Winter storage?

[219848]

The owners manual says to drain the fuel tank when storing for extended periods...
Does anyone here do that, or do you store your bike with a full tank and stabil?

[Bishamon]

I store my bikes with full tanks and Sta-Bil.

Just make sure to use ethanol-free fuel (Shell V-Power currently contains no ethanol in Ontario).

[The Goochman]

A couple of issues to think about for winter storage.

Regardless of whether the tank is full or not (I'll get to that in a moment), if the bike is carburated, make sure you run ALL of the gas out of the carbs (IE run the engine until it dies with the fuel turned off), then drain the remaining fuel from the carbs by opening the drain screws on the bottom of each carb (don't forget to close them when you are done). To be environmentally friendly, you should catch what drains and dispose of it properly (I drain it on to the garage floor - sorry). I don't bother stabilizing the gas in these bike, I have never had an issue so far.

If the bike is fuel injected, treat the fuel with the proper amount of fuel stabilizer and run the engine (take it for a ride) for several minutes to make sure the stabilized fuel gets all the way through the fuel injection system. If you think cleaning carbs is expensive, wait until you have to pay to have the dealer disassemble and clean the injection system because the fuel has gone bad over the winter and plugged the system.

These days, with all the alcohol in the gas, fuel goes bad very quickly. It might be all right over the winter, buy why take the chance. The comment about using alcohol free fuel is a good one. I am going to check that ouf for myself.

Gas tank full vs gas tank empty:
I always store my bike with the tanks full. The primary reason is that having the tank full means that there is less unfilled volume in the tank for condensation. Condensation builds up as water in the bottom of the fuel tank which leads to corrosion. If you don't think this is true, I can send you pictures of a BMW tank that is full of pin holes all along the bottom of the tank. Of course, if tank is not steel, then it won't rust and corrosion is not an issue. Still you may have a surprising amount to water in the bottom of the tank in the spring, if you leave the tank empty. This mainly applies to a vehicle that is stored in a non-temperature controlled environment - like my barn. If the space is heated, condensation is not as much of a problem. The key here is no temperature swings. A heated garage that is used for the family car, is not a temperature controlled environment! Open the door, the temperature drops, close the door and it comes up again - condensation here we come!

The other issue to consider is those plastic fuel tanks. I have been seeing more and more issues on the net about Ducati tanks swelling after being exposed to North American fuels. You might be better off to store the tank empty. On the other hand, when the tank is empty, things that are normally kept wet, dry out and fail. Sigh - You can't win for trying some times.....

Lastly, consider the issue of fumes. If you store the bike in your living room, an empty tank is a very good idea.

I hope this helps.

Dave G
aka The Goochman

[chris fournier]

"If you think cleaning carbs is expensive, wait until you have to pay to have the dealer disassemble and clean the injection system because the fuel has gone bad over the winter and plugged the system."

I have found injector cleaning to cost about $45.00 per injector with a print out of the before and after results. Taking injectors out is very simple and well within the potential abilities of a homespun wrench spinner.

Just check your local yellow pages for an injector service centre in your area.

[cm250to999]

steel tanks don't have a good enough liner to keep rust away when water can play.

Plastic tanks are the best thing for monsters, because the steel ones got dented in even the most minor tip over. I hope for a good conclusion to the swelling issue for all models, since there are benifits.

Oxidation of our now crap fuel is another issue, same as opened wine.

The worst is for them to sit for years, a true crime.