Did you put your bike up for the winter yet?

[jagr]

im planning on riding my lil beast some more and my bike too.

[bad1ltr]

nope....Im bankin on a few more nice days before I put mine away for the winter.

[schmuckingham]

Sitting in the garage on the stand like usual so no it isnt away yet.

Fill the tank all the way with fuel then add some Stabil to the mix and store properly on a stand with the tires not touching.

[John]

i will ride as long as the road is dry.

[f4isvt]

Hell no I got some car hart bibs I rock in the cold. I weighed myself last year with gear and without it was about a 60lb difference.

[DarkDuc]

Stabil in the tank just in case there's a long spell of snow/ice, but otherwise it's ride ready all year. Was out in 17 degree weather last year. So cold, my 'low temp' light came BACK on while I was riding.

I didn't buy the thing just to look at it!

[zerocrash]

I didn't buy the thing just to look at it!

[max power]

I put the new battery tender leads on and hooked it up. Does that count?

[SchmuckGirl]

No, that lifts it at the "stem" using my terminology. It's a good tool to have if you change forks a lot, but for storage and wheel removal... you need a regular front stand that uses the forks.

I'm trying to find where I read why not to store a bike on a stem stand, but I can't at the moment. I think it had something to do with suspension drooping and the seals when the bike is at 100% travel (as it would be on the stem stand). Like I said, I don't even have stands, so I just park mine in the garage on the kickstand. I've never had any issues with flat spotting.

Ok, thank you for the concise answer, I appreciate it. I guess it makes sense not to store your bike in an unnatural position all winter.

[Kip Drordy]

So I was looking at buying a set of Pit Bulls stands from a guy and he says that the front is a 'peg-style stand that lifts at the triple clamp'. Is that what I would want?

My bike went into Schmuck's garage but I'm not ready to winterize yet. We have a 60+ degree heat wave coming through this weekend!

If it's a good deal get the triple stand. You can store the bike on it and do everything else you'd want to do with it.

If you end up doing a lot of track days you'll prolly want to get a regular fork stand since putting up the bike on the triple stand would get tedious after awhile.

BTW my bike is already in the tear down process and parts are already in the mail!

[playerpro153]

It's about time to tear down the bike. New coolant, new fork oil, springs, tires, valve check (26,000 miles on a 1.5 year old bike), and last but not least, carbon fairings.

[SWing'R]

probably in November insurance will come off, but you never know how Ohio weather is gonna act. Might be 60 again in december.

I was ridin on Christmas day last winter! I rode all winter, any weekend it was above 40deg!

[SWing'R]

Do you really have to "winterize" your bikes as they say??? This was my second season with mine and I have never done anything to it. Answers/opinions anyone???

I just keep the tank full and put in some gas stabilizer, at least once a week go out and start it up and let it run about 10minutes. This will be my second winter too

[natedogg624]

huh i never thought about that before. i bought a stem stand but now i might have to buy a fork stand. this bike is raping me

you could just not use your front stand... you could do what an old school track guy taught me is to just put the front tire onto a towel thats folded up a few times to use as a cushion for the tire.

towel is much cheaper than a new stand...

Do you really have to "winterize" your bikes as they say??? This was my second season with mine and I have never done anything to it. Answers/opinions anyone???

i just started mine and let run for a loooong time got fully warm and stayed at that temp for a while and then i shut her down. if the streets weren't salty i went up and down the neighborhood. also kept it on the tender all winter.

It's about time to tear down the bike. New coolant, new fork oil, springs, tires, valve check (26,000 miles on a 1.5 year old bike), and last but not least, carbon fairings.

valve check. heh i need to do that too, let me know how that goes... easy hard what?

ill be tearing mine down as soon as i get a front stand (xmas tgift!) hopefully she'll be a rolling chassis only by mid jan. it'll keep me sane during those cold winter months.

[phop5]

I'm up for at least two more rides!!

[mrmako777]

I'm trying to find where I read why not to store a bike on a stem stand, but I can't at the moment. I think it had something to do with suspension drooping and the seals when the bike is at 100% travel (as it would be on the stem stand). Like I said, I don't even have stands, so I just park mine in the garage on the kickstand. I've never had any issues with flat spotting.

i'd like to see that bro if you can find it or point me in the right direction. ive asked a few people about this so far and they have all said that is nonsense. not saying its not true man, but i'd like to see some proof

[Disclaimer]

Understandable... and it bugs me I can't find that information or at least where I got it sourced from. All the stuff I'm reading now says it really doesn't matter whether you use a fork or stem stand.

With the stem stand, it may have clearance issues with your front fairing, so that may need to be removed on some bikes to use it, and it take a little longer to line it up on the steering stem to use it. From my last 10 minutes of googling... these are the issues with the stem stands.

The fork stands are good for everything except changing forks, including quick lifting and removing of the stand itself (better suited for trackday duty).

So, unless I can find otherwise... I guess my original information was misguided. Either stand will work.

[max power]

Park it on cardboard if you dont have stands. Keep the tires off of the concrete.

[Harb67]

Mine's going in the garage this weekend. I'm making the trip home now while the weather is still decent because I'd rather not risk having the snow sneak up on me and have to make the trip looking like a very fast Frosty the Snowman. I made that mistake last year; high-end ski jacket + 2 long-sleeved shirts + fleece pullover, 2 pairs long underwear + pajama pants + waterproof hockey warmup pants, 3 pairs socks + hiking boots, ski gloves and balacavala and I was STILL freezing my ass off.

[r6jess]

nope i'm going riding all weekend in Lexington then doing a photo shoot for MSF and Rock the Gear.org. i don't think ill put my bike away for the winter. Probably have to get it back out in a week for those freak warm days.

[Big Green Valley]

Once I get some repairs and maintenance done it will be back on the road. Cold weather riding gear is on standby.

[cattmouch33]

Just rode in to work this morning but I gotta find nicer gloves. Ohio's to screwed up weather wise to put it away already. Maybe not ride in the morning but during the day it's almost always warm enough to ride.

[SchmuckGirl]

That's the problem, my lips and fingers can't stand up to the cold, they get windburn and I suffer for days....

[cattmouch33]

get thicker gloves and gator neck (it covers from about your clavical to the top of your head and comes up to right under your nose. no wind burn.

[natedogg624]

^+1