best way to store bike over the winter?

I'm trying to figure out the best way to store my bike over the winter. I've just obtained a 1979 KZ1000 ST. It looks great. The seals and rubber still look pretty good. My question-

Has anyone else ever stored their bike in their house over the winter? I don't have extra money to rent a storage space and I am reluctant to leave the bike outside all winter. I have no garage to store it in. This bike does not leak any fluids. Would it be safe to store it in my bedroom? Has any one else tried this? Or would it make my bedroom smell like gasoline and give me a headache? The reason I ask is because there is no other room in the house that has any space to store the bike.

Does winters' cold wreak havoc on old gaskets and seals? Also, I do not have a centerstand. How much worse is it to store the bike on the sidestand instead of the centerstand? And why?

I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It probably dips down to around 0 degrees Fahrenheit on cold, blustery days.

a few years back some one at the car shows had a large plastic bag that was filled with air and sealed, they had several bikes in them showing off that they collect no dust and would keep that way for years if needed

I usually keep mine in a garden shed but this year I'm going to leave it outside under a proper bike cover that can breathe and I expect to temp to go down maybe as far as -40F at worst. I'll change the oil and put Stabil in the gas and I usually take off the carbs and bring them inside for a cleaning. I cant make any recommendations about using a side stand.

Whatever about an engine & frame, no way would I store a gas tank in the bedroom. With the fumes you got a health hazard and fire hazard right there and if you do have a fire not only are your belongings toast but even if you have insurance it's worthless - read the fine print. If you become toast then the insurance bit dont matter.

I store my bike in a garden shed that is 1/2 workshop. Wood construction and wood floor (less condensation than concrete floors). I try to start the bike once a month, and if possible, take it around the block. Other than that, in the spring I change the oil, drain the tank and carbs, change the plugs, clean the air filters and I'm ready to go. I also have a breathable cover to go over it, but dont bother putting it back on half the time.

If you routinely start your bike over the winter months, make sure that you warm it up completely and thoroughly. If you don't reach operating temperature, the coolness of the air against your warm parts will cause condensation in your exhaust and other areas. Warming it up to operating temperature will burn off all the moisture collected in exhaust areas, etc. and help those parts from rusting after you shut it off. So, once you atart it, let it run til it's warmed up good and has a good heat soak before turning it off. This will also give the battery a chance to run through it's cycles also. If you can, put a trickle charger that regulates itself on the battery and keep it there all winter or take the battery out and store it inside using the charger at least once in a while to keep battery from sulfating.

OR....you could bring it to California and let me keep an eye on it...I promise not to put too many miles on it durring the winter. JUST A THOUGHT!!

If you keep it under a cover outside, try to put it somewhere protected from stiff winds. I found out the hard way:

To answer your question...if you can easily get it into your house, keep it there...your bike will thank you in the spring. Drain the fuel from the tank and carbs (make sure you have no residual fuel in the carbs as it will gum up the internal works as it evaporates), lightly spray/coat the inside of your tank with WD40. Pull the battery and store it out of the bike. In the spring, rinse your tank with gas, discard, change your oil, recharge your battery, install...fire it up and you are back on the road...in New Mexico I'll bet your winters ain't much more than 3-4 months long:)

I stored my bike inside my living room the entire 9 years I was single. DO NOT drain the carbs, if you do, the residual fuel will turn into varish. I kept about a quart of fuel in the tank- also kept the condensation from forming and causing rust. Fuel preservative is a must as well, if you don't start it once a month (I always did, sometimes more often- I would roll it out on to the porch every other payday and start it,and would clean up around and under it while it was out of the room, dust and what not)

Also- bike stands will keep your tires from having flat spots on the tires and dry rot as well.

del

CruisingRam wrote:

I stored my bike inside my living room the entire 9 years I was single. DO NOT drain the carbs, if you do, the residual fuel will turn into varish. I kept about a quart of fuel in the tank- also kept the condensation from forming and causing rust. Fuel preservative is a must as well, if you don't start it once a month (I always did, sometimes more often- I would roll it out on to the porch every other payday and start it,and would clean up around and under it while it was out of the room, dust and what not)

Also- bike stands will keep your tires from having flat spots on the tires and dry rot as well.

Draining the carbs is mandatory. If there is no fuel in the carbs how can they possibly varnish? Everyone has their own procedure. If you can bring it in, that's the thing to do, but as mentioned drain all the gas out of the tank and all the carbs. (My opinion anyway). If it's inside, that's all you have to do. I keep mine out in the shed and an old 1920s unheated garage and temperatures sometimes get 10-20 below in the winter and I've never ever had a problem restarting the motorcycle after long sits. A long sit for me is anywhere from 2 to 10 yrs. I just keep them under covers and my favorite bikes, the KZ1000s sit in the air tight bags so no dust can get in. This stuff is really only good if a motorcycle is indoors, the bag won't work outside.

My experiance is that no matter how hard you try to drain the carbs- there is still some residual fuel in the carbs, especially in critical areas around needles and seats and such.

Unless you take the carbs clear off and open up the float bowls and hit it with some air!