Winter Inspection and Maintenance

With your bike stored, hopefully indoors, for winter, this down time can be useful to do a thorough inspection of the bike and catch up with preventive maintenance tasks. See Maintenance Schedule for a full list of all the tasks and recommended intervals.

If you don’t have one of the Service Manuals I recommend buying one. In most situations it will pay for itself. It will also show you how to do all the following tasks step by step with pictures.

Rust and Corrosion

 * With the bike on the center stand, start by removing the fairings and tank along with the rear wheel. This will allow you to thoroughly examine and inspect the frame and swing arm.
 * Use a wire brush or small wire brush on an electric drill to remove any localized rust on the swing arm and frame.
 * Touch up these spots with Tremclad paint and a model paint brush (gloss black on most bikes)
 * Rust spots on the exhaust can be treated the same way as the frame. Always uses high temperature header paint on the exhaust pipes, never use Tremclad as it will just peel off when they get hot. It is easier to do the exhaust pipes when they are removed. With my exhaust pipes, I removed the rust and loose paint with a wire brush, then applied high temperate primer (header primer) and then three coats of high temperature paint. This seems to have stood up very well and I expect will last several seasons without needed a repaint. Note most high temperature primers and paint need to be heat cured in your oven, see the directions on the can for info.
 * Give the normally hidden parts of the bike a good cleaning and apply something like spray on wax afterward. Paste wax does not work well for this as it is too hard to apply This should help protect the frame from future corrosion.

Engine

 * Clean any grease or oily film and dirt for the exterior of the engine. Do the same with the rims. The rear rim will have a layer of chain oil on it.
 * Use a q-tip moistened in rubbing alcohol or other solvent and/or compressed air to clean the grime from around the base of the spark plugs. Do this before removing them. Dirt tends to settle in this area and can cause issues if a plug is removed. Some of the debris may fall into the cylinder. Don’t forget to lubricate the plug connections with dielectric grease if they are dry. This prevents corrosion of electrical connections.
 * If your not sure when the Valve clearance adjustment was last done or if it is close to 8000mi/12800km since this was last done, now is a good time to do it. Because a valve adjustment will affect the carb synchronization, be sure to synchronize the carbs afterward.

Lubrication

 * The bearings on the rear swing arm and steering bearings should be inspected for looseness and play and re-greased every two years. If you missing doing this in previous years now is a good time to do it. There should be absolutely no play in either bearing. If there is these should be replaced. Handling problems will result from any looseness.
 * With the rear wheel removed it is easy to clean the chain. Remove the plastic cover over the front sprocket. Clean this area to remove road grime with kerosene. Soak the chain in kerosene, diesel fuel or heating oil over night and use an old tooth brush to loosen any grime and caked on crud.
 * Use a cable lube tool to lubricate the throttle and clutch cables. Both will operate more smoothly and with less effort if keep lubricated. They will also last longer.
 * It is best to store the bike with fresh oil. The start of winter layup is a good time to change this.

Electrical Systems

 * Remove the battery if it is the non sealed type (the OEM one is) and check the level of acid in each cell. Top up with distilled water if required. After returning it to the bike put it on a trickle charger. Batteries last longer if they are not allowed to run down and are stored fully charged.
 * Unless there is a short in the bikes electrical system, or the ignition key is turned on, the battery will not run down faster if left connected on the bike.
 * If the battery connectors are corroded or rusted shine them with emery paper (sand paper) and apply a dab of dielectric grease to prevent future corrosion.

Miscellaneous Inspection Items

 * Check for loose bolts and nuts. Apply a dab of blue locktite to the speedometer cable connections if they are loose as these frequently vibrate loose.
 * Check all lights work
 * Inspect and if required clean the air filter
 * Optionally check the carburetor synchronization and adjust if required. This should be done if the engine is producing a lot of vibration or after a valve adjustment.
 * Check the fuel and vacuum hoses and filter. Replace the hoses if they are more than four years old. New hose is very, very cheap and makes removing and installing the tank a lot easier as it is much more flexible and stretchy.
 * Inspect the condition of the spark plugs and replace if required (normally done every 8000 miles)
 * Fork Maintenance - Check the forks for signs of oil leakage. Replace fork seals if any oil leakage is detected.

Winterization and Storage
Winterization and Storage - click on this link