Winterizing Your Motorcycle

It's starting to get chilly out, but that doesn't mean you can't still spend some quality time with your ride! Fall and Winter are great times to do modifications and general maintenance on your motorcycle that you don't want to do during the summer because you'd rather be out riding it!

Before going into that, however, you want to make sure that your bike is ready for winter storage. It will not be on very much during the winter, and you want to make sure it doesn't suffer any damage from stagnant fluids or lack of use during those cold months.

First of all, make sure your bike is in a safe corner of your garage. This may seem obvious, but keep in mind that if you live in a cold climate, chances are you're going to have salt on the roads, and that can be harmful to your paint job if it comes in contact with your motorcycle. Keeping your bike away from airborne transfers can help keep its appearance up longer and keep you from having to replace cosmetic parts later. If you have a cluttered garage, consider getting a bike cover.

Second of all, always store your bike with clean fluids, especially gas and oil. Give your bike an oil change before it goes into storage - I will post a how-to on this in a future article. Get a stabilizer for your gas tank. You can find a bottle of stabilizer fluid at any dealership and at many hardware stores. This will keep the gas fresh and keep it from gunking up while it's not being used.

Finally, make sure you don't drain your battery. If your bike has a security system or computerized monitoring system, look in your manual for how to disable it so that it is not draining the battery all winter while your bike isn't in use. If you can afford it, purchasing a battery tender is not a bad idea - you can hook it up to your battery periodically during the winter to make sure your battery is fresh when you start out next season.

As a little side note, it also is not a bad idea to give your bike a pre-storage detailing, something I will also cover in a future article. Detailing your bike removes substances that may otherwise stay on all winter and corrode your paint and chrome. While you'll just end up having to clean your bike again in the spring, storing a clean bike is much better than storing a dirty one.

Anyone else have any pre-winter rituals they go through with their motorcycles? Feel free to share!

Optional Riding Gear

Before getting into this week's topic, I just wanted to mention for anyone interested and living in the Chicagoland area, Woodstock Harley-Davidson is having a special event called "Ladies... So You Want to Ride?" on October 20th starting at 12 PM, CST. It's an opportunity for any woman who is interested in riding but is just now starting out or wants more information before giving it a try to come in, ask questions in a casual environment, and learn a bit more about finding a motorcycle, taking a class, etc. If you're interested, check out their website, which is listed to the right!

If you're looking for some little extras to add to your riding wardrobe, there are lots of neat things that can add some style and functionality for special situations. One thing most riders learn never to leave home without is the all-important rain gear. Let's face it: you head out on a long trip, and no matter what the weather man says, chances are you will run into some inclement weather. Stuffing a set of rain gear in your saddlebags as an extra precaution never hurt anyone. Good rain gear does not really have to be expensive. It should consist of rain-proof material and can be worn OVER your leathers! So if you go and try some one, and it seems a bit big, keep in mind that the extra room is so you can wear something warm underneath it.

Good rain gear will also have leather sewn into the inner legs of the pants. This is to prevent melting if you have to put your foot down and your leg is close to your exhaust pipes. Remember to add a set of rain-resistant gloves to top off the outfit! I purchased mine at a Farm & Fleet for just over $80 - I haven't really had to use it yet, thank goodness!

A step up from the rain gear would be heated riding gear. Yes, it does come with special heating technology! You can get everything from heated gloves and boots, to pants and jackets! The pants and jackets I have seen actually connect to your motorcycle's battery through special wiring - read the instructions before attempting use. Boots and gloves are typically battery operated and need to be recharged regularly. If you plan on heading out when there's snow on the ground, you DEFINITELY don't want to leave home without this stuff!

Another item you may want to consider is a skullcap, especially if you ride without a helmet. Wind can be damaging to hair, and even the most adventurous of us would like to keep ours around for as long as possible! Skullcaps come in both cloth and leather varieties. They can also be worn under your helmet - if you had a hard time finding a helmet to fit your head, you can often wear a skullcap underneath to help fit it more snugly to your skull.

These are just a few functional items to supplement your riding gear. Does anyone else have any useful suggestions? Leave a comment and share with the rest of us!