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SmokyOwl wrote: So I've come to somewhat of a disappointing revelation in the last couple months. After about two or three weeks between startups the bike will become difficult to start for about oh say, 10 to 20 seconds of cranking. Which made me think....maybe the petcock is leaking and slowly draining into the carbs....flooding them....and making the engine difficult to turn over. If there's another possibility for the occasional difficulty of starting after sitting for 2+ weeks let me know, because I now have but one course of action on storing for winter: Weekly startups.

Starting the bike and idling it is worse than not starting it at all. With ethanol mixed in the gas these days, it's better to put the bike on the center stand, drain all the fuel, swish some WD-40 or other light oil in the tank, and put the battery on a tender. Spritz the all the nuts and bolts with WD-40 and leave the thing alone all winter.

When spring comes around, just reinstall the battery and put some fresh fuel in the tank (don't forget to prime the carbs) and it should start right up.

Yeah, it never gets cold for long here.
Steve

I know I gotta put the bike to bed in the next week or two. I've been thinking about getting a boroscope, I found them to be suprisingly cheap (anywhere from $15 to $40). Being able to check out how the pistons are doing and the gas tank should be really helpful in maintenance not only in a bike but in car engines as well.

I like jackleberry's idea of just draining everything. But I do only use non-ethanol premium gas only, so shouldn't have any worries about ethanol there (the previous owner told me he did the same). My only concern is after draining the tank (which I dunno how to do) and the carbs is the possibility of having gas in some small lines in there somewhere to evaporate gas and cause chaos in the carbs.

Drain the tank on prime. The carbs take out the screws or open them if they act like a drain with a tube attached. What little fuel is left shouldn't be a problem. I like to run the carbs out of fuel, then open the screws to be sure they're empty.
Steve

[Wrong thread]

SmokyOwl wrote: I know I gotta put the bike to bed in the next week or two. I've been thinking about getting a boroscope, I found them to be suprisingly cheap (anywhere from $15 to $40). Being able to check out how the pistons are doing and the gas tank should be really helpful in maintenance not only in a bike but in car engines as well.

I like jackleberry's idea of just draining everything. But I do only use non-ethanol premium gas only, so shouldn't have any worries about ethanol there (the previous owner told me he did the same). My only concern is after draining the tank (which I dunno how to do) and the carbs is the possibility of having gas in some small lines in there somewhere to evaporate gas and cause chaos in the carbs.

Personally I don't like the idea of draining the tank & the carbs, chances are you'll get some surface rust in the tank, & the carb gaskets can dry out, besides that I don't like my pistons/rings sitting in the same location for months on end, also your clutch plates can stick by not being engaged for that long of a time, I think it's best to have a full tank of gas, I use racing fuel which wont go bad for over a year, but some Stabil or Seafoam in the tank works as well, just start it up once or twice a month, engage the clutch & move it up about a foot after it's warmed up, that also prevents getting flat spots on the tires, & if we get one of those FREAK 70 degree days during the winter, you can always take it out for a spin, which I have done in the past, & yes I also live on the Illinois / Wisc. border & know how cold & snowy it gets, being a retired IDOT worker, that plowed the highways in ILL. for almost 30 yrs.
Pete

I agree!
I pull the battery out for a month or so during thiese God awful -10 to +20 degree weeks here.
I also fill the tank and carb bowls with 100LL from my local general aviation airport.
At $5.00 a gallon, not cheap but super stabil fuel and can sit much much longer then auto gas, especially that 85-93 octane crap with 10% alcohol!

You guys know best in your locations. All I know is most of my work was cleaning carbs and tanks after the owner failed to drain the gas for storage. That was my bread and butter.
Steve

So I managed to fit my bike in the garage, I was really worried about space. Cleaning the garage out a month ago really paid off.



Now my car and bike will get to know each other better!

I know, I still got to put the bike on it's centerstand, but I'm going to need to jack it up in place for that to happen, probably next weekend.

SmokyOwl wrote: ...
I know, I still got to put the bike on it's centerstand, but I'm going to need to jack it up in place for that to happen, probably next weekend.

??

If you just need to get it tight into the corner turn the bike around and back it in.

GPzMOD750 wrote:
If you just need to get it tight into the corner turn the bike around and back it in.

The thought had crossed my mind, but the battery access is easier this way, rather not work between the bike and the wall. Plan on removing the battery and keep it inside until taking it out and hooking it up on weekends for weekly starting.