Prep now: save lots of trouble later.
Store your bike indoors. Get a storage unit, throw some trash out of the garage, get some space from a friend, call your dealer and ask if they rent storage space. Do what you can to prevent the weather from affecting your bike. No windows in the storage space either, unless your actually do want the ultra-violet light to fade your paint. No moisture, unless you really want to find out what that will do to your chrome and motor.
No sheets or tarps. They hold moisture, breed mildew, so it’s smart to get a specially designed cover that allows good breathing. You don’t want a tarp because it prevents air from getting in and out of the bike area; any trapped moisture will condense on the bike.
Wax your bike. Nope, not to prepare it so it looks great when you pull it out again in the spring. It is a good barrier against weathering. Spray any other metal surfaces that you don’t wax with some WD40. If it’s shiny, it will help it stay shiny and prevent rusting.
Pull the battery out. Store it in your house or average temperature garage or closet. Battery drain, just from sitting, can hurt the electrolyte level in the cells. Distilled water should be added when necessary, and plugging it into a charger every two weeks will help maintain a healthy battery for when summer returns. Often people will find their battery will need to be replaced after winter storage unless proper precautions are taken.
Change the oil. It’s not too complicated. Old, used oil is less likely to start in colder weather and isn’t healthy for a cold engine even if you do get it started. Same reasons why it’s important to change your oil, but much worse on your motor in the cold weather.
Put fresh fuel in it. But with the temperature changes, you need to leave a small amount of room in the tank for the fuel to expand into when the temperature rises again. Make sure you shut off the fuel and drain the carburetors and the fuel lines. Winterizing fuel additives help the gasoline from going stale. Most gas stations/companies have light additives in the gas, and this can condense and thicken over the winter which will gum up and basically damage your system the next time you start your motor.
Tires need proper inflation. When the cold temps’ hit your tires, the air condenses and the tires will appear deflated. If left for too long, the rubber can be damaged from the awkward position. Not to mention cold weather in general isn’t great for tire rubber and it can crack when it freezes. Put some wood boards under the tires to prevent the cold (frozen) cement floor from also contributing.
Preparing your exhaust and other chrome parts for winter: pretty crucial. Get some really light weight oil, like WD40, in the muffler ends and any possible drain holes. Put a few plastic bags, balled up into the exhaust ends. This will prevent moisture from entering. Finally, use some plastic bags to cover the exhaust and other crucial chrome parts. It keeps moisture off, and will slow/prevent rusting. If you look at my Hond VTX Wallpaper, you can see my Honda VTX 1300 has lots of surface area’s which could receive lots of damage with out proper preparation.
Before you take it out again, double check all the fluids, check the battery, and just everything common sense tells you might not be in great condition after not being used for 4 or 5 months. Ride safe.
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[…] I really enjoy how smooth it drives. The Pearl Dark Blue looks amazing out on the road. The cornering and turns are great compared other 1300cc bikes, or ones close to it in size. The Passenger seat is a little narrow but I plan on getting a new one soon enough. There is lots of Chrome from front to back. Driver seat is comfortable and well positioned. Everyone driving around their 750’s and 800’s regardless of if it’s a Harley, Honda or whatever always turn their head and gawk. Stock pipes aren’t loud, but are big, beautiful and add a lot more chrome. They (the exhaust) seem to really be a trouble spot on collecting light scratches and that nasty chrome rust stuff that looks like brown spots. I decided to buckle down and really learn how to repair them, and wrote a tutorial on How To Repair and Remove Scratches from Chrome Exhaust. Owning your motorcycle for longer than just the summer time is pretty common. This Honda VTX is my first motorcycle, so I also spent some time learning how to prepare my motorcycle for winter weather and storage. […]
I love my 04′ VTX 1300C in Candy Apple Red. Oh, and did I say I love it.
Can you drill a small hole in the mufflers to make them sound better on the honda 1300 vtx? Or is there anything you can do to the pipes for a better sound? But not Too Loud. thanks, Mr.D
Is it safe to store your bike in your house? I have a walk out basement and would like to store my bike in their for the winter, but I have a teenager who lives in a room in the walkout basement, is there any danger by keeping my bike indoors?
I have a Charcoal Gray 06 VTX1300c that I have replaced my exaust system with the DD pipes. This required some minor adjustments with the valves but provided about 15% more hp as well as sounds great.