[Manatoc fox]

With winter approaching faster than any of us would like I am looking forward and had a question about storing the bike over the winter.  I'm dead set on getting one of them new fangled sealed batteries for my C5 but I thought I would do that in spring.  Can I remove the battery completely from the bike to store it over the winter or will that cause negative side effects?  Should I get the new battery now and just put it on a tender over the winter?

[Ducati Scotty]

Yes you can remove the battery, that's actually preferred for winter storage.  Make sure it's off the ground so it doesn't get cracked.  It's good to put a trickle charger on it, at least for a few days every few weeks.  It will discharge just sitting there not being used.  The $6.99 Harbor Freight unit Craig likes is fine for that.

I recommend you get the new battery in the spring.  Why have it just sitting around all winter?

Scott

[The Old Coot]

I have taken batteries out of bikes for the winter and stored them in the house, nice a warm. About once a month I hook the tender to them for a day and then come spring reinstall them without a problem. If your battery is long in the tooth I'd pull and give it TLC so it'll live out the winter.

[Kevin Mahoney]

1. Tender for now
2. Inside is OK, we used to do it every night with our car batteries up here but that was for other reasons.
3. Get the new battery in the spring

[Gypsyjon]

Have you thought about moving? 

[Kevin Mahoney]

When 12 volts came in it was a big help. Even then, if you couldn't afford a new Sears "Die Hard" (which was the king of the hill back in the day) moving the battery inside helped. Also helped keep them from freezing if your generator didn't have them charged up very well. Plugging your car in helped a lot but did nothing for the battery. Once fuel injection came along winter starting is normally a non issue.

[Gypsyjon]

Yup. Born and raised in rural Western NY. We had block heaters on everything. If you forgot to plug in, bad luck. Although, when I was in high school, my 55 Ford pickup would always start. The rings were shot, so its compression was so low that even a weak battery would roll it over! I used to by oil in gallon cans and never left home without one.! On cold winter mornings I had friends all over, because they knew I had a running truck and could give them a jump.

[DanKearney]

With winter approaching faster than any of us would like I am looking forward and had a question about storing the bike over the winter.  I'm dead set on getting one of them new fangled sealed batteries for my C5 but I thought I would do that in spring.  Can I remove the battery completely from the bike to store it over the winter or will that cause negative side effects?  Should I get the new battery now and just put it on a tender over the winter?

I've never removed a battery from any of my bikes during the Winter.  I always put them on a battery tender however. 

More importantly, on my last fill-up, I treat the tank full with Marine Sta-Bil and run the bike long enough to ensure that treated gas is run all the way through the system and injectors.  When I park the bike for the long sleep I top the tank off with a jerry can (Also Sta-Bil treated) so there's nearly no air at the top of the tank.  This prevents condensation from forming and rusting the tank.

Cheers,

Dan K.

[Ducati Scotty]

Good tip on filling the tank.

The reason I never like to leave the tender on all winter if the battery is in the bike is in case of an overcharge.  If the charger flakes out, it can overcharge the battery and then acid rolls all over your ride.  While it's rare, I've known enough people it's happened to (winter storage or otherwise) that I take the battery out of the bike if I plan to leave the charger on.

Scott

[suitcasejefferson]

Here it would be "summerization" Winter is riding season here, all 4 months of it. I keep battery tenders on all my bikes, year round. When I go for a ride I unplug it, then plug it back in when I get back. My batteries now last a lot longer than they used to. I would not leave a flooded battery in the bike for very long just sitting there. Acid tends to leak out and cause corrosion. If you have one of those now, and plan to replace it with a MF battery next year, and don't plan to start the bike over the winter, I'd just toss the thing, then get a new battery next riding season.

[Royal Stargazer]

Last year all I did was fill the tank with nonoxygenated fuel and a little sta-bil, hook up the battery to a tender, and throw a cover over the whole thing. I wept a little, but that's neither here nor there.

When summer came, I disconnected the tender, made sure all the panels and bits and pieces were tight and the tyres sufficiently inflated, kicked - once - and she started like a champ. I must have done something right?

[JoeSchmofo]

Does anyone have any thoughts about ways to keep the bike in good nick if you don't hibernate it and keep using it during the cold months. What's the best way to look after the chrome etc.

I don't have a garage, the RE lives outside on the road, my girlfriend would literally kill me if I suggested bringing it into the house.

Cheers.

[tooseevee]

Last year all I did was fill the tank with nonoxygenated fuel and a little sta-bil, hook up the battery to a tender, and throw a cover over the whole thing. I wept a little, but that's neither here nor there.

           Non-oxygenated?? 

[Ducati Scotty]

I haven't used it myself, but some members here have sprayed their entire bike down with ACF -50 and the washed it off in the spring.  It an anti-corrosive from the aircraft industry.  Obviously, avoid getting it on the brakes and any where your clothing will touch the bike.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/acf50.php

Scott

[Royal Stargazer]

           Non-oxygenated?? 

Yeah. Although it's not too common (at least around here) there are a few stations that carry an ethanol-free fuel designated specifically for lawn & garden equipment, cars that can be licensed as classics, and motorcycles among other things.

I frequently run it in my bike, and I can't think of a better fuel for storing. While it will eventually go stale (sta-bil helps with that,) regular fuel runs into the problem where the ethanol separates from the gasoline and becomes an inert material that lives only to ruin carbs and fuel injectors.