Top tips to hibernate your bike this winter
With the winter fast approaching Britain’s bikers need to make the decision as to whether or not to ‘ride on’ through winter or put their bikes into hibernation. Specialist bike insurer, Express Insurance, has teamed up with World Superbike racer Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne to provide some top tips to keep your bike stored in mint condition until Spring.
Shakey Bryne explains that if you are taking your bike off the road, there are some things you really should do: “The first and most important job is to clean the bike, as leaving dirt or road salt on the machine during winter will almost certainly lead to corrosion. Don’t be afraid of jet-washing your bike, but do avoid using the pressure lance on sensitive areas such as the engine, dashboard, chain and the graphics which are applied to the bodywork.”
“Your bike then needs a good chamois down to remove all surface water and then use a non-abrasive polish on the bodywork. Clean the chain with an appropriate chain cleaner and apply chain lube, for winter storage an oil-based, rather than wax-based lube is probably best. Some may prefer to use other chemicals to clean a chain, such as paraffin, or a water dispersant, but read the label as some products can actually be detrimental to the chain itself.”
Top tips to hibernate your bike this winter
1 Fully clean, chamois and polish your bike
2 Lubricate key areas e.g. clutch, brake levers and cables
3 Drain the tank as best you can
4 Remove your battery or hook it to a modern trickle charger
5 Store your bike off its wheels using a centre or paddock stand
6 Cover your bike in a good quality, breathable cover
Shakey adds: “After cleaning check and lubricate any important areas, such as clutch and brake levers, cables, foot-pegs, pillion pegs, side-stand pivots, centre stand pivots and suspension linkages if you can get to them. Give the overall bike a coating of high-quality water dispersant – but make sure you avoid areas such as brake discs and calipers, as this can lead to a reduction in friction and the brakes not working properly when you return to the road. Instead simply give these areas a clean with a metal parts cleaner suitable for brake discs and calipers.”
“Today’s unleaded fuel is not really designed to stay in a motorcycle’s tank, carburettors or fuel-injection system for too long, so do drain the tank as best you can and the carbs, if the bike is an older machine. Fuel can oxidise and then breakdown, becoming a sticky sludge which gums-up parts, causing problems with starting, so run the level of fuel down as low as you dare and perhaps add a stabilising fuel additive, such as Putoline’s Motorcycle Fuel Stabiliser Petrol Additive, which you can then run through the system for a few minutes before shutting off the engine. You may also want to take advantage of giving your bike an oil and filter change now and also perhaps change the coolant. If not done now, then do remember to make it your priority in the spring.
“Make sure you get the bike off its wheels,” continues Byrne. “If you have a centre-stand, use this, if you don’t then invest in a pair of paddock stands which are designed to lift each end of the bike. This helps keep the tyres in good condition. Some people replace the air with nitrogen, but there’s not necessarily any need to do this, many simply lower tyre pressures down to around half that of normal road pressures – but do ensure your wheels are off the ground.”
Byrne adds: “If you’re not using your bike then the battery will discharge over time, especially if you have an alarm running off it for security purposes. Either remove the battery or hook it up to a modern trickle charger, which will maintain the battery at the optimum level during the winter lay-off.”
Finally, cover the bike with a good-quality, breathable indoor cover or a waterproof one if the bike is stored outside. Shakey says: “It pays to do things properly, to give you peace of mind over the winter. You’ll be confident that when the better weather arrives, an hour’s prep and your bike will be ready to hit the road again.”
To find out more about Express Insurance or to get a competitive quote on your insurance visit expressinsurance.co.uk.
