TOPIC:

I'm trying to decide if I should spray some fogging oil into the cylinders for the winter hibernation. I've heard that it's really hard to get the engine restarted the first time after using that stuff. We usually have some very mild days throughout the winter season when everyone rides their motorcycle, and if we have a few of these, I'm not sure I want to spend an hour trying to restart it, then refogging after my ride. Does it really make that much difference on an engine this old? It already blows a tiny puff of blue smoke from the left pipe every now and then...

Alternatives to the oil for winter storage? It will be stored indoors in a heated room BTW.

Man your bike is lucky. Mine will be in a cold shed. I'm either going to fill the tank and add fuel stabilizer and run it then drain the carbs, OR I'm going to empty the tank and add a bit of clean oil to the tank and coat the inside as well as drain the carbs (that's what I did last Winter). Either way I should be able to fire her up if I get the urge. I will also be doing the other long storage items such as;

Bike up on centre stand and both wheels off the floor.
Some air out of the tires.
A bit of oil in each cylinder.
Battery out and inside, tricle charged once a month.
Oil and filter changed.
Bike cleaned and waxed.
Cover exhaust and air cleaner openings.

If you're storing indoors in a heated room, you should have to no nothing. I would drain the carbs and tank if you don't want to smell gas all Winter. Still my opinion that if you do elect to leave the tank full, no need to add stabilizer unless it's going to sit >1yr. My bikes regularly sit as long as 3 yrs between starting, sitting in a shed covered in temps ranging from -20 to over 100. I drain the tank and carbs is all I do. Never had a problem with rust or any other aging problem, but this is Colorado, dry humidity most the time. I really doub't adding oil to the tank or cylinders helps anything.

When storing do not leave your tank empty. Fill it full and add fuel stabilizer. Rust forms very quickly whether you can see it or not. Its a chemical process. The same goes for the cyclinders.

Ron i have to completly disagree with you on your advice and you should concider yourself lucky if your bike has been starting the way you store it. I am not saying i am right and you are wrong just that i am disagreeing with you on how to store a bike.

There is tons of stuff out on the web...Google is your friend.

Hmm, I wasn't planning on keeping the tank full throughout the winter, but now I'm not sure. I don't have anywhere to keep the tank if it's full, I can't have it smelling up my basement. I'm probably still going to fog the cylinders, I'm just not going to put a stupid amount in there like my friends do. The carbs will be off the bike for most of the duration anyways. I'll be doing a soak, thourogh cleanout, and rebuild during the down time.

My lawn mower and summer equiptment I only run the carbs dry. Never used the fogging oil in them, and never had a problem. My old boat, and KLR650 I sold, I would use fogging oil. But I would also pull the plugs and shoot a little in there. Then I would hold it over the carbs and crank the motor for a few seconds. In the spring when I would go to start it, I would never have a problem starting the motors back up. If you put "way to much" oil in there, then you would have a small problem restarting. A half a teaspoon is plenty for each cylinder. I had put the KLR in the basement the first year so I can do the valves and other required maintanance, and the gas tank was empty, and in a warm basement. No rust ever formed inside.

My bike is stored outside in a garden shed. Like dannyg40 I put a teaspoon of engine oil in each cylinder. Remove the plug caps and turn the engine over a couple of times. This coats the cylinder walls with oil and prevents rust forming. Never used fogging oil and really had no propblems starting in the spring. In fact I always thought fogging oil was for spraying over the outside of the whole engine to keep it rust free if you were leaving outdoors.

It's an aerosol can that comes with a straw, you have to spray it into one carb at a time with the engine running, then when you shut it down, you remove the plugs and spray some in through there.

Ah So.
Sounds like to much bother.
JR
..................................................
Woodstock Ontario. Canada
1980 kz750 E1, 4 into 1, K&N pods

RonKZ650 wrote:

If you're storing indoors in a heated room, you should have to no nothing. I would drain the carbs and tank if you don't want to smell gas all Winter. Still my opinion that if you do elect to leave the tank full, no need to add stabilizer unless it's going to sit >1yr. My bikes regularly sit as long as 3 yrs between starting, sitting in a shed covered in temps ranging from -20 to over 100. I drain the tank and carbs is all I do. Never had a problem with rust or any other aging problem, but this is Colorado, dry humidity most the time. I really doub't adding oil to the tank or cylinders helps anything.

Hah! For those who haven't been to Colorado, there's no need to close bread bags or packages of crackers there either. It's so dry that crackers stay crispy for days... here in PA it seems you get a few hours at best.

(My girlfriend is from CO and I've been several times. Yes, it's a huge difference -- between the dryness and the altitude you need to drink *tons* more water there, especially when you first arrive. It's strange, but a place well worth visiting. Without humidity, winters seem so mild... 20 in CO feels like 40 in PA.)

If you don't live in CO, you'll need to oil it all. If you do live in CO, why oh why would you ever park the bike?!?

That must be nice there then! I can't even imagine what that must be like. Here in Southern Ontario (surrounded by great lakes) we NEVER see below 80% humidity, even in the winter months. I'd love to check that out!

JR wrote:

My bike is stored outside in a garden shed. Like dannyg40 I put a teaspoon of engine oil in each cylinder. Remove the plug caps and turn the engine over a couple of times. This coats the cylinder walls with oil and prevents rust forming. Never used fogging oil and really had no propblems starting in the spring. In fact I always thought fogging oil was for spraying over the outside of the whole engine to keep it rust free if you were leaving outdoors.

I've done the same thing as JR the last couple of winters and spring starting wasn't a problem. The bike will chuff n' fart a bit, then start and burn out the cylinder oil.