winterizing the FZ6

[RJN2112]

Ster....

I'm not trying to be a wise acre... with the nikasil coatings on the cylinder walls, how long do you think the oil film 'holds up' on the walls? Does it drain away faster, or more slowly than an iron bore? As the rings are the most rust prone part of the cylinder system, I can see where adding a film to them during storage will prolong the preservation... my question has to do with what part of those rings do you expect to rust? Any rust, anywhere is not as damaging in my view as having the rings rust to the cylinder walls. That will cause serious grief as I am sure you have first hand knowledge of.

If the cylinder bore was an iron liner, facing iron rings.... by all means fog the motor if it's going to sit for some months. Even then, the oil film is going to take a really long time to leave the rings dry. I used to be in the USN, and would assist sailors putting their cars into long term storage before deployment. 6-8 months of sitting with no more attention paid than disconnecting the battery, and I didn't ever see a motor smoke excessively on starting afterwards. (that's anecdotal, as I probably only saw ~ 100 cars started after that sort of neglect, out of somewhere around 500)

[mjg]

hmm so I do occassionaly heat my garage..You have me thinking that I probably should fog the engine now..ugh another thing to ADD to the list..

[RJN2112]

This is another area that the oil's base stock thickness plays a part in how well it 'holds up'....... do we all agree that 5-XX is thinner than 10-XX?

[grouzer]

Wash, clean/lube chain, top/seafoam fuel, psi, oil change if due, plug in batt tender, center stand, cover in heated garage.

[skeleton]

I have done the following consistently every winter. The original battery is still in excellent condition since my purchase in year 2005. The bike has always started perfectly.

START OF STORAGE
- Wash the bike. Clean and lube the chain. Change oil and filter.
- Fill gas tank to full, and add gasoline fuel stabilizer to manufacturer's ratio.
- Reduce tire pressure to 15 psi.
- Place cardboard patch on garage floor under the tires.
- Keep bike on center stand.
- Secure bike with disc lock on wheel and chain lock to floor anchor.
- Cover entire bike with drop cloth, tarp, etc (I use old bed sheet).

CONTINUOUS THRU WINTER
- Keep bike plugged into battery tender 7x24.

EVERY 2 TO 3 WEEKS
- Run engine for 1 or 2 minutes every 2 weeks. This is long enough to circulate oil in engine, but too short for the engine to develop any heat that could later lead to internal condensation.
- With bike on center stand and still running, rifle through the six gears to cause lubrication of the gears and the chain. Obviously, take care doing this!
- Afterwards, turn wheels relative to the contact patch. Recover bike with cover cloth.

EVERY 2 TO 3 MONTHS
- Keep gas tank near full. This will require topping up after a few months because of evaporation.
- Add some fuel line conditioner each time you top up the tank.

END OF WINTER STORAGE
- Remove disk lock, etc. I have a "reminder" on my clutch lever.
- Reinflate tires. Check tires.
- Perform complete check on bike.
- Ride the bike and don't refill gas tank until mostly empty to get rid of aged gasoline. Then refill gas with premium gasoline.

[wlaroche]

I just picked up a 2005 FZ6 that the original owner purchased then gets deployed and never makes a payment, bank tries to repo but could not find it for 2 1/2 years, gets picked up by a auto seller who drives it around a little bit, then I buy it. It has a total of 60 miles on it. It did not start very well because of the gas being 4 years old, but it runs perfectly with no smoke or anything (on bad gas). I think the engines of today can handle 3 months of no use. Fogging the engine is probably not necessary.

In the past I have just washed the bike, cleaned the chain and lubed well, fill gas tank and put stabilizer in it, put a tender on the battery and put the bike on the centerstand.

This has worked well for the carb bikes that I have had. This is my first FI and I will probably do the same thing on this one.

[Limey 1]

I see none of you guys live down on the farm....you ever see what a mouse builds for a nest during the winter months? If your going to store it more than a couple of weeks you should also plug the muffler and the air intake...and test anti- freeze mix....don't drain the radiator,there is still a bunch of coolant left inside the motor and you def need that protected.....plus anything else that been said...and I always add MM Oil to my gas as well as Stabil.....my 2c

[whowa74]

Winterizing the FZ6. You don't need to take out the spark plugs out and put oil in the cylinders. Over time some regular engines will seize up while the metal piston rusts against the metal sidewall of the the cylinder bore. However the FZ6 has a ceramic coated cylinder wall, so the piston and the cylinder will not rust together. As far as the rest, put stabil in if your bike will sit for more than 3 months, lube up the chain to prevent rust, and either tender the battery or take it out. The temp has to get really low to freeze a battery but if it were to freeze, the bike could be ruined when the batter thaws back out.

[RJN2112]

Originally Posted by Limey 1

I see none of you guys live down on the farm....you ever see what a mouse builds for a nest during the winter months? ......... If your going to store it more than a couple of weeks you should also plug the muffler and the air intake.......my 2c

You made me laugh with this one.... I'd clean forgotten about my brother who left his Husquevarna CR250 in one of our out buildings when he shipped off to Okinawa for a tour in the USMC..... when he got home he went to start the bike, and had to take the head off to get the mouse nest out of the cylinder.

[Cap'n]

My wife's uncle uncovered his Kawi Connie after a long winter in Wisconsin one year, fired it up, and blasted a mouse family against the far wall of the garage.

[needsnumbers]

I'm with RJN2112. The engine itself will be fine considering the cylinder wall material. As for the rings rusting, unlikely. The top of the rings are covered in carbon, the underside, with oil. It won't rust enough to damage anything unless you don't plan on riding for a couple years. Even then it should be fine.
I like the idea of filling the gas tank. Not a fan of the gas additives, just a full tank of the good stuff should be all that's needed.
I will lube the chain, not sure if I'll clean it BEFORE storage. Put the centerstand on and get the rear tire off the ground. Then put carpet under the front tire. A battery tender for a week every month should be more than enough. I don't believe in leaving those on 24/7 as I've seen them actually shorten battery life on countless collector cars.
I also like the idea of plugging up the intake and mufflers if you are in a barn or outdoors and especially if you are using a cover (they climb the cloth).
Other than that, start it up every month and I should be good to go in the spring.

[ster1]

RTFM.
Ceramic or nickelsil doesn't mean rust proof.

[RJN2112]

Originally Posted by ster1

RTFM.
Ceramic or nickelsil doesn't mean rust proof.

Since I don't own the f'ing manual...... can you cut and paste the part where it says to fog the cylinders for storage?

[spaman48]

This has always worked for me:
Clean the wheels
Clean the outside of the tank
Change oil (if needed)
Post for sale on Craigslist
Find new bike on Craigslist in Spring

[rennsport]

Originally Posted by spaman48

This has always worked for me:
Clean the wheels
Clean the outside of the tank
Change oil (if needed)
Post for sale on Craigslist
Find new bike on Craigslist in Spring

Are you being serious? The reason I ask is, how much money do you lose/gain between the sale in winter and the purchase in spring?