Some Wintertime Bike Care Tips if You Ride

[rhino 2]

Went on my coffee run at 6:30 Am....19*....Only 3 miles, At noon the temps were at 30* And i had to let out my Sons Dogs, And a little shopping that was about 15 miles on that ride and it wasn't bad at all... Use the proper Heated gear and fear no cold.....

My personal record was 180 miles on my Suzuki Sv650....Started out in the single digits came back in the 20's....Won't do that again but then that was back in 1999, I was more stupider then' Then i am now..:xzqxz:....

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Dang ... I don't even break out the Russian hat until it hits 32* ... but we get a dry cold.

 

[Phu Cat]

Let Your engine warm to almost normal operating temp before heading out...also cuts down on unwanted internal engine condensation, and on some Trikes, easier on the Trans

I've always felt letting your engine 'warm-up' (slop the oil around) for 30 seconds even in warm weather is a good idea. But your engine will generate less condensate the sooner it reaches normal operating temperature rather than just letting it idle. Riding easily for the first several miles is the best way to accomplish this. A "loaded" engine warms up faster than one idling or "no load".

What is "normal operating temperature"? Is it different for every bike? The answer to that question is "No". When I worked at the refinery I had access to lube oil engineers and they all agreed on this: That it takes at least 160 degrees F oil temperature to just START dehydrating your oil. Any termperature lower than that and you're accumulating moisture in your oil. But it takes keeping your oil at 160 degrees, or more, long enough to get completely dehydrated. That's why you may have heard "short trips are hard on a car" (or any internal combustion engine for that matter). Personally, I limit my engine load to 1/2 of redline for those first several miles.

PC

 

[Burnerboy]

These are great tips-Thank you!

my bikes put away for the season, BUT it's in a very cold garage.....I did change oil/filter, waxed entire bike, air in tires, and have lifted trike up off the wheels, stabilizer in fuel, tender on battery, and then pulled out my snow skies and hope to enjoy myself on the slopes this season...........

Ronnie