It's getting to be that time in NE Ohio. How necessary is it to drain the fuel or use a stabilizer in the tank. If I use an additive in the tank can I just run it out next year or should I drain the tank?

 

i use stab-il every year in my snow blower and never drain the tank. Not using a fuel conditioner can allow the fuel to oxidize which causes "tarnish" and "gumming" up which could eventually lead to a blockage in your carb. it only cot a few bucks for enough stabil to last you several years of use for several gallons of gas. it is cheap insurance as far as i am concerned.

 

i always use stabil and then because i dont have stands i put a piece of carpet under the tires and make sure i roll them once or twice every couple of weeks to prevent flat spots. i take the battery out to prevent it from going dead. you can also put your battery on a tender. my buddy didnt use stabil in his bike last year. he has a old katana needless to say he got his carbs cleaned out. and your bike will run like crap with that old fuel because it loses its octane. just do prevenitive maitnence.

 

Tank should be full to prevent condensation. I can't comment about stabiliser, but wouldn't use it over here for a short winter storage. Over 12 months I might, but I think that your petrol is more prone to degrade.

Oil and filter change before you store it so that contaminants and acids in the old oil can't work over the winter. The oil and filter are good to go after storage. No need to change again.

Remove battery and either connect to a tender or trickle charge for 6 hours once a month. Don't leave it connected to an ordinary trickle charger.

Clean and polish the bike before lay up and lube chain, cables and all moving parts such as brake and stand pivots.

If you can, use stands to lift the tyres off the ground. Cover it with a cotton dust sheet.

Rob

 

See this thread too.