Recognizing that winter weather is about to curtail or alter some of our riding, we gleaned some tips about preparing our trike and equipment to deal with the weather and we are sharing our findings with you.
If you don’t have the proper tools, enough time or you are not sure what do to, call your local trusted motorcycle shop and make an appointment to have your bike winterized. For some that live in areas of snow or heavy rains for months, that means getting your bike ready to sit in your garage. In this case you will need a battery tender that is plugged in to prevent your battery going dead. Some Harley dealers will store your bike for the winter if you don’t have a garage to protect it from the elements. You can also see if a friend or relative has space to store your bike, but make sure to keep your bike out of the wind and rain to prevent mildew.
If you are going to winterize your trike yourself, make sure you have all the tools you need before starting. You will need, cleaning cloths, spark plug wrench, a trickle battery charger, four or five quarts of high-quality oil, new oil filter, oil can or device to get oil in the cylinders, fuel stabilizer, spray can of WD40, a breathable motorcycle cover, plastic gloves, items to clean and wax your bike. A gentle wash detergent and water will suffice.
Start by removing road grime and insects to protect the finish of the bike. Dry completely with a good chamois. Clean and polish all aluminum and stainless surfaces with the appropriate metal polish. Finally, finish up with a coat of good wax polish on all painted and chrome surfaces.
Add a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank. Fill your tank with gas as full as it can go. This is very important because as fuel ages, more volatile components tend to change, leaving sludge and gummy substances that can affect the carburetor fuel injectors. Run the bike so the gas and fuel stabilizer get to the carburetor and fuel injectors. then turn off the fuel and run it dry. We try to only use ethanol free premium gas in our trike.
Clean and treat your leather seats and saddle bags. Remove any food or drink items in tour packs or bags that might attract rodents or bugs. Remove spare batteries that might corrode. Remove any first aid items in tubes that might leak. Don’t forget to clean your helmet, chaps, jackets, and boots.
Check your tires and inflate them to the correct pressure before storage to retain their proper shape. Also, if you are storing the trike on the tires, rotate each wheel once a month to prevent flat spots. And grab yourself a good motorcycle tire-pressure gauge to check the pressure each month.
Make sure your motorcycle is covered with your homeowner’s insurance if it is stored in your garage. If you store your trike offsite at a storage facility or at family/friend’s home, make sure you have your own coverage and don’t rely on someone telling you it is covered by their insurance.
