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Buy some "STA-BIL" brand fuel treatment. It
costs just a few bucks and it'll last you for a while. Add the STABIL to the
gas tank as directed and run the bike for about 3-5 minutes to be sure that
the entire system is treated. Fuel treatment prevents the parts of your
carbs from getting "varnished," which is a chemical coating that
can clog your jets and/or mess up your air/gas mixture.
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Remove the spark plugs and allow the bike to cool off for
about 10 minutes. Then spray, for about 3-5 seconds, some "FOGGING
OIL" (ask for it by name at your local auto parts store) into the cylinders
to coat the cylinder walls. Turn the bike over for a half of a second and
repeat spraying into all of the cylinders. Put the spark plugs back in. The
fogging oil will coat the inside of your cylinders, as well as the pistons
and piston rings, and prevent the mild oxidation that may occur over
extended periods of time. It will also provide some remedial lubrication at
start-up in the spring.
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Disconnect the battery (negative first, then positive) and
remove it. Store the battery on some cardboard or newspaper in the house
somewhere out of the way. This will help the battery stay fresh.
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Put the bike up on its center stand if it has one. Make sure
the tires are properly inflated. Be sure that there will be no water or ice
near the tires. Water can collect in the treads of the tire, and possibly
freeze and expand. This will stress the rubber. If you want, put some
plywood under the tires to keep them insulated from the ground. You also may
want to rotate them periodically to be sure you're not creating a "soft
spot" in the rubber.
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Armor All the rubber stuff.
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Put baggies with rubber bands over the tail pipes to keep
moisture out.
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A light coat of WD40 or the like on the bare metal and
chromed parts may help prevent oxidation. I've never done it - I just
be sure to store my bike where it isn't exposed to the elements here in
Chicagoland, and it's been fine for eight years running (literally) now!
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Cover it if you can. I really like the Dow
Co brand of covers (I have used the "Guardian"
line of covers to protect my bike in the past when I had to store it outside
in the winter...please don't tell anyone I used to store my bike outside!),
although I'm sure there are many that will work nicely. If it's
inside, it'll keep the dust off. If it's outside, it'll keep it
dry. In both cases, it will protect it from the sun's potentially
harmful UV rays.
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Be sure to tell it you love it at least every other week!
