Guide · Season

How to put your motorcycle away for winter

A few months without riding don't hurt a motorcycle. Damp, old oil and a flat battery do. Here is how to store it so it starts first time in spring.

1. Wash and dry it

Salt, dirt and dead insects eat into paint and aluminium over the winter. Wash the bike, dry it well, chain or shaft included, and give chrome and bare metal a thin coat of protective spray.

2. Change the oil before winter, not after

Used oil carries acids and moisture from combustion. Left in the engine for months, it attacks the bearings. Change the oil and filter before storage, then run the engine for a few minutes so the new oil coats everything. Which oil and how much: see the plan for your model.

3. A full tank

Fill the tank to the top and add a fuel stabiliser. An empty tank gathers condensation and rust, and petrol without stabiliser goes stale within a few months.

4. The battery on a maintenance charger

A battery drains even when you don't ride, and a deep discharge damages it. Connect it to a maintenance charger made for its type: AGM and lithium batteries need different chargers. If the bike stays in the cold, take the battery out and keep it somewhere warm.

5. Tyres and stand

Pump the tyres slightly above normal pressure and, if you can, put the bike on its centre stand or a paddock stand, so the tyres don't rest on one spot for months.

6. A dry place and a breathable cover

A dry, ventilated room is best. Cover the bike with a breathable cover, not plastic sheeting that traps moisture. Plug the exhaust and the intake against mice.

In spring

Check tyre pressures, the brake fluid (changed every 2 years) and the pads, charge the battery and start up. Ride gently for the first kilometres until the tyres are warm.