Some people are lucky enough to live in a climate where they can use their motorcycle year round, but the rest of us aren't as lucky. The winter season can wreak havoc on your motorcycle, causing the once beautiful machine to turn into a mess of salt and rust. To avoid seeing this happen to your motorcycle, winterizing is a must. Winterizing your motorcycle, and keeping it in storage can leave it in optimal condition for the warmer spring months.

Moisture is the biggest threat to motorcycles during the winter; snow can sneak inside the bike, and cause problems with the piston rings, cylinder walls, valve seats, and other areas as well. As much as you would like to protect your motorcycle completely, it just isn't possible to block the bike off entirely from the snow and ice, but you can still protect it.

You can start by running the motorcycle for a few minutes to get the oil moving and dry any water that may already be inside the engine. You also need to coat the piston rings, valve seats, and cylinder walls with oil, and you should also pour a small amount of oil into each of the plug holes. While you have the oil out, you should fill the crankcase. And you might want to consider changing the filter. Some owners wait until the spring to change the filter, but you can save a little time by doing it now; it will also prepare your motorcycle for running as soon as the warm weather hits.

Before putting your motorcycle away for the winter, you also need to protect the fuel tank, but this is an easy job; fill the tank with a fuel stabilizer, or a fuel that has the stabilizer added to it. Never leave plain fuel in the tank for the winter, unless you want to find a disgusting mess when you return. As for the motorcycle's battery, you have two options. You can leave the battery in the bike, or take it out and hook it up to smart charger for the winter. You want to make sure that the bike has a good charge when you're ready to take it out again.

Some other tips to winterize your motorcycle include giving the bike one last wash and wax, making sure the back wheels are off the ground, and stuff the tailpipe to keep mice from nesting inside.

With these tips, you can get your bike ready for the winter season, and keep it in excellent shape for the spring.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Eblin.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to winterize your motorcycle?
We want to hear your view. Write now!