Winter Care Tips

One of the most important things to make sure that you do first of all is to cover your bike with a well fitting cover. This not only helps to keep it more dry and safe from the elements, but also helps to stop fabric and leather from rotting, and rubber and plastic from warping. All too many sheds and garages tend to be cold and leaky, meaning a cover is essential in case of this happening.

Before you put your bike away for the winter, you should always make sure that it is clean and that any pieces of dirt and grime are removed. During winter, then the temperatures drop, the pieces of dirt and grime often freeze, which can sometimes make them expand and cause damage to parts of the engine. Also when pieces that have become frozen fall off, they can sometimes damage paintwork, particularly on older bikes. When the paintwork becomes damaged, then the metal underneath is exposed to damage from rust and oxidation.

If you tend to encounter particularly long winters where you are, then getting the bike out every now and then during winter, and starting it up is a good idea. This makes sure that the fuel left in the tank is kept in a good consistency, and also allows you to check for any other damage that might otherwise have gone unnoticed until the spring.

Alternatively, adding stabilizer to your fuel tank as winter is setting in is another way to prevent fuel separation. Although this tends to be expensive, particularly in winter, you can get it a little cheaper in perpetually cold areas all year round. If stabilizer isn't readily available, then draining all the fuel from your engine is another option that many people tend to also use.