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winter proofing


Sturg1647545502

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when I had a carb'd bike, I would just put Stabil in the tank and run it for a few minutes to get it into the carbs. Then I'd start the bike up in the garage every week or so and let it get up to temp and I never had a problem. Don't start it up if you're not going to get it up to temp though.

 

The option that most shops will tell you to do is to put Stabil in the tank, run it for a bit, and then drain the float bowls on each carb. There's a screw on the bottom of each bowl that'll drain it out. This is the safest option and the one you should do if you won't want to start it during the winter.

 

You can take the battery out if you really want, but a tender will be just fine. Cold kills batteries, but if it's in a garage it should be fine.

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ive always topped off the tank. IMO, if its only half or whatever, that leaves room for rust to possibly form.

 

drain the bowls

 

make sure you turn the petcock off. if you dont have an off, id disconnect the fuel line too, and periodically check to make sure it isnt leaking. reason being, if your float valve starts to leak and the petcock isnt turned off, or if it leaks too, youre gonna end up with a crankcase full of gas.

 

change the oil

 

battery tender

 

cover the exhaust

 

i think thats about all.

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I work as a boat Tech at a marina and we will put stabil in the tank, fog the engine, pull the plugs and give them a shot of the fogger in the cylinder and disconnect the battery, or pull it out depending on what the customer wants. I would recommend keeping the battery in a warmer place because we have had them freeze before, and also the cold weather isn't exactly good for it. If you wanted, you can get by running a few tanks with stabil through it when you know it is starting to get cold out. I wouldn't bother draining the floats personally.
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Get a warm coat and ride.

best answer so far....

 

 

thanks for all the replies. i dont own a tender, any good brand names? whats a decent one cost? same with stabelizer? if not its what ever is on advanced auto's shelf....

 

also what is fogging, ive never heard of that

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Fogging oil is something along the lines of this... http://www.pennzoil.com/products/marine/fogging_oil.html

 

Basically you spray it into your carb, or throttle body for fuel injection models until your engine dies, or until the engine starts smoking and you turn the key off. Then pull the spark plugs and give each cylinder a shot of it. It basically coats the entire engine with oil to prevent rust and corrosion from forming. If you’re just putting the bike away for a few months, you can most likely get away without doing this step, but it wouldn't hurt either.

 

 

As far as a battery tender I am not sure if I would worry about it. If you keep the bike in a garage that is fairly warm, just disconnect the battery. If not, pull the battery out and put it someplace inside. We have about 50,000 jet ski battery's on a shelf in our shop and they will be just fine until summer. If you’re really worried about it, check it once in a while and maybe give it a little charge.

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Also, as far as stabil and fogging oil, go to auto zone and get whatever is on the shelf. We use the Sta-Bil brand fogging oil and fuel stabilizer and it works pretty good. It is a red liquid in a clear bottle, also read the directions it is pretty easy to use. More is always better then too little.
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  • 3 weeks later...

i tested mine last night and it good to +20F. obviously thats not enough considering how cold it can get in ohio. i am headed to DC in a few weeks for a co-op so i want to get it ready for its hibernation in ohio.

 

its probably the original coolant from 98, i bought it this year at the end of the season and was going to change it come spring, but i feel i should do it now.

 

so, can i use automotive coolant or is there "motorcycle" coolant?

 

thanks,

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i tested mine last night and it good to +20F. obviously thats not enough considering how cold it can get in ohio. i am headed to DC in a few weeks for a co-op so i want to get it ready for its hibernation in ohio.

 

its probably the original coolant from 98, i bought it this year at the end of the season and was going to change it come spring, but i feel i should do it now.

 

so, can i use automotive coolant or is there "motorcycle" coolant?

 

thanks,

 

it's not going to sit outside is it? As long as it's inside even if the garage is not heated, you'll be fine with a coolant/water mix.

 

you definately want to use a "motorcycle" coolant!

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no it will be kept in the garage. i've been trying to get my roommates to let me bring it in the house. the house is a fixer upper and we started on the 3rd floor and are still working to the 2nd, so the 1st floor is still in need of some work so it cant hurt anything.

 

well i know what i'll be doing today...

 

thanks again!

 

BTW does anyone know the coolant capacity of a 98 gsxr600?

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