Winter has arrived

[Milts]

         
  Hadn't realised winter had arrived!


I decided to Sorn both bikes from 1st October where they will be garaged under cover in a nearby block, condensation is always an issue during the winter months.

So this year i thought i'd buy some vacuum bags to store the bikes in,  BUT instead i decided to try using that ACF50 product instead as mentioned here on the forum so l ordered some in during the summer,my thinking is i can tinker with the bikes as and when, rather than have them locked and cocooned away.

So far the weather has been quite mild here, so today i decided to go into the garage and give the bikes a bit of TLC with this ACF50 stuff before winter really kicks in. I uncovered the 14 and  ...... FFS that white looking furry corrosion has already started to attack some areas wasn't expecting that!

So i applied  ACF50 pretty damned quick.  Will be checking the bikes more closely now. Luckily the GSXR was hardly affected. 


We currently have our house on the market so having a proper brick built garage attached to the house is high on my list for our next move 
Hoping the bikes will get better protected. 

[Big Phil]

My bike is garaged and stored under 2 bike covers and additional blankets with a greenhouse electric tube heater positioned under the stand and running between the wheels. I have set the heater to turn on when the temperature drops below 10C. I haven't tried the heater approach before but am hoping this will prevent any condensation and corrosion issues. The heater costs pennies to run and seems to be doing it's job so far. I check and start the bike at least once a week to make sure she's okay and to admire her😍😍😍

[gsxbarmy]

My bike is garaged and stored under 2 bike covers and additional blankets with a greenhouse electric tube heater positioned under the stand and running between the wheels. I have set the heater to turn on when the temperature drops below 10C. I haven't tried the heater approach before but am hoping this will prevent any condensation and corrosion issues. The heater costs pennies to run and seems to be doing it's job so far. I check and start the bike at least once a week to make sure she's okay and to admire her😍😍😍

All good - except the starting each week. If you just start and let her tick over for a few mins then stop her, then this is doing more damage than good. It's a common misconception that doing this is "good for the engine", as by nature of being a combustion engine, you get condensation and acids which get into the oil - most of this is burnt off by use, but if you continually start/stop an engine, then they never do and over the winter months it all builds up inside the engine. If you are not going to ride her, then heave her switched off and tucked up with an Optimate.

The other thing I would suggest is putting a cotton sheet over the bike before any other covers as this helps air circulate - bit like a room, you need air circulation to stop condensation etc building up, same applies with a bike, you need to allow air to circulate around it (even very gently).

[GSXKING]

My deepest sympathies gents  I've not ever considered winterising a bike in Brisbane. If it ever hits 10 deg here it's newsworthy 

[Irish in Oz]

It's not winter on my back deck, took this few days ago.

[Mick_J]

I always keep at least one bike on the road over winter, there's plenty of dry days to get out and about on a bike.

[Batkwaka]

My deepest sympathies gents  I've not ever considered winterising a bike in Brisbane. If it ever hits 10 deg here it's newsworthy 

Same here in Perth, usually 3 degrees Celsius is the coldest it gets over Winter.
No wonder we started a colony! 🔆

[Big Phil]

Well that's interesting Barmy as regards starting. I do leave her running for 10/15 minutes but I get your point so will try to avoid it. I do like to hear her running though. Also the covers I use are the indoor Oxford stretch ones as they are breathable as I was aware they help circulation.

As regards riding through winter MJ (well on sunny days like today) I'm going use my old SRAD for that very reason as well as a few track days once she is back on the road.

[Hooli]

Worst thing you can do with an engine is let it idle cold too, low oil pressure & max clearances add up to extra wear. Just leave the thing, it'll be fine.

[Tally]

I live in a ground floor apartment so my bike lives outside under a thermal cover ,yesterday morning (mon) I leave for work at 5.30am and find that I have to defrost the car. The temp gauge in the car is reading +3 degrees so as soon as I got home from work I whipped out the battery which is now indoors, I am not forking out for another one because of the cold killing it like my last one,it'll go back in when it needs to.

[Hooli]

I live in a ground floor apartment so my bike lives outside under a thermal cover ,yesterday morning (mon) I leave for work at 5.30am and find that I have to defrost the car. The temp gauge in the car is reading +3 degrees so as soon as I got home from work I whipped out the battery which is now indoors, I am not forking out for another one because of the cold killing it like my last one,it'll go back in when it needs to.

I always wonder if that invalidates insurance if you've got an alarm declared with them?

[grog]

Yeah, so glad i dont have to worry about Winter storage or salted roads. Coldest ive had here last 30 years was 2 degrees, usually not below 6. Other side is huge rains and humidity in Summer. Forecast for next Sunday is 39. 2016 had 48 degrees, hard to describe how hot. It gets tough to to put riding gear on, but i do. I prefer hot to cold.

[Irish in Oz]

We are tougher over here.
@grog  and the 2 degrees is in the middle of the night when your tucked up on bed, come 8 a.m. it's shot up to 10 degrees.

[grog]

Not always Irish, I rode in 4 this year, around 6.30. 48 was in 2014, not 16, i just checked.

[GSXKING]

We are tougher over here.
@grog  and the 2 degrees is in the middle of the night when your tucked up on bed, come 8 a.m. it's shot up to 10 degrees.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH