so this is probably a wicked n00b question but...

i've read that a lot of guys change their oil and drain their gas after storing their bikes for the winter. my question is whether the bike would suffer any adverse affects if i didn't do this?

a few things to consider:

-my hawk has been stored in a (relatively) heated garage. it never gets to freezing temps on account of the water heater closet pushing heat into the stalls.

-i've been running it until it is warm when the temperature permits...every couple of weeks or so.

-i changed the oil before my last ride of the '08 season. It has maybe 200ish miles on the oil and filter.

-got a fresh tank of gas and Stabil in it just before it was put to bed for the winter. It had a bit of run time so that the treated gas would circulate and get the untreated gas out of the lines and carbs.

any advice is much appreciated. I swear i searched the site for prior threads on this and came up with nothing. be gentle

 

You are fine on the oil no problemo. Open the gas cap and stick your nose in it. If it smells like gas (99.9% probable), you are fine. If it smells like varnish, you ain't.

 

Actually the real problem with gas tanks is not that the gas goes bad, 'cause you can always drain it and flush out the tank if it did. The real problem with gas tanks is condensation/water that rusts the bottom of the tank. If you parked it for 3 or 4 months with the tank full that isn't likely to be a problem. If it was 3/4 empty it might be.

Best thing for winter storage is to drain the tank, leave it with the gas cap open in a heated space.

 

I guess my thinking on this was back-assward. I knew about the potential for the inside of the tank rusting so i figured one way to stop that from happening was filling the thing almost up to the gas cap.

thanks for the advice though. i'm learning a little bit everyday.

 

Regarding oil....

From what I've been told by actual oil company R&D individuals (I did a project on automotive oil changing tools for a major oil company, of course they got shelved as soon as oil prices took off!!) Anyway, according to their R&D guys, leaving the old used oil in an engine over periods of time is the most harmful, as the nasties in the oil can corrode the engine bits that are submerged in the oil during that time. They suggest changing the oil BEFORE storage, and then again AFTER... of course this is coming from people whom want you to buy oil... but I'd say their assesment on used dirty oil sitting in your motor is probably true... the part about changing it after the storage I believe is to aviod any moisture that may have been absorbed into the system through condensation.

Personally.... I change it at the begining of every season with good quality oil, and have been just fine. But my oil never looks real nasty... if it did, I'd probably drain it at seasons end, put cheap stuff in, then drain that out in the spring.

J.

 

Hell no. Your thinking is *** frontwards. Full tank = less air space = less condensation of moisture= less possibility of rust. My guess is you're OK with nothing to worry about.

 

so it sounds like gas wise i should be set. On the oil front, i think i'll take the cautious approach and swap that off as soon as the riding season comes around again....which at this rate, and with this much snow, should be around late July..blech.

Thanks guys!

 

I think that if you change the oil before you winterize there is really no point in changing it again in the spring (*provided you never started it*). That's just a waste of oil IMO. The reason I threw the disclaimer in there about starting the bike is that whenever you start it the heatup/cooldown process could cause some condensation in the crankcase. IF you are going to start it you need to ensure you get the oil to at least 200° to remove any moisture. That's unlikely in the dead of winter so you may as well just let the girl sit until you're ready to actually ride for the whole season.