When spring arrives the urge is to grab your bike out of storage, fire it up, jump on and ride. Don't. There's a procedure you should use to awaken your bike from its winter slumber. Follow these steps and your bike will be not only ready to ride but will deliver months of riding enjoyment.
- 1. Uncover the motorcycle- remove the motorcycle cover and remove the protections over the intake and exhaust manifolds.
- 2. Battery- check the battery. The battery should be fully charged or close to fully charge. Check to make sure that each cell is filled to the correct level with distilled water then recharge the battery.
- 3. Oil- Change the bikes oil.
- 4. Air pressure- Check tire air pressure and shock air pressure.
- 5. Detail the bike- Clean and wax the motorcycle. Ensure that you keep the bike clean through out the riding season.
- 6. Regular maintenance- Be sure to continue regular maintenance as recommended by the manufacturer.
This above steps will safely bring your bike back from its winter hibernation. If you failed to properly prepare the bike for storage you have a few additional steps that you will need to take.
- 7. Drain the fuel system- Drain all of the old fuel. Drain the carburetor, the fuel lines and the fuel tank. Old fuel can cause your fuel lines and carburetor to clog from gum.
- 8. Check for rust- Make sure the tank didn't rust. If the tank has rusted you will need to clean and seal it to prevent flakes of rust from clogging the carburetor jets.
- 9. Lube the cylinders – remove the spark plugs and pour two tablespoons of fresh oil into the spark plug ports. This will lubricate the upper cylinder walls. Turn over the bike to ensure the oil gets good coverage in the cylinder.
Doing these things will bring a bike that has not been prepared for a long storage period out of storage. When the time comes to put the motorcycle back into storage make sure that you prepare the bike so it can have the maximum protection through out the storage period.
Enjoy your spring and summer riding.