Winter is a tough time for riders, and it can be even tougher on your motorcycle, especially if you're keeping it on the road. Short trips, low temperatures and roads covered in a corrosive slurry of sand and slime can really tear up a bike. Here are six tips to make it easier on you and your ride when Old Man Winter blows in.
1 Winter is harsh on batteries, and particularly so when the bike sees only occasional use or is ridden on lots of short trips. Make sure the terminals are perfectly clean, the electrolyte topped off and keep that sucker plugged into the charger anytime the bike isn't being used. If you're running lots of electrical accessories, consider installing a voltmeter or battery monitor to keep tabs on the charging system.
2 At the risk of upsetting the octopus-like fuel cartels that have their evil tentacles in all our pockets, the stuff they're currently peddling at the pumps might only loosely be defined as gasoline. A big issue is that there's a lot of ethanol in it these days, and ethanol is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water from the atmosphere. During the prime riding months, it's no big deal. Most of us probably burn a few tanks a week so the water goes straight out the exhaust. In the winter, it's just the opposite; our bikes sit and the water settles in the tank and fuel system creating all kinds of mischief. The fuel also degrades over time, creating gum like deposits in the carburetor and fuel nozzles, which can causes real maintenance issues. The simple solution is to drop a few ounces of gas preservative (I prefer Stabile, but Sea Foam is another good one) into that tank before each fill up.
3 Tires are always important, that much is obvious, but they're even more so in the winter when traction can be dodgy. Watch the pressures and the tread depth. As far as the latter goes, make sure you've got at least 50% of the tread left before venturing out on winter roads, or leave the bike parked.
4 Combustion creates lots of nasty byproducts that we loosely classify under the heading of gunk. During warmer months the gunk burns off as the engine warms up. Unfortunately, during the winter, short rides and frigid temperatures may prevent the engine from warming up enough to evaporate the gunk, so it becomes entrained in the oil. When enough gunk contaminates the oil, it starts to break down, which I'm sure we'd all agree is a bad thing. The solution is to change the oil and filter at half the recommend interval during the winter months.
5 Cosmetics can take a real beating on winter roads; frequent washing helps, but for many, a weekly scrubbing just ain't in the cards. When I can't bucket-wash my bike I hit the do-it-yourself car wash, and in between I keep the bright bits and the paint work well soused with WD-40. The WD (or any other moisture displacing lubricant) will do a decent job of forestalling rust and won't attract dirt like a heavy grease might, plus it's a lot easier to wash off come first grass. Just remember to keep it away from the tires, grips and foot pegs.
6 Winter roads are slick, visibility is low and car drivers have the windows up and the radio on. Most are preoccupied with a million things and don't expect motorcycles to be on the road, so reduce your speed, wear a reflective jacket or helmet and be careful.