No winter storage for me this year

SBH wrote:
 >
 > I've decided not to put my bike up this winter and will attempt to ride at
 > times on dry days. What are opinions of how often I should ride to avoid any
 > battery drainage, sludging, or override other winter storage rituals?
 >
 > Thanks

Once every three weeks should be sufficient.
 >> Stay informed about: No winter storage for me this year 

SBH wrote in message

 > I've decided not to put my bike up this winter and will attempt to ride at
 > times on dry days. What are opinions of how often I should ride to avoid
any
 > battery drainage, sludging, or override other winter storage rituals?
 >
 > Thanks

IMO, a bike in good shape should be able to sit one month with no
problem. Longer, with something like SEAFOAM(TM) in the tank. A battery
tender JR., is cheap, and will only charge as much as necessary. YMMV>


Reassembler
 >> Stay informed about: No winter storage for me this year 

On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 19:07:43 -0500, "SBH"
wrote:

 >I've decided not to put my bike up this winter and will attempt to ride at
 >times on dry days. What are opinions of how often I should ride to avoid any
 >battery drainage, sludging, or override other winter storage rituals?
 >
 >Thanks
 >


  Two weeks is the longest I've "done without" in the winter.
As long as all systems are operating properly, you should have no
troubles with battery or old fuel.
  Check the tire pressure more often in colder weather. And top
off the fuel tank at the END of every ride. The less air space in the
tank, the less moisture can condense there.
 >> Stay informed about: No winter storage for me this year 

SBH wrote:
 > sludging

Sludging will result from short rides that do not get the engine
thoroughly warm. Worse yet, start the bike and let it idle, shutting
it off before it is warm enough to take off the choke. Both allow
moisture to accumulate in the crank case which leads to acid and
sludge buildup.

Not sure about your bike, but mine (water cooled K75RT) takes at
least a half hour of riding before I feel that it is really warm.

--
Hank Barta
Beautiful Sunny Winfield (IL)
K75RT (Baby K)
 >> Stay informed about: No winter storage for me this year 

"SBH" wrote in message ...
 > I've decided not to put my bike up this winter and will attempt to ride at
 > times on dry days. What are opinions of how often I should ride to avoid any
 > battery drainage, sludging, or override other winter storage rituals?
 >
 > Thanks

I've been riding my bikes through New Hampshire winters for 10 years
now.

Get a Battery Tender and plug it in every time you park the bike and
the battery wont care how long it is between rides.

I try to make my rides at least a half hour long, preferably an hour
or more. That gets it warm enough to drive the moisture out.
(Reminding my self about the moisture gives me a good excuse for
longer rides

Fill the tank at the end of each ride. The more air there is in the
tank, the more it will expand and contract. That forces the most
volatile parts of the gas, which are the easiest to light off, out of
the tank, and draws in moisture that condenses. A full tank is ok for
at least two months without resorting to special treatments. (I have
several bikes so it is sometimes that long between rides on a given
bike.)

If the bike has a fuel shut off, turn it off just before the end of
the ride so that the float bowls are nearly empty when you shut the
engine down. The fuel in the float bowls will evaporate a bit between
rides, particularly the lighter parts of the gas that make starting
easier. Leaving the bowls low allows fresh gas from the tank to enter
next time you open the petcock, making it easier to fire the engine
up. Some of my bikes have vacuum shut offs. They seem to get by ok
being put up with the bowls full.

If the bike has a vacuum shut off, put it in the PRI position before
trying to start the engine. That allows fresh gas from the tank to
fill any space in the bowls caused by evaporation while sitting.
Failure to selecting PRI can cause a lot of needless cranking of the
starter just to get the bowls filled.

Check tire pressures before starting the bike. Cool/cold temps will
cause the pressure to be a bit low, which is ok so long as they will
get near normal pressure during the ride. Given enough time air can
escape right through the rubber.

Riding once a month is fine for the bike. Riding more often than that
is better for the rider
 >> Stay informed about: No winter storage for me this year 

 > I've decided not to put my bike up this winter and will attempt to ride at
 > times on dry days. What are opinions of how often I should ride to avoid any
 > battery drainage, sludging, or override other winter storage rituals?
 >

Have you ridden in the rain with proper raingear? I ride year round in
Oregon and love it. Ski pants and a Cordura Carhartt coat, and I stay
dry.
 >> Stay informed about: No winter storage for me this year 

"SBH" wrote in


 > I've decided not to put my bike up this winter and will attempt to
 > ride at times on dry days. What are opinions of how often I should
 > ride to avoid any battery drainage, sludging, or override other winter
 > storage rituals?
 >
 > Thanks
 >
 >

Move to LA. The traffic sucks, but you can battle it on a bike all-year-
round.

--
Blast Femur

______________

"We look at the ancient Greeks with their gods on a mountain top throwing
lightning bolts and say, 'Those ancient Greeks. They were so silly. So
primitive and naive. Not like our religions. We have burning bushes
talking to people and guys walking on water. We're ...sophisticated.'"

  -Paul Provenza
 >> Stay informed about: No winter storage for me this year 

poe.TakeThisOut@europa.com (bret) wrote in


  >> I've decided not to put my bike up this winter and will attempt to
  >> ride at times on dry days. What are opinions of how often I should
  >> ride to avoid any battery drainage, sludging, or override other
  >> winter storage rituals?
  >>
 >
 > Have you ridden in the rain with proper raingear? I ride year round in
 > Oregon and love it. Ski pants and a Cordura Carhartt coat, and I stay
 > dry.
 >

I bought a 39.99 Eddie Bauer rainsuit at Target. It not only keeps me
dry in the worst rain, but it helped to keep me warm during last
weekend's 4 1/2 hour journey from Mammoth to Los Angeles, starting at
sunset (measured 32 degrees).

--
Blast Femur

______________

"We look at the ancient Greeks with their gods on a mountain top throwing
lightning bolts and say, 'Those ancient Greeks. They were so silly. So
primitive and naive. Not like our religions. We have burning bushes
talking to people and guys walking on water. We're ...sophisticated.'"

  -Paul Provenza
 >> Stay informed about: No winter storage for me this year