Motorcycle Winterizing Tips for Cold Weather Maintenance

Winter can be tough on your V-twin cruiser bike, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get it out for a ride every once in a while. Of course, you’ll need to follow some necessary motorcycle winterizing procedures if you want to ensure your motorcycle can withstand the challenges in winter. Depending on how tough the winter conditions get in your area, you have two options when it comes to winter motorcycle riding:

• Park your motorcycle away and protect it from the winter cold
• Keep your motorcycle ready to go for occasional rides

Either way, you have to take good care of your bike. Here are some winter motorcycle maintenance tips to keep in mind.

Check Your Battery Health

Winter conditions can be harsh on your battery, especially if you won’t be using your bike throughout the cold months or if you’ll be making lots of short trips. As part of motorcycle winterizing, ensure your battery terminals are perfectly clean, the battery is topped off, and you’re frequently charging the battery. Also, keep an eye on the battery voltage and the charging system of your motorcycle in the winter.

Consider investing in a battery maintenance kit that features a smart monitoring system that charges your battery only when needed. Simply connect it to your motorcycle battery, and it will be fully charged and ready to fire up when you want to hit the road. You can also switch to a lithium battery for better cold-weather performance. Lithium batteries are lightweight and less prone to power loss during lower temperatures, making them ideal for your motorcycle winterizing plans.

Take Care of Your Fuel

One of the main concerns during winter motorcycle riding is the increasing levels of ethanol in gas. Ethanol absorbs water from the atmosphere, which can cause trouble during winter. When you park your bike, the water settles in the gas tank and fuel system, creating problems for your bike’s fuel tank. The fuel ends up degrading over time, which is one of the potential reasons why your motorcycle won’t start after winter storage. To prevent that, use these winter motorcycle maintenance tips:

• Add gas preservative or fuel stabilizer during each fill-up
• Don’t forget to add antifreeze to the cooling system to avoid the radiator overheating

For extended motorcycle winterizing or storage, completely drain your fuel system and consider storing your motorcycle with a full tank of non-ethanol gasoline to minimize moisture build-up inside the tank.

Check Your Tires Before Every Ride

The condition of your tires matters most during winter when traction is minimal. Look out for proper tire pressure and tread depth. Tires lose pressure due to cold air inside. Opt for winter-ready tires if you can when roads get slippery. Most importantly, ride cautiously. For extreme climates, use tire chains specifically designed for motorcycles. They improve traction on icy or snowy roads, significantly reducing the chances of slipping.

As part of your motorcycle winterizing process, ensure the tires are regularly inspected for cracks or signs of wear caused by fluctuating temperatures. This should be done each time before you ride your motorcycle in winter. Well-maintained tires can significantly improve safety and performance during cold-weather rides.

Change Your Oil and Filter

Combustion in the motorcycle engine often creates lots of unwanted byproducts, which is what we call gunk. During warmer months, the gunk burns off as the bike’s engine warms up. But during winter, frigid temperatures and short motorcycle riding trips may prevent the engine from warming up sufficiently to ensure the gunk evaporates. Accumulation of gunk contaminates engine oil, causing problems.

Winter Motorcycle Maintenance Tip: Change your oil and filter at half the recommended interval during harsh winter months. This is especially critical if you’ll be storing your motorcycle in winter. Consider synthetic oil when winterizing your bike, as it performs better in low temperatures and reduces engine wear caused by cold starts.

Lubricate Moving Parts

During winter, ice on the roads is usually melted with salt. While it’s necessary to ensure safe road use, the combination of these salts and water can cause rust to form on the chain and other moving parts like brakes, pedals, and throttle. That’s why you need to regularly clean and lubricate these parts to prevent dirt or salt from accumulating and causing damage.

Apply a high-quality, all-weather chain lube with anti-corrosion properties. Additionally, cover exposed parts with a protective, salt-resistant coating to ensure they stay shielded during rides on salted roads.

Keep Your Motorcycle Clean

Due to the increased moisture during winter, the exposed metal on your bike tends to accumulate more moisture, creating the perfect environment for corrosion. This can cause damage to your bike over time. One good tip for motorcycle winterizing is to ensure you wash, dry, and wax your motorcycle frequently. Doing this will protect it from corrosive damage and ensure it maintains its shine even during freezing temperatures.

Also, apply an anti-rust spray to areas most vulnerable after washing your V-twin motorcycle to provide maximum protection. You should also invest in a motorcycle cover specifically made for winter. Premium covers are weatherproof, breathable, and resistant to frost buildup, providing additional protection for your motorcycle winterizing plans.

Ride Safely During Winter

During winter, roads are more slippery, visibility is lower, and most car drivers have their windows up and radio on. Unfortunately, most of them don’t expect motorcycles to be on the road during harsh conditions, so ride more cautiously, reduce your speed, keep a safe distance between your bike and the car in front of you, and wear a reflective helmet and jacket. During winter motorcycle riding, consider using heated grips and a heated seat to stay warm on longer rides. Not only does this improve comfort, but staying warm also helps maintain focus on the road.

Safety should be your top priority when riding a motorcycle in winter. If you’re looking for cold-weather riding gear or need aftermarket parts or accessories for your winter motorcycle maintenance needs, get it all from West End Motorsports. Order online or get in touch with our experts for help.