Storage tips needed

[Chiefy]

Completely ruptured one of my biceps,    so no riding for at least 12 weeks. 

Never stored my bike before (Florida.)  Currently there is little gas in the tank and no Sentry (like Seafoam.)  Been riding it, the carbs are okay right now.  Should I fill the tank and add a heavy dose of Sentry, let it idle for awhile then drain the bowls?  Or what's a better idea?  Battery is strong, and it's not cold out.  Should I be doing something for the battery, and/or any other system/part on the bike?

Thanks.

[2qmedic]

OUCH!!!
Tore the tendon in my left calf last year, so I can feel your pain...
Fill the gas tank and include a good gas stabilizer. Run it.
Never hurts to change the oil prior to storage.
A battery tender is always recommended.
on the other hand...
if you start it once a week and let it run up to temperature, no problem. Just make sure that the oil gets good and hot (touch the oil filter).
 

[Jess from VA]

Fill the tank, and if you cannot get pure gasoline (10% corn), then treat with Star Tron, and anything else you like (stabil, seafoam), and run the bike untill it is in the carbs.

http://mystarbrite.com/startron//content/view/14/37/lang,en/

[dubsider]

Honda of Macon.. is a very busy shop and they are very high on phaser3000.
http://www.phaser3000.com/

I am gonna try this every few tanks and give it a try..

[Chiefy]

I'll be able to start it as often as I want.  Should I be draining the bowls anyway if I start it every week?

[2qmedic]

Weekly starting, I wouldn't.

Just have a good fuel stablizer in the fuel.

[BF]

Weekly starting, I wouldn't.

Why not?

[97BLKVALK]

Yikes!!! That stinks

Fill tank up with gas and a good dose of stabil (your choice)  start it once a month.

Get back to to the "two in-line" soon

Take Care

Michael

[9Ball]

lay it up as suggested and let it sit.  Starting it and running it in the garage is not recommended.  Only start the bike when you are able to take it out and ride.

Running it in the garage will only make you feel better...not good for the engine.

[The Anvil]

It's alright to start it and run it weekly, even without riding, but you MUST bring it up to operating temperature and keep it there long enough to evaporate condensation otherwise you will increase condensation accumulation and do more harm than good.

But as long as you follow that rule then regular exercising is a good thing. If you don't want to take my word for it then call every major aircraft engine manufacturer and emergency generator builder. All recommend regular exercising of their engines. In fact, modern emergency generators are programmed to self-exercise at least monthly. It's also not a bad idea to disconnect the headlight while exercising but the Valk has a high output charging system so I would think it would maintain a good charge even at idle.

[Ricky-D]

Yea, a stabilizer in the gas and a tender on the battery and leave it alone!

Nothing more is needed, seeing where you are and the time of the year.

This is especially true since the bike will be inside.

It'll give you time to detail to hell!

***

[2qmedic]

Let me re word my previous statement.

For weekly starting, I wouldn't drain the bowls.
Ensure the bike is up to operating temp and you can touch the oil filter to ensure it is hot.
Battery tender is recommended for storage or even for a few days of inactivity (good practice).

Personally for a couple months layover:
Treat the gas, run it (drain the bowls), battery tender. 

[Patrick]

A full tank of fuel with a stabilizer like Sea-foam will work.. Make sure its well mixed and run it long enough to get the new fuel through the carburetors.. I don't see any reason to drain the bowls.. You could pull the sparklers and add some oil to the cylinders and give a quick hit to the starter button if you really feel ambitious.. But the main thing is taking care of the fuel system..

[2qmedic]

Just me, but I wouldn't want the fuel to begin evaporating in the bowls during the summer if it's going to be down for 3 months.
They are simple to drain and no worry about any gumming issues at all. Yes I know thats what the stablizer is for, but 2 minutes to drain the bowls is worth its weight in gold if any gas issues show up.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...
Just my 2 cents...

[BF]

How do ya drain the carb bowls?

[2qmedic]

Lok under the carb bowl, there is a screw on the bottom of each carb bowl, loosen the screw and the fuel drains out the tube that is attached.
 

[alph]

Lok under the carb bowl, there is a screw on the bottom of each carb bowl, loosen the screw and the fuel drains out the tube that is attached.
 

People give me crap over my suggestions, but, it works for me, and I’ve NEVER had an issue with my carbs.  As stated in the previous post, there’s a reason why the manufacture puts those little drain screws on the bottom of your float bowls, and there’s a reason you should drain them!  I do not like fuel stabilizers; I had a car that I used it in ONCE.  It dried out my fuel line and on that first ride of the year it ruptured and sprayed fuel all over the turbo causing a fire.  I would rather empty the tank then deal with rotten fuel lines.

Every fall, I drain my fuel tank, COMPLETELY.  This means getting a large syringe from the pharmacy and some rubber hose that’ll fit over the tip of it long enough to reach to the bottom of the fuel tank when standing up.  Take the tank off the cycle, stand it upright so all the fuel is at the bottom, suck out ALL the fuel from the tank.  Now, with the tank off, start the cycle and let it run until it dies, it’ll run for a good 5 to 10 minutes.  After that, remove the drain screws on the bottom of your carb floats.  That’s it for the fuel.  While your tank is empty, remove the petcock and clean the filter strainer that is in your tank.  You’ll be amazed at all the crap you pick up over one year!!  Be careful, it is plastic, maybe brittle too, replace it if needed.

CHANGE YOUR OIL NOW!!!  Some people think that you can leave the oil in the crank case and it’ll do no harm, WRONG!    Fresh oil will not have any acidic properties in it and will not affect the seals.  Once the oil has experienced combustion, whether it be for 10 minutes of idle, it will have contaminants in it that can harm your seals and gaskets.  Blow out any debris that might be around your spark plugs, remove all 6 plugs and place one table spoon of fresh oil in each cylinder (use the wife’s turkey baister), turn the engine over by hand (put cycle in gear, spin rear wheel) this will get the oil all over the inside of the cylinders and rings. 

If you can, get the cycle off the ground so the shocks hang and are not under load, also, keeping the tires off the ground will prevent any chance of the tires going flat and causing a dimple flat spot on ‘em. 

The battery MUST be charged once in a while, I throw a trickle charger on it once a month for a couple of hours.  If you have an auto off charger, that’s great, but, take it off once it’s fully charged; also, make sure your battery is completely charged when you first start up the cycle when you decide to ride it again. 

Check your antifreeze!!  If you live in a cold climate (like I do) you’re going to want to make sure your antifreeze isn’t going to freeze up and crack your engine block!!  If you’ve ever seen a pop can split open when you’ve left it in the freezer, that’s what’ll happen to your engine if your antifreeze isn’t up to par!! 

That’s about it, if I remember anything else, I’ll post it.

I use to have a convertible that I use to store every winter and I’ve been storing a vehicle for the last twenty years now in one way or another.  So, I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing. 

Oh yeah, sorry to hear about your arm.  That sucks!!  Next time, be careful at those arm wrestling competitions!!!

[2qmedic]

What "alph" said 

[The Anvil]

Well, Alph might be onto something for LONG TERM storage (as in a year plus) but it's way overkill for something like a few months or a winter layover. A couple things:

1.) Never leave a fuel tank empty without something coating the inside, a light film of oil will work, but left exposed to the elements the interior surface WILL rust after a while. This is why I personally never store a bike with anything less than a full bag of fuel.

2.) Put the spark plugs back in for storage (I'm sure you just forgot to mention this and don't actually leave them out Alph).

3.) You can leave used (but not past it's serviceability, there's a difference) oil in the crankcase overwinter without causing trouble. The threat to your motorcycle form oil that's gone into it's unserviceability zone is not to seals ans gaskets but to bearings in the case.

4.) The fuel line rot was more likely caused by a fuel additive than a stabilizer. Quality commercial stabilizers are 100% safe to use.

5.) If you indeed have a low amp trickle charger (aka: maintenance charger) then it's best to leave it on 24/7/365. I personally remove it from the bike and charge in the relatively warm confines of my basement. We do the same with batteries for aircraft that are laid up for the winter. Before going on the charger they get cap. checked and before going back in the birds they're cap. checked again. Never lost one.

We prep dozens of aircraft for storage every winter as well as much of our ground service equipment and we don't go nearly that far. I mean if doing all of that makes you feel better and you've got the free time then by all means. But it's not strictly necessary.

[alph]

You know, after re reading your original post, I’d say, just make sure you charge your battery before you start it after three months!!  I don’t think you’ll have any problems with your fuel for three months, my previous post was if you plan on storing it for 6 or more months, that’s how long our winters last, then there’s the couple of weeks before the salt gets washed off the roads, not to mention the pot holes getting filled……  heck, three months, I doubt the engine will even get cooled off in that amount of time!!!

I really don’t think you’ll have any problems, just start it once a month and let it idle for 10 minutes.  Move it a foot or two so the wheels don’t cup…..  oh hell, have someone stop by and ride it around the block for you!!  Make sure it’s not a harley guy, you’ll make him cry wishing he’d bought a Valk!!