View Full Version : storing your pride and joy over winter - where?
kwak zzr
23-10-10, 03:47 PM
For those of you that dont battle the ice and snow over winter time where do you store your bike?
I'm thinking of putting mine behind the sofa in the bay window this year :smt040
fizzwheel
23-10-10, 03:53 PM
In the garage.
I give it a good wash, make sure all the fluids and levels are topped up as they should be, make sure the chain has a good coat of lube on it as well. I also take the battery out and thats about it.
I bring the battery indoors and pop it onto the optimate. If I had power in the garage I woudlnt even bother doing that and just leave the bike on the optimate all through the winter.
kwak zzr
23-10-10, 03:56 PM
Ive decided i want to clean little gixer and look at her spotless all those cold winter months :) bit of a focal point for the room too :)
Amplimator
23-10-10, 04:01 PM
What fizz said, in the garage under a dust cover fluids checked etc. The only difference is the optimate bit. In the instructions it says never leave on for more than a 12 hour period (or summit like that) so it just goes on the optimate once a week, on a sunday to be precise.
danf1234
23-10-10, 04:24 PM
What fizz said, in the garage under a dust cover fluids checked etc. The only difference is the optimate bit. In the instructions it says never leave on for more than a 12 hour period (or summit like that) so it just goes on the optimate once a week, on a sunday to be precise.
My bike is on the optimate permanently, never seems to do it any harm.
Left my RSV on it for 4 months last year and it started first press afterwards.
Mine stays in a damp garage with all the rest of my bikes. if it's clean when it goes in then woopdi-do, but I won't polish it specially. I'll drag it out during winter and go for a ride when it suits me, then put it back with road salt on it and sod the consequences. It's a bike - it's not your lover or your child, it's merely a collection of metal, plastic and rubber parts and nothing more. It can be cleaned and tarted up to look good once the urge to sell it kicks in, and that's what I do.
Bikes are built to be ridden for more hours than they are polished.
danf1234
23-10-10, 04:32 PM
Mine stays in a damp garage with all the rest of my bikes. if it's clean when it goes in then woopdi-do, but I won't polish it specially. I'll drag it out during winter and go for a ride when it suits me, then put it back with road salt on it and sod the consequences. It's a bike - it's not your lover or your child, it's merely a collection of metal, plastic and rubber parts and nothing more. It can be cleaned and tarted up to look good once the urge to sell it kicks in, and that's what I do.
Bikes are built to be ridden for more hours than they are polished.
Love it ha ha ha
Amplimator
23-10-10, 05:08 PM
My bike is on the optimate permanently, never seems to do it any harm.
Left my RSV on it for 4 months last year and it started first press afterwards.
An optimate is supposed to fool the battery into thinking the bikes being used. Who do you know that rides for 4 months non-stop? Im not saying its right, or wrong. Im just saying thats how i do it tis all.
danf1234
23-10-10, 05:10 PM
Never even thought about it like, I jsut assumed that was it's intended purpose. Might turn it of tonight now lol!
Iansv II
23-10-10, 05:59 PM
Mine stays in a damp garage with all the rest of my bikes. if it's clean when it goes in then woopdi-do, but I won't polish it specially. I'll drag it out during winter and go for a ride when it suits me, then put it back with road salt on it and sod the consequences. It's a bike - it's not your lover or your child, it's merely a collection of metal, plastic and rubber parts and nothing more. It can be cleaned and tarted up to look good once the urge to sell it kicks in, and that's what I do.
Bikes are built to be ridden for more hours than they are polished.
:thumbsup:
I am putting mine in my parents garage when the proper frost settles in - will disconnect the battery and put it on a paddock stand with a cover over it - thats where it will probably stay for the foreseeable future as I fancy a Supermoto next year and dont want to sell the SV so thought I might as well "mothball" it for now...
What if you don't have a garage? Any solutions for the least fortunate ones? Is the Stormex cover enough?
yorkie_chris
23-10-10, 06:35 PM
Mine stays in a damp garage with all the rest of my bikes. if it's clean when it goes in then woopdi-do, but I won't polish it specially. I'll drag it out during winter and go for a ride when it suits me, then put it back with road salt on it and sod the consequences. It's a bike - it's not your lover or your child, it's merely a collection of metal, plastic and rubber parts and nothing more. It can be cleaned and tarted up to look good once the urge to sell it kicks in, and that's what I do.
Bikes are built to be ridden for more hours than they are polished.
Yarp.
Good slarting of ACF50 stops the rot though.
yorkie_chris
23-10-10, 06:36 PM
What if you don't have a garage? Any solutions for the least fortunate ones? Is the Stormex cover enough?
Rain does not do any harm, I don't think covers actually make any difference except stop you getting a wet bum in the morning.
Same advice... make sure everything is well serviced and add grease and ACF50. Maybe wax the paintwork if you're "that sort" to care about such things
Mine stays in a damp garage with all the rest of my bikes. if it's clean when it goes in then woopdi-do, but I won't polish it specially. I'll drag it out during winter and go for a ride when it suits me, then put it back with road salt on it and sod the consequences. It's a bike - it's not your lover or your child, it's merely a collection of metal, plastic and rubber parts and nothing more. It can be cleaned and tarted up to look good once the urge to sell it kicks in, and that's what I do.
Bikes are built to be ridden for more hours than they are polished.
Yep, which is why I ride through winter providing there is no white stuff settling on the ground. I must have only ever cleaned my SV about 5 times in two years.
Slightly ontopic, but I may be selling a cair-o-port for a bike as it got thrown in with my bike purchase and I have no use for it.
http://www.proppa.com/cair-o-port-motorbike-indoor-storage-tent-5905-p.asp
hongman
23-10-10, 09:57 PM
Mine will stay under my Stormex (no other choice). Depending on how lazy I am I might ACF50 it.
Sid Squid
23-10-10, 10:18 PM
You can leave the Optimate connected as long as you like, it will be fine.
danf1234
24-10-10, 08:45 AM
You can leave the Optimate connected as long as you like, it will be fine.
LOL I turned mine off last night. Fook it, it's going back on.
minimorecambe
24-10-10, 08:55 AM
Our bikes are kept in a cabin.
I use the bike throughout winter but the SRAD and gsxr have thier chargers on throughout :)
Dicky Ticker
24-10-10, 09:12 AM
With regard to the charging,my bike is plugged in constantly while in the garage,be it for a couple of days or months and my last battery was seven year old before I had to replace it
My charger is a Power Commander 900 and once it has brought the battery up to the optimum charge it goes on to standby and will only charge the battery if the charge level drops below the optimum.
The charger is similar to the Optimate but about half the price.
danf1234
24-10-10, 09:14 AM
Note to self = Leave optimate on!
Geodude
24-10-10, 09:22 AM
Damp garage with big hole in roof and a bit of tarp over seat :(
...Slightly ontopic, but I may be selling a cair-o-port for a bike as it got thrown in with my bike purchase and I have no use for it.
http://www.proppa.com/cair-o-port-motorbike-indoor-storage-tent-5905-p.asp
That is absolutely mental.
TheRamJam
25-10-10, 12:31 PM
For those of you that dont battle the ice and snow over winter time where do you store your bike?
I'm thinking of putting mine behind the sofa in the bay window this year :smt040
You could always decorate it with tinsel and put xmas lights on it.
Now that be a cool tree;)
dizzyblonde
25-10-10, 01:32 PM
Damp garage with big hole in roof and a bit of tarp over seat :(
similar, damp metal shed, with leaky roof that never gets fixed(not for want of trying). Cheap bike covers over the top of them to help, and a few 'moisture traps' thrown under each bike for good measure.
Pegs is outside under an Oxford Stormex, I feel very guitly about that, but unless someone who is good with a magic wand and can make a 14x12ft building pop up out of the floor to accomodate all four bikes...then it will have to sulk there:(
Right bunch of pooftas we have on here:rolleyes:
My bike gets ridden in all weathers, I'm not mad keen on ice, but sometimes I get caught out. One of the joys of having a bike:D
My bike will NOT be stored, it will get used. As it always has:D
MattCollins
25-10-10, 11:28 PM
Not for winter storage, but I have just had another reconditioned 6m sea container put next to the workshop for a couple of bikes that don't get ridden and clear a bit of space. They also make a fairly decent hard lock up with only minimal work.
Dunno about the Optimate, but the Deltran(?) Battery Tender is an always on device maintaining the battery at float. They do a fine job of keeping batteries in good health. Winter riders can also benefit from tickling the battery overnight to keep it warm. It'll make the cold starts a lot easier and easier on the battery.
BanannaMan
26-10-10, 02:37 AM
My bike will NOT be stored, it will get used. As it always has:D
+1
Invest in some winter kit.
Nothing like riding when the snow is off the road but still covering the ground. :cool:
cb1000rsteve
26-10-10, 04:25 AM
A few pointers for storing a bike over winter.
- Brim the tank and put in an additive and run engine. Prevents rust in tank etc
- get the wheels off the floor to prevent flat spots. (if can't get them off floor fill them with air and rotate often, and keep them off concrete ie carpet.
- Get a battery charger or remove battery
Any others just add.
If I don't use bike I have to walk , don't like walking much so looks like another winter on bike :)
Some days are not much fun , getting up in dark going to work and riding back in the dark , but generally don't mind riding in winter but u do need good gear
Cheers Steveg
Roberrrrt
26-10-10, 09:28 AM
Don't store it, ride it.
I will soon to be having a little word with the chap who lives opposite. He has a double garage but only uses one side of it. Seeing as the other night I noticed he had left his garage door open, with the light on and the car open, I locked it up for him and returned him the key. I think a favour for a favour should be in order.
Other than that it's going to be under the Oxford Cover all winter. When I say all winter, I mean when I'm not riding it. Which will probably be most of the winter going by how much I have ridden the bike recently. Rode it once to work since the AR. :(
danf1234
26-10-10, 09:43 AM
Don't store it, ride it.
Personally I can't think of anything worse than riding in the horrible weather that we had last year. Storage for me.
SV in the hallway (wooden floors)
Triton in the entrance (tiles for the oil leak(s)
Not really winter storage, it's where they always live :D
danf1234
26-10-10, 10:00 AM
SV in the hallway (wooden floors)
Triton in the entrance (tiles for the oil leak(s)
Not really winter storage, it's where they always live :D
You cannot be married. My wife would have my knackers if she came home and the bike was in the house.:shock:
You cannot be married. My wife would have my knackers if she came home and the bike was in the house.:shock:
She is an :smt051
AndyBrad
26-10-10, 10:36 AM
Unfortunatly mine sits outside all the time. Personally i would get a good cover (dont waste your time on an r&G one there rubbish!!) and i use some of the muc off silicone spray. It lasts a few hundred miles between applictions and seems to keep a lot of the crud off. If ic an get a cheap scottoiler i may fit one of those soon as it was worth every penny before in winter. not 100% convinced for summer use.
Dicky Ticker
26-10-10, 10:50 AM
Good advice generally but apart from the protective issues if it is possible keep the weight off the wheels/tyres. Should you have a big pressure loss over a sustained period of storage you can end up with a deformed tyre profile.
Alternatively keep an eye on the pressure, check and rotate the wheel slightly
Roberrrrt
26-10-10, 11:08 AM
Personally I can't think of anything worse than riding in the horrible weather that we had last year. Storage for me.
Some of us don't have a choice! :p
Nobbylad
26-10-10, 11:33 AM
Mine will be getting used most days when it's not snowing or completely frozen over. Lives outside everynight with a Stormex cover. Might wash it this weekend and give it the annual ACF50.
Same as a number of us, I don't like walking :)
beabert
26-10-10, 02:46 PM
As a battery increases in charge so does the resistance, so leaving it on charge constantly doesn't do it any harm at all. Its constantly being charge when riding anyway.
For the past two years my pride and joy had to reside on the patio under a cover. Not any more!
I've been a busy boy over the last few months and now have a better solution :thumright: See thread below.
Link (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?p=2409342#post2409342)
speedplay
30-10-10, 04:29 PM
My bike is on the optimate permanently, never seems to do it any harm..
Mine too.
andrewsmith
30-10-10, 04:48 PM
Mine lives under cover in the yard
Good coat of acf50 and jobs jobbed.
I've got an old x-ring chain to plonk on to destroy over the winter. Put my half decent DID in a bag with a bit oil
yorkie_chris
30-10-10, 05:33 PM
Just maintain your chain... it's way less hassle than swapping them for winter.
andrewsmith
30-10-10, 05:36 PM
YC whats the best thing to coat it in?
Lube or old oil?
yorkie_chris
30-10-10, 06:04 PM
You riding it over winter?
andrewsmith
30-10-10, 06:11 PM
not to sure yet.
Just thinking for a poss mothball
yorkie_chris
30-10-10, 06:14 PM
A can of spray grease if mothballing it, doesn't even have to be real chain lube (I use tereoson made by loctite 'cos I got a crate of it for a few quid) and blather it.
andrewsmith
30-10-10, 06:19 PM
cheers mate. U got a Pm regards something else
kwak zzr
05-11-10, 09:58 AM
LOL I turned mine off last night. Fook it, it's going back on.
mines always on :)
kwak zzr
05-11-10, 10:00 AM
You could always decorate it with tinsel and put xmas lights on it.
Now that be a cool tree;)
I had thought of this :) fooook the tree! whos idea was it anyhow to put a tree in your lounge? bikes a better idea :)
kwak zzr
05-11-10, 10:01 AM
You cannot be married. My wife would have my knackers if she came home and the bike was in the house.:shock:
"simples"
remove the wife :santa:
Bluefish
06-11-10, 02:19 AM
well mine stays outside all year under a cover and i take it for a ride every 3 weeks or so to keep the battery charged, hopefully have a garage again someday, but i won't count on it.
Personally I can't think of anything worse than riding in the horrible weather that we had last year. Storage for me.
We hardly had any bad weather last year, I don 't know what all the bloody fuss was about. There were only about 5 days over winter where a bike couldn't have been ridden safely.
kwak zzr
06-11-10, 04:57 PM
I fall off in the dry! so i'll stay indoors when its greesy and icy lol
yorkie_chris
06-11-10, 05:18 PM
We hardly had any bad weather last year, I don 't know what all the bloody fuss was about. There were only about 5 days over winter where a bike couldn't have been ridden safely.
Soft southern poof, we had weeks of it here where you were skating about all over the bloody place.
Maybe it's just our incompetent councils who don't buy enough salt and then go absolutely f*cking mental with it the first mild frost there is in October...
danf1234
06-11-10, 05:38 PM
We had at least 3 weeks of snow on the ground. Main roads were cleared pretty quick, however the paths were impassable for ages.
We had at least 3 weeks of snow on the ground. Main roads were cleared pretty quick, however the paths were impassable for ages.
Same here... where we used to live, the ickle roads on the estate were impassable and it was only about 400 yards to the main road but it might as well have been 400 miles.
Now we live out the back of beyond, I doubt that the Council will grit the lanes.
For the past two years my pride and joy had to reside on the patio under a cover. Not any more!
I've been a busy boy over the last few months and now have a better solution :thumright: See thread below.
Link (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?p=2409342#post2409342)
Having the little one arrive a few weeks ago means I haven't touched my bike in a few weeks.
Due to the awful weather we had when I was building the workshop, the concrete floor still seems to be drying out. :rolleyes:
I went to check out my bike this morning and noticed that the seat has a bit of fur on it and the dead flies on the front of the bike have gone mouldy!!
The inside of the window has condensation on it as well :(
Anyone else have this problem with their damp garages?
Any ideas of how I can combat this, bearing in mind that I don't have electricity in there yet?
yorkie_chris
10-11-10, 05:40 PM
If roof and floor etc are all fine then it could be coming off the floor.
Put a stove in there? Calor gas isn't good as it gives off water.
I always open a couple of the dehumidifier boxes you can buy for a couple of quid this time of the year and keep in the garage , its surprising how much water they collect
Cheers Steveg
Teejayexc
10-11-10, 10:22 PM
Having the little one arrive a few weeks ago means I haven't touched my bike in a few weeks.
Due to the awful weather we had when I was building the workshop, the concrete floor still seems to be drying out. :rolleyes:
I went to check out my bike this morning and noticed that the seat has a bit of fur on it and the dead flies on the front of the bike have gone mouldy!!
The inside of the window has condensation on it as well :(
Anyone else have this problem with their damp garages?
Any ideas of how I can combat this, bearing in mind that I don't have electricity in there yet?
Bearing in mind the mild snap we've just had and now colder weather, concrete floors and block walls will sweat. The dehumidifier boxes will help as will covering the bike* with a breatheable material - cotton sheets or similar.
*Obviously, bike being dry and clean beforehand helps ;)
MattCollins
10-11-10, 10:23 PM
Ventilate the shed while condensation and mould is a problem.
Thanks all.
Going to open the window a bit to try and aid ventilation and buy myself a new cover. the old one's got a big tear in it :(
Oh and wash the roadkill off it!
Got a portable gas heater, but like YC said my dad said that the heater would nake the condensation worse. As it happens I think the thermocouple is gone anyway as it refuses to stay alight.
Specialone
11-11-10, 09:11 AM
Ventilation is key, did you insulate and use DP membrane in the floor?
If you didn't, then moisture will always be present as it will creep up from the cold ground.
Polystyrene insulation in the floor under the slab gives you a thermal break away from cold damp ground.
While the concrete is setting you will get moisture in the air.
If you use a heater, you must ventilate as well or the moisture will just get warm but not dry.
Rather than try to block any wind getting in the shed. You should allow the air to flow in and out. This will prevent any condensation. Cold wind comes in under the door, warms up and rises in the shed and flows out of the air vents higher up.
Although shes just got some new carpet.
Take it out, start it up every so often, otherwise cleaned before putting away and left on an optimate.
And if a temprimental Italian bike can handle that, Jap bikes can handle much less.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1552/photos/4/48802/2247191/P1010102copy-vi.jpg
Mine stays in a damp garage with all the rest of my bikes. if it's clean when it goes in then woopdi-do, but I won't polish it specially. I'll drag it out during winter and go for a ride when it suits me, then put it back with road salt on it and sod the consequences. It's a bike - it's not your lover or your child, it's merely a collection of metal, plastic and rubber parts and nothing more. It can be cleaned and tarted up to look good once the urge to sell it kicks in, and that's what I do.
Bikes are built to be ridden for more hours than they are polished.
I stopped reading this thread after i read this post. This is exactly how it should be! Mine doesnt even get the garage, its under a cover out the back on the patio...
Soft southern poof, we had weeks of it here where you were skating about all over the bloody place.
Maybe you should consider life outside of Yorkshire, and more specifically down south - think of nice places where you can ride all year round with only a few days of bad weather and here the police aren't ****s, and life without places like Bradford spoiling the area.
We've got it good down here, and we know how to talk properly
yorkie_chris
14-11-10, 11:04 AM
Fair point about Bradford, but it's too crowded down there and I'd only make it worse
Fair point about Bradford, but it's too crowded down there and I'd only make it worse
Just start talking loudly, I'm sure you'd clear some space :D
Bluefish
14-11-10, 12:08 PM
well mines out the back under a cover, take it out for a spin when i can be bothered, but at least once a month always starts first time what's the problem. most people that have garages don't have any vehicles in them anyhow, they all stop outside, and when there knackered buy a shiney one.
Most people that have garages don't have any vehicles in them anyhow, they all stop outside, and when there knackered buy a shiney one.
Britain is about the only country in the world where we'll happily park £25,000 worth of vehicles on the drive and fill the garage with £200 worth of useless crap
Britain is about the only country in the world where we'll happily park £25,000 worth of vehicles on the drive and fill the garage with £200 worth of useless crap
nutters the lot of them:rolleyes:
my sv is in the kitchen, i don't have a garage.
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