"Winter motorcycle" guide
Hibernation for motorcycles
When the days grow shorter, most motorcyclists send their bike into hibernation. To prevent unpleasant surprises next spring, you should "mothball" your motorcycle properly.
1. Cleanliness
- Wash your motorcycle with a biologically degradeable cleaner to get rid of all dirt which could attract moisture and cause rust to form.
- Spray motorcycle cleaner on to the engine block when it is in the cold state. After letting the cleaner take effect briefly, scrub it off thoroughly with an old dishwashing brush or toothbrush.
- Rinse the motorcycle thoroughly with a powerful water jet. Avoid using a high-pressure jet, however, because it might pervade the wheel, rocker or steering-head bearings.
- Wipe the motorcycle with a leather cloth, let it dry for 1-2 hours and run the engine warm.
2. Oil change
- Open the oil drainage screw and collect the warm, used oil in a basin for the purpose of environmentally compatible disposal.
- Replace the oil filter and install a new sealing ring.
- Tighten the oil drainage screw securely again.
- Fill in the quantity of new oil specified by the operating manual or driver's handbook.
- To read the oil level correctly, make sure that the motorcycle is standing straight.
- Run the engine run briefly to distribute the new oil, and check its level again.
3. Drive
Chain drive
- Tension the chain, but not too much, otherwise the drive and gearbox might get damaged. Further details are provided by the driver's handbook and operating manual.
- Apply a generous amount of chain grease to the chain.
Cardan drive
- If the cardan housing has a lubrication nipple, make sure to squeeze 2-3 strokes of grease through it using a grease gun. Oil changes are only necessary at the regular maintenance intervals.
4. Battery
- Disconnect the battery and store it in a dry, frost-proof place.
- Check the battery's acid level and, if necessary, top it up to the maximum mark with distilled water.
- Check the battery charge with an acid siphon.
- Self-discharge ultimately leads to deep discharge, a state from which a battery can never be fully restored to its original capacity. To prevent deep discharge, it is best to maintain the battery voltage at a constant level by connecting the battery to a "charge monitor".
- In the absence of this kind of device, a normal battery needs to be recharged every four to six weeks.
- A maintenance-free battery should be connected once or twice to the charging unit during winter break.
5. Tyres
- To make sure that the wheels continue turning smoothly next spring, relieve them of load by carefully jacking up the motorcycle.
- For this purpose, slide a wooden block or car jack underneath the engine block. Caution: Avoid toppling!
- Increase the tyre pressure by 0.5 bar.
6. Air suspension
- Slightly lower the air pressure in the shock-absorption struts so that the sealing rings are not subjected to unnecessary loads.
7. Carburettor
- Empty the carburettor's float chamber to prevent fuel from gumming up the injection nozzles. For this purpose, close the fuel valve, open the float chamber's drainage screw and drain the fuel into a vessel.
8. Cooling water
- Check the water level.
- Ensure an adequate presence of anti-freeze.
9. Spark plugs
- Unscrew the spark plugs, clean and test them, and replace defective ones.
- Spray a bit of engine oil into the combustion chambers and screw the spark plugs back into place.
10. Tank
- Steel tanks should be filled to the brim with petrol to prevent corrosion. Plastic tanks should be drained of fuel which should then be stored in a suitable canister.
11. Care for metal, paint etc.
- If the motorcycle will spend the winter outdoors, make sure to protect it against corrosion and cover it with a well-ventilated tarpaulin.
- Polish the paint and preserve it with wax.
- Apply penetrating oil to ensure that all plugs connect properly on a lasting basis.
Get through the winter without any trouble.
