Winter Storage

Hi, I am putting my bike away for winter, I added stabiliser to the gas and have a full tank. Should I drain the carburetors or should I leave them alone? I am not sure what to do. Thanks, Tony(mopguy)Sanginesi.

mopguy wrote:

Hi, I am putting my bike away for winter, I added stabiliser to the gas and have a full tank. Should I drain the carburetors or should I leave them alone? I am not sure what to do. Thanks, Tony(mopguy)Sanginesi.

Drain the carbs.
And assure the petcock functions to stop all fuel flow.
If in doubt, detach fuel line from petcock.

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Thankyou for the information you have been very helpful. Tony (mopguy) Sanginesi.

I disagree with draining the carburetors. Here's why.

I saw so many snowmobile carburetors that were drained for storage, that the float needles stuck wide open after the remaining coating of fuel dried and turned green.

In the fall, when filled with fresh gas, they would fill the crankcase up with fuel.

I prefer to see the fuel tank freshly filled up and the vehicle started once a month during the off season. Motorcycle or sled....

I do that with my bike and always did it with our sleds. Never a plugged jet or stuck float come next running season.

If the bike has to live in severe cold, either use a battery tender or pull the battery and install it once a month to start the vehicle..

JMO

Larry C

I agree with Larry. I left my YFZ450 outside under a tarp all last winter in northern Indiana and just started it every couple weeks to move the fuel around and get the oil flowing. Had no problems in the spring when I got it out to ride.

Plus, after adding stabil to the tank you should run it long enough to get the stabil into the carbs. Now your protected top and bottom!

Personally, I add Sta-bil to the gas, run the bike at for at least 15 minutes, shut it down and drain both the tank and the carbs. In 27 years with this bike, (20 years with Mikuni flat slides) I've never had a problem with the carbs staying clean, as well as the tank. The first few years, I took the bowls off the carbs in the spring just to be sure and I can assure you they are like new inside. Draining the tanki is my preference but I'm quite sure that leaving it full and with stabilizer added will also be fine.

I use this technique with all my bikes and power products. They all start instantly in the spring/fall.

I do a fresh oil and filter change
Take the bike for a half hr run
Get home drain and pull the tank carbs bodywork
Oil and plug the intakes
Plug the exhaust pipe put it in heated storage with a breathable cover on top
Drain the carbs and give em a sqirt of contact cleaner dry em with a hair dryer bring all removed parts indoors
Them wait till the streets are safe again
Carbs always leak a bit on first start in spring
I let em get wet overnight and dont have any more leak probs over the coure of the season
Always starts right up been doing this for years and never had any probs

as a retired auto/marine/mc mechanic, my marine days taught me that there are better ways to store a motor in a safer manor.

i use 2 product's for boats made by MDR called store and start,one is for fuel the other for the oil in the crank case.it's a combo of a stabilizer and fogging oil in one. while it stabilizes the fuel and oils . "something here in the states we all know is a major problem with the additives" ,it also applies a foging oil to the gas tank,valves rings and cylinders to help prevent rust build up.

with thier use one can turn off the petcock and run the carbs out of fuel and not worry about the needles valves sticking open.or jambed shut when the carbs are left full as it coats the carbs inside also with the storing oil film.along with leaving a antirust on the engine and trans parts.