Trickle or hibernate?

philw

philw

Junior member
Location
lincs
Hi Folks, with winter and bad weather almost upon us i won't be riding my Jota on salted and shitty roads, i am in two minds as to what to do with the bike, stick it on a trickle charger and strike it up now and then or disconnect the battery and wrap it up for a few months. We do get the occasional bright sunny dry day in the darker northern hemisphere months and i do like to ride it in such conditions, i've been advised by those in the know that it is not a good idea to run the bike up to temperature in the garage without going for a ride...so what do most on here do over winter?...advice welcomed.

Thanks Phil.
 
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philw said:
Hi Folks, with winter and bad weather almost upon us i won't be riding my Jota on salted and shitty roads, i am in two minds as to what to do with the bike, stick it on a trickle charger and strike it up now and then or disconnect the battery and wrap it up for a few months. We do get the occasional bright sunny dry day in the darker northern hemisphere months and i do like to ride it in such conditions, i've been advised by those in the know that it is not a good idea to run the bike up to temperature in the garage without going for a run...so what do most on here do over winter?...advice welcomed.

Thanks Phil.
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Don't go vroom vrooom in the garage. You're just creating condensation in the oil and exhaust.

I ride over winter.

Paul
 
My 2p...
Definitely don't run it up to 'warm it through' - bad for the motor in so many ways. Not least the generation of acids in the combustion process and dilution of engine oil during the rich-fuel phase.
I disconnect the earth lead and then charge the battery every month or so. My advice is do not trickle - the smart chargers aren't as smart as they claim (IMHO - several batteries lost before I got wise).
I fill the float bowls with Redex to stop the dreaded green goo that comes free with modern petrol.
Turn the motor over by hand occasionally (or just put it into gear and shove it forward a bit to move rings/cams/valve spings/etc to another spot)
 
I get so much condensation in my garage over the winter months I have to put mine in a Vac Bag. Throw in a drisorb bag then suck out most of the air with a vacuum and tie off with a cable tie. Usually drain down tank and carbs first and remove battery and put on trickle. Works brilliantly except that on those rare dry but not frosty\salty days it's a pain dragging it out for a ride so it just doesn't happen.
 
Clean the bike, run the engine up to temperature, drop and renew the motor oil. Run the engine for a few minutes before you drain the fuel from the carbs and remove the battery to store it in a warm place, maybe with a trickle charger. Stuff some oily rags in the exhaust exits and velocity stacks if fitted. Add a bit of pressure to the tyres. Spray painted and chromed parts with a wax such as Motul "Wash & Go", but do not buff. When the sun comes out next year and the roads are clean, install the battery, wipe over the shiny bits, remove the stuffings, adjust tyre pressures and away you go.

Going out mid-winter for a spin might be thrilling and all, but you're contaminating the bike exactly as you don't want to. Just 'cos there's no snow doesn't mean all the salt that had been thrown around "just in case" has vanished. And no, you're not going to hose down the bike after returning home in the afternoon in freezing temperatures. The first thing you'll be doing is have a hot tee/coffee/cocoa and moaning how fucking cold it was and that you're not touching the bloody thing until spring, before jumping under the hot shower! :LOL:

piet
 
If it has a hydraulic clutch definitely pull the clutch several times once a month - cracking the clutch cover is caused by back pressure from the push Rod into the slave cylinder - is much higher with sticky clutch plates
 
helicopterjim said:
Hahahahaha ............ any suggestions as to how far and how fast? If it helps ........ the mercury is -23 and dropping.

Jim

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-23°F/-9.4°C !
I'd hesitate to go out in a car, in those temperatures.
The Gulf Stream saves us, here, from those sort of extremes.
The coldest London winter so far, this century, was 2009-10, the mean temperature in the UK was +1.51°C, compared to a long-term average winter temperature of 3.7°C, according to the Met Office.
 
LJ-2 said:
If not using it,cable tie the clutch lever in, ,or if you remember as Adam says give it a regular squeeze :LOL:
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I use a bit of inner tube for that.
Since my 3C is suffering from a sticky clutch, I slip it in my pocket when touring for overnight stops.

Paul
 
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