Stored bikes

Interesting. I've never had the milky oil problem. Maybe different weather conditions or different oil? Or maybe my smaller engine heats up quicker. I'll have to feel the bottom of my engine this winter and see if it stays cold. I know for sure the pipes and top end get hot before my 15 - 20 minutes is reached because all the condensation inside the mufflers burns off and moisture stops dribbling from the little drains near the front of the mufflers. Ed

i used my pressure washer after settin up for 2 months WITH NON ETHANOL GAS and sea foam in it.. well it still cloggeg up the carb and runs only on 3-4 choke. i hate todays gas. i just had shoulder surgery and i have drained my bike carbs,,fired up the bike and ran all the gas out then i choked it untill it wont fire any more. i then put a little more non ethanol gas and sea foam in the tank with the petcock off. i hope this will do it..worse case all i have to do is drain gas tank. as for the pressure washer i drained the tank and carb and fill the carb with sea foam. hopefully it will clean out the carb..what do you guys think?

650ed wrote:

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You're idling it too long! Just look at all the melted snow! :side:

It's easier than shoveling that stuff :laugh:

650ed wrote: If only this "global warming" thingy would come my way I'd be happy. :woohoo: Ed

It's busy working on Texas:

"Can you hear me now, George?"

:laugh:

riverroad wrote: Hey 650ed, I used to run/ride mine periodically during the winter months, but I found that if I didn't run the thing for at least an hour, the bottom end stayed cold and then I'd get that nasty white milky oil film across my sight glass.

That white foam is DEATH for engines because it is water in the oil. That water reacts with hydrogen byproducts of combustion and forms hydrochloric acid which will eat the engine from the inside. I was told you NEVER want to start it unless you run it long enough to force the oil temp above 212F to vaporize the water and force it out of the oil. Motor oils have acid neutralizers in the additive package to help fight this acid formation, but it's a limited amount.

Hey 650ed, has your engine always been that clean, or do you have some special cleaning technique???

cobura wrote: Hey 650ed, has your engine always been that clean, or do you have some special cleaning technique???

The first time I polished it the engine had not been polished since it was new. It took me a couple days (in winter, so no biggie) to get it looking good. Now, once a year I use a combination of S-100 Cycle Finish Restorer and X-treem Metal Polish to clean up my engine. It takes a while (and a couple beers) but it’s not bad unless you let it go for 5 or 10 years. The S-100 is a thick paste metal polish and the X-treem is polish saturated cotton (but much finer than NevrDull). Both of these products work well and do not leave tiny scratches as they don’t contain any harsh abrasives. I use a popsickle stick wrapped in paper towel and these products to clean between the engine fins. The S-100 cream is best for areas where you can easily wipe off the excess paste as you shine it. The X-treem works well between the fins because it doesn’t leave any paste to be cleaned up as you shine it. If you engine has deep corrosion you may need to start with something more aggressive then use these products, but if your engine is just dull gray aluminum without pitting these should work well for you. They’re available at some bike shops or online. Ed

If you have to get more agressive between those fins and other hard to reach places, buy you some stainless pipe brushes and JB weld them into the end of a piece of dowel rod. Stainless because the aviation industry pundits say that carbon steel brushes will actually cause the aluminum to corrode worse. We call it Galvanic or dissimlar metals corrosion.
But supposedly stainless steel doesn't react with aluminum like carbon steel does.
Here's a place to get them: www.solobrushes.com/Family.asp?FamilyID=148&Cat1ID=4&Cat2ID=7
Then follow up via 650ed's advice.

650ed wrote: For the winter I add stabilizer and fill the tank. Then I run the bike for about 15 - 20 minutes every week or 2 so fuel moves through the carbs, oil stays on the cylinder walls, and the battery stays charged. If there's a day that's not bitter cold I try to take at least a short ride. The only time I had to remove & clean the carbs was one year long ago when I failed to do the above. Those carbs gunked up big time with a red lacquer and the bike wouldn’t run above 50 mph. Here’s a pic of a year or so ago when I was doing my 20 minute idle but not able to ride (guess I'm just a wimp in my old age):

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"dry" extended storage is a BAD idea ! Reason #1 is condensation against bare metal. Your fuel tank will develop rust unless the tank has been internally POR15 or Kreem coated. Reason #2 . E10 fuel leaves behind a fungus type corrosive powder after the fuel evaporates or is exposed to air. This is why carb inlet needles tend to "stick" shut. I've tried extended storage both ways, And I store my bikes with a full tank of fuel, and add Startron fuel treatment, and some Drygas and knock on wood I have not had any issues .