how to store your bike over winter

How best to store your motorbike over winter

As the winter months close in, you may find yourself using your motorbike less and less.

Most bikers like to put their vehicle away during the colder, icier and more dangerous months of the year. The roads can be particularly treacherous across these last few months, especially for bikers.

You might be the type of biker who likes to try to get out whenever you can. There will usually be a time that you do decide to put the bike away. Even though we know you don’t want to!

We understand that some riders like to continue biking all year round. However, if you want to play it safe and put the bike away for winter, there are a few things you will need to do…

Go For a Ride

Yes, we mean it – really! Not only to enjoy one last ride before you put the bike away for its winter hibernation, but this will also give the bike a good run out. Allowing you to check everything is in working order. Letting the bike to run before having time off the roads too. We recommend going for a long ride out, anything from half an hour or longer.

Clean Your Motorbike

Next, before putting your bike away we would recommend giving it a good clean. This will make sure that all traces of dirt and dampness have been removed. Helping to minimise any part of the bike decaying whilst not in use. Use any old material you may have to block the bike exhaust and any other areas of the bike that have holes in. Blocking these holes whilst the bike is not in use will stop any damp air from getting inside of the bike and causing hidden damage.

Protect the Battery

You may want to choose to disconnect your battery whilst storing your bike away. However, this can be an issue if you have an alarm fitted. Alternatively, you may want to fit a battery conditioner to your bike which will help to keep the battery in tip-top condition. Poor weather can damage the battery. It’s important to make sure that you have protected the battery, so you don’t fall into the trap of purchasing a new battery every year.

Change Liquids

You can either completely change or top up your bike’s fluids before putting the bike away. Many bikers do change all liquids before storing, but some choose to top up the fluids to prevent evaporation. We would recommend completely changing all liquids in your bike. You can also opt to simply top up and use oil to help to stop rusting too.

Prep Tyres

To make sure that your tyres survive the winter and a few months of rest, you need to make sure you prep them correctly. You can do this by inflating them to the correct tyre pressure. Check your tyre pressure with a good quality pressure gauge. Cheaper pressure gauges can be quite off, they may even give you an incorrect reading which is unhelpful and could potentially be dangerous. It is also a good idea to rotate the tyres every few weeks to stop tyre damage.

Store Indoors

Make sure wherever you choose to store your bike is dry. This is important so that condensation doesn’t start to form which can then in turn trigger corrosion of your bike. Covering your bike with a non-plastic material that will allow air to circulate is also a good idea, to keep the dust and dirt away. We recommend storing the bike with both wheels off the ground if at all possible. This will help the tyres to stay in good condition and stop them from going down or falling out of shape.

Then you are prepped to get the motorbike out and on to the roads in Spring, ready to go!

To get a free personalised quote for a motorbike today, visit motorly:finance