Cold Temps And a Covered Bike KZ650

I have a lot of toys in my garage, a few vintage cars and three bikes. My wife bought a new car so I have to put one of the bikes outside for a bit until I can build a shed. The temps in the Northeast are set to drop below freezing later this week and all of next week, going so low as 24 degrees F, about -5C at night,

What is the danger of leaving a bike outside in this sort of weather. None of my vehicles have ever been out over winter, so I dont know..

Same dilemma here.
My bike was moved to a covered porch next to my house in an area protected from snow and wind, but not from potentially subzero temperatures. If it must stay there, then I'll store several components in the house, but much of the bike/engine will be left out in the cold.
I will likely remove the gas tank, carbs, battery, seat, side covers, mirrors, Dyna module, and megaphone. The cylinders would be fogged prior to capping the intake ports and exhaust opening, and the spark plugs reinserted before covering it up for months of hibernation.
Any suggestions to add would be helpful.

:blink:

650Dude wrote: I have a lot of toys in my garage, a few vintage cars and three bikes. My wife bought a new car so I have to put one of the bikes outside for a bit until I can build a shed. The temps in the Northeast are set to drop below freezing later this week and all of next week, going so low as 24 degrees F, about -5C at night,

What is the danger of leaving a bike outside in this sort of weather. None of my vehicles have ever been out over winter, so I dont know..

If just outside and not riding for a few days bring the battery inside the house. -5C probably wont freeze the battery but room temperature is better. If the battery is inside all winter then charge it up about once a month

If you are leaving the bike out and not riding all winter then also put Stabil in the gas tank and fill to the top to prevent rust.
Drain the carbs.
Fog the cylinders or put a teaspoon of oil in the cylinders and turn the engine over.
Block the exhaust and air box to prevent critters.
Put bike on center stand so rear wheel off the ground and prop a 4x 4 under the triple tree to raise the front wheel off the ground also.
Put a breathable motorcycle cover over the bike.
Forget about it until Spring
I also change the oil and filter first and some people recommend washing the bike.

Temperatures here can go down to -25C over the Winter and doing the above I rarely have problems starting up in the spring

It's also a good idea to warm it up and change the oil before leaving it sit all Winter

I do not let my bike sit through the winter (or any other length of time) without running the engine for 15 minutes or so once a week. Running the engine for a few minutes once a week keeps oil on parts such as cams, etc.; keeps the battery charged; and most importantly keeps the fuel from turning into muck in the carbs.

With 1 exception, I have done this since buying my KZ650 in April, 1977. That 1 exception taught me the following lesson. After letting the bike sit unstarted for months the fuel in the carbs had shed some sort of varnish. That varnish coated carb internals. When I charged the battery and started the bike it started fine. However, when riding it I found it would not accelerate beyond about 50 mph. Not cool. I removed the carbs and carefully cleaned them, and that eliminated the problem.

Since learning that lesson I have never let the bike sit for much more than 1 week without starting the engine and letting it run for a few minutes. One other big benefit of doing this is the fact that when warm weather returns you know without a doubt the bike will start right up and be ready to ride. No muss – no fuss. Ed

bluej58 wrote: It's also a good idea to warm it up and change the oil before leaving it sit all Winter

Thanks everyone. I wont leave the bike just sitting. I will use it every other day. I just HATE leaving any of my vehicles outside in the cold.

www.autopyjama.com/permabag-engl/motorbike/

I rode to work, weather permitting for 30yrs on a KZ650. Never sat outside except at work during the day, but sitting in the unheated garage I can say the KZ650 is not a great cold weather vehical. The hardest starting vehical ever in cold weather. Thank the Lord for a kick starter as it will be needed in cold weather. Of course cold is a relative term, 25 degrees or whatever is not that cold.

The main problem with sitting in an uncontrolled environment is condensation. After a cold night, a warm moist morning will cover the bike with condensation which then likes to settle into all of the tightest crevices and work its way into bolt threads. Even in a garage (un-heated) I see condensation in the winter. When I used to store the bikes in a heated basement, the parts bikes could sit for years and look exactly like the day I stored them. In an unheated garage, just a few months will show pitting and rust, most notably on the exhaust pipes (cheap aftermarket exhausts have really thin chrome and crappy paint, factory exhaust fared far better).

loudhvx wrote: The main problem with sitting in an uncontrolled environment is condensation. After a cold night, a warm moist morning will cover the bike with condensation which then likes to settle into all of the tightest crevices and work its way into bolt threads. Even in a garage (un-heated) I see condensation in the winter. When I used to store the bikes in a heated basement, the parts bikes could sit for years and look exactly like the day I stored them. In an unheated garage, just a few months will show pitting and rust, most notably on the exhaust pipes (cheap aftermarket exhausts have really thin chrome and crappy paint, factory exhaust fared far better).

The bike will be covered though in re condensation

650Dude wrote:
The bike will be covered though in re condensation

I don't think a cover, by itself, will stop condensation. Any air that gets in will deposit moisture on any cold metal surface that the air can get too. In fact a water-proof cover will cause the metal to stay wet longer and corrode worse. A breathable cover will keep dust off, but won't prevent the condensation entirely.

Or do you mean a shed-like cover? That would be better. But even in my garage, the aluminum will be sweating whenever a warm, moist day follows a cold day.

The best thing would be to keep the metal parts of the bike about 1 degree warmer than the surrounding air. That would keep off the condensation. Even just a light bulb under the oil pan might be enough if wind can't get to it.

loudhvx wrote:

650Dude wrote:
The bike will be covered though in re condensation

I don't think a cover, by itself, will stop condensation. Any air that gets in will deposit moisture on any cold metal surface that the air can get too. In fact a water-proof cover will cause the metal to stay wet longer and corrode worse. A breathable cover will keep dust off, but won't prevent the condensation entirely.

Or do you mean a shed-like cover? That would be better. But even in my garage, the aluminum will be sweating whenever a warm, moist day follows a cold day.

The best thing would be to keep the metal parts of the bike about 1 degree warmer than the surrounding air. That would keep off the condensation. Even just a light bulb under the oil pan might be enough if wind can't get to it.

My neighbor just sold one of his cars, He has a temp controlled garage for his other vehicles and let me put in there.