyfazer600]

When I oil the cylinders down in my snowmobiles I don't worry about grounding the plugs, not sure if this is proper but that's how I do it. The engine just needs to turn over a few times.
As far as do you need to oil them down, IMO if its going to see a lot of temp fluctuation you should. If it's going to be stored in a heated shop you probably don't need to. When the temp fluctuates a lot moisture condensates inside the cylinders.

Thanks for the advice, I'll be doing it soon as the temperature can vary by about 10-20 degrees some days during the winters here

 

[andyfazer600]

Update - I had a drill pump hidden away in my shed so had planned on using this to empty the fuel tank prior to its removal, however, I found it operates at 2,000 rpm to 3,000 rpm - just a bit more than my pathetic cordless could manage lol After consulting the Haynes it didn't mention the tank had to be empty prior to removal to stop it leaking but to make it lighter to handle. With this in mind I took the plunge and disconnected it, there was a minimal amount of fuel escape from the connections but no rush of fuel :cheer: After man handling the now disconnected full tank about half mile to the house I can advise anyone not to try this, my back still hurts now. I then managed to get the majority of the fuel out of it using my mains drill (minus the 1 or 2 litres over the garden, I was not popular yesterday lol).

I've also removed just about every over main fitting, if only to satisfy my OCD cleaning habits. Will update with some photo's soon.

 

[iSteve]

I never drain the tank I usually fill it and add stabilizer. I would worry about a empty tank getting rusted inside. I never put oil in the cylinders either and been storing bikes for over 30 years with no problems. I do oil my snowmobile's cylinders and empty that tank (plastic) because it gets stored in the spring, summer, fall with wild temp changes and a lot of humidity.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

If the temps drop that cold where the bike sits, PULL THE BATTERY. If it was warmer, a tender would be fine.

With the battery out, you don't have to disconnect any other electrical relays, etc...

As for stabilizer, SEAFOAM works very well.. If you have a marina nearby, Yamaha makes a marine grade fuel stabilizer which would be fine.

They usually have a storgae amount to use and a running amount to use. Put it in the tank for the storage amount , run the engine some. I wouldn't bother oiling the top end if its garaged.

Plus 1 on the rest, but I would change the oil and filter (unless its fairly new) as the oil will have acids, etc in it thats not good to leave sitting in the engine for 6 months causing damage..

 

[andyfazer600]

I never drain the tank I usually fill it and add stabilizer. I would worry about a empty tank getting rusted inside. I never put oil in the cylinders either and been storing bikes for over 30 years with no problems. I do oil my snowmobile's cylinders and empty that tank (plastic) because it gets stored in the spring, summer, fall with wild temp changes and a lot of humidity.

The tanks near empty now, I'm intending on spraying a good coating of WD40 inside it once I do manage to get it totally empty. Either that or pour half a litre of oil in and shake it all about every so often. Probably don't really need to do the cylinders but I've never done it before so going to see how it goes.

If the temps drop that cold where the bike sits, PULL THE BATTERY. If it was warmer, a tender would be fine.

With the battery out, you don't have to disconnect any other electrical relays, etc...

As for stabilizer, SEAFOAM works very well.. If you have a marina nearby, Yamaha makes a marine grade fuel stabilizer which would be fine.

They usually have a storgae amount to use and a running amount to use. Put it in the tank for the storage amount , run the engine some. I wouldn't bother oiling the top end if its garaged.

Plus 1 on the rest, but I would change the oil and filter (unless its fairly new) as the oil will have acids, etc in it thats not good to leave sitting in the engine for 6 months causing damage..

I've removed the battery and have it connected to a Oxford battery tender. The oil and filter were only done early in the year and its only covered a couple thousand miles at most since then so it should be good, its still golden like new.

 

[andyfazer600]

As promised. All done in a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I'm really impressed at how user friendly and easy to work on the FZ6 has been so far

 

[andyfazer600]

To get the tank as empty as possible I refitted the air box, battery and tank earlier today and run the engine until the tank was empty and it stalled. I then set about putting a teaspoon of oil into each cylinder, which I presumed would be a straight forward task once I got the previously mentioned bits removed plus the plastic battery holder tank. However I was faced with a rubber cover shielding (see far right photo in previous post) over the top of the engine, at which point I consulted the trusty Haynes manual but to get at the spark plugs it pointed me in the direction of removing the radiator (plus draining the coolant). I hadn't planned on doing the coolant till later in the year and thought there must be an easier way so began taking another look at the rubber shield. It simply slots into place and as long as you can figure out how to get it back in removing it gives access to the cylinder head. Anyways after a little awkward hand moves and cursing I managed to get the plugs out (which I'm glad I did because even though the engine was hot they were far to tight for my liking and would have been dodgy to get out when cold without issues). My biggest fear was earthing the plugs when cranking the engine over once I'd put some oil in the cylinders but to get over it I simply marked up the connections of the coil packs and disconnected them :thumbup:

Cables and pivots to lub up next weekend then she's in winter mode

 

[andyfazer600]

Anyone got any thoughts on fuel tank preservation methods over the winter lay up?

From the Haynes/Owners manuals the advice is to either spray the internal surfaces of the tank with WD40 or pour in half a litre of new, clean oil and work it around the tank to get a nice coat of oil over the insides. Obviously all the fuel has been removed before this.

I am considering the oil option but worried about how to ensure it is sufficiently removed when it comes to refilling with fuel.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Anyone got any thoughts on fuel tank preservation methods over the winter lay up?

From the Haynes/Owners manuals the advice is to either spray the internal surfaces of the tank with WD40 or pour in half a litre of new, clean oil and work it around the tank to get a nice coat of oil over the insides. Obviously all the fuel has been removed before this.

I am considering the oil option but worried about how to ensure it is sufficiently removed when it comes to refilling with fuel.

I think I would fog it with WD 40. I wouldn't want the hassel later of sloshing fuel in the tank come spring to rid engine oil.

If you can keep the tank AWAY from moisture (IE in the house-once emptied and safe), there should be much less moisture inside vs the garage to get any rust started.

 

[darius]

I'd follow the KISS principal and fill the tank with fuel then add stabilizer. You might want to read a comprehensive article on winter storage as there's nothing Fazer specific to worry about.