Q - How much Winter Riding is enough?

[cobalt]

I am wondering what is the minimal amount of riding or running needed for my FZ6 during the Winter. I don't want to do the Winter storage thing, so can I get away with riding it once a week in January when the weather's unfriendly.
How often will I need to actuallt ride versus running the engine?
Any thoughts?

 

[D-Mac]

If you're riding it one week during the worst month of the year you should be fine. I don't suggest just running the engine too frequently as it's harder on an engine to start it cold and starting it but not getting the revs up is not good for the battery.

In any case, you should probably hook up a battery tender to the battery and plug it in every once in a while to keep it from getting too low.

If you're using less than a tank of gas every month or two you should also add stabil and keep the tank filled up.

For what it's worth, my winter routine is just stabil and a battery tender anyway. Fogging the cylinders is useful, but since I started storing my bike in a heated garage the amount of condensation on the bike has dropped to the point where I don't even bother with that.

Even without stabil a fuel-infected bike is MUCH more likely to be fine than a bike with carbs (which can gum up easily).

 

[Data]

IMHO, fifteen or twenty minutes of riding once a month is enough- and put some Sta-bil in the fuel if you are concerned about fuel degredation. That's the most I've done for any of my bikes for the last fifteen years and never had any trouble. I think all the fuss about battery "tending" and "exercising" the engine is overblown.

 

[wrightme43]

Never enough. There is never enough riding. More riding I say, and then ride some more just incase there are days when you cant ride.

If we live we will be old and unable to ride one day. Then what are you going to do? LOL

 

[ant_mb]

Man, I haven't thrown my leg over a bike in almost 3 weeks. The weather has just sucked, or I've been working 15 hour days and I won't ride if I'm tired to begin with. It's suppose to snow a little on Sunday and suck up until then so maybe next week.

 

[Gosling1]

I agree with wrightme. Just about the only time I park my bike is when it is 25 degrees outside. But, if it warms up later in the day, I'll ride to work and enjoy the "warm" day later on.

 

[wolfc70]

IMHO, fifteen or twenty minutes of riding once a month is enough- and put some Sta-bil in the fuel if you are concerned about fuel degredation. That's the most I've done for any of my bikes for the last fifteen years and never had any trouble. I think all the fuss about battery \\"tending\\" and \\"exercising\\" the engine is overblown.

It depends on the storage conditions. Here in WI leaving the battery in the garage all winter with no tender is a great way to sulfate your battery. Bringing the battery indoors helps greatly, but sulfation can still occur if not maintained. Sulfation occurs when the battery voltage drops and the chemical reaction slows down. The sulfur (from the sulfuric acid) will slowly fill up the pores on the lead plates, further reducing the chemical reaction.

I do not like starting my bike unless I absolutely have too. I put in fresh oil before storage (just cheap oil) and try not to start it until spring, where the oil is changed again. Used motor oils can be very acidic and start slowly eating away at seals. Granted with synthetics this is minimal, but I feel that oil is fairly cheap and this eliminates a possible variable. If you do run the bike in the dead of winter, make sure the oil is close to operating temp. In 20F weather a 15 minute ride will get the coolant to 160F, but the side of my oil pan was barely warm. These bikes are not designed to run in freezing temperatures, and doing so is a great way to plug up a breather line that is trying to get rid of more moisture than it was designed for. As my dealer said, winterize it, charge it, leave it until Spring.

 

[Scorphonic]

Winterising??? Pah!

haha...I feel sorry for you guys!! There's no such thing over here...ride every day with no worries!

How do you survive?

 

[wolfc70]

How do you survive?

I wish I could hibernate until March. It looks like it is going to be another long cold winter. As E.A. Poe said, "We are all insane, just with long intervals of sanity." Winter shortens that interval.

 

[RyanK]

I tend to agree with Data on about 15 minutes of running per month if possible, but I wouildn't put anything in the gas. People freak out WAY too much over that crap. I've stored many engines for over 6 months w/o additives and had NO fuel issues. My only concern if you let it sit longer than 2 or 3 months is that the battery may not hold enough charge, but it really should be fine.

 

[Botch]

I was able to ride at least once a month last winter, intend on doing the same this winter, and have taken no special precautions.
Based on 20+ years of experience with my lawn mower and snowblower, StaBil is much more important for something stored over the summer (the snowblower) than something stored over the winter. For what its worth...

 

[RyanK]

Based on 20+ years of experience with my lawn mower and snowblower, StaBil is much more important for something stored over the summer (the snowblower) than something stored over the winter. For what its worth...

Having grown up in MI, I've never had problems w/ that either...to each their own though :thumbup: I know if I had plans on storing anything with gas in it for a year or longer i'd either use StaBil or drain it. Only problem w/ draining gas is the big question...Did I get it ALL???

 

[Data]

It depends on the storage conditions. Here in WI leaving the battery in the garage all winter with no tender is a great way to sulfate your battery. Bringing the battery indoors helps greatly, but sulfation can still occur if not maintained. Sulfation occurs when the battery voltage drops and the chemical reaction slows down. The sulfur (from the sulfuric acid) will slowly fill up the pores on the lead plates, further reducing the chemical reaction.

I do not like starting my bike unless I absolutely have too. I put in fresh oil before storage (just cheap oil) and try not to start it until spring, where the oil is changed again. Used motor oils can be very acidic and start slowly eating away at seals. Granted with synthetics this is minimal, but I feel that oil is fairly cheap and this eliminates a possible variable. If you do run the bike in the dead of winter, make sure the oil is close to operating temp. In 20F weather a 15 minute ride will get the coolant to 160F, but the side of my oil pan was barely warm. These bikes are not designed to run in freezing temperatures, and doing so is a great way to plug up a breather line that is trying to get rid of more moisture than it was designed for. As my dealer said, winterize it, charge it, leave it until Spring.

I agree with this in general and when I say "run the bike" in winter, I mean ride the bike so that it gets the oil completely warm. If weather makes this impossible, a dyno is probably the only other way to warm it up- and that isn't practical. Living in northern states like Wisconsin makes winter riding much less likely. I am lucky that between a heated garage, the occasional warm winter day, and taking the bike south in January, mine doesn't need to be winterized. Also agree that gasoline is more stable at cooler temps.

Not trying to start an argument here, but despite all dire warnings about "tending" batteries- My experience is that I've never done much and haven't had any trouble. Of course letting a battery sit in cold for six weeks and then trying to start a bike engine at 15 degrees farenheit probably won't work too often- usually (but not always) results in a dead battery. We just have to use some common sense on this stuff.

 

[sideslider]

I commute on my bike unless there is ice or the temp drops below 37F or so... lucky for me I have somewhat mild winters.

I did store my other bike though, I did the stabil, battery tender, tires, fill case with to the brim with oil, a little oil in the spark plug holes, rag over the air filter and in the exhaust hole.. and a cover.

I think that's all I did, during the next couple of months is when we usually get freezing type weather so I will probabally just ride during the warmest part of the day, but mine seems fine if I do a bunch of errands or take it to work a few times a month.

... Only problem w/ draining gas is the big question...Did I get it ALL???

well I think the worry is more about condensation in the tank and not so much bad fuel...

I agree with this in general and when I say \"run the bike\" in winter, I mean ride the bike so that it gets the oil completely warm. If weather makes this impossible, a dyno is probably the only other way to warm it up- and that isn't practical. Living in northern states like Wisconsin makes winter riding much less likely. I am lucky that between a heated garage, the occasional warm winter day, and taking the bike south in January, mine doesn't need to be winterized. Also agree that gasoline is more stable at cooler temps.

Not trying to start an argument here, but despite all dire warnings about \"tending\" batteries- My experience is that I've never done much and haven't had any trouble. Of course letting a battery sit in cold for six weeks and then trying to start a bike engine at 15 degrees farenheit probably won't work too often- usually (but not always) results in a dead battery. We just have to use some common sense on this stuff.

I think overtime if a battery (at least auto/moto batteries) start getting bad if not regularly charged...