7 Ways to Prepare Your Motorcycle to Be Stored

There is a specific kind of sadness that hits every rider when they realize the season is over. Maybe the snow is starting to fly, or perhaps life is taking you overseas for six months. Whatever the reason, parking your bike for an extended period feels like putting a wild animal in a cage.

But simply throwing a tarp over it and walking away is a recipe for heartbreak. Motorcycles are machines that like to move; when they sit still, seals dry out, batteries die, and tires warp. If you want your bike to fire up on the first try when you return, you have to treat storage as an active process, not a passive one.

Whether you are parking it in your own garage or securing a climate-controlled motorcycle storage space to free up room at home, the prep work you do now will determine whether your first ride back is a joyride or a trip to the mechanic.

Here is how to properly winterize (or long-termize) your ride so it survives the hibernation.

1. The Deep Clean Is Not Optional

You might think, “Why wash it if nobody is going to see it?” The answer is chemistry. Road grime, dead bugs, and bird droppings are acidic. If you leave them sitting on your paint and chrome for months, they will slowly eat into the clear coat and cause pitting on your metal surfaces.

Give the bike a thorough wash and dry it completely. Moisture is the enemy here, so use a leaf blower or compressed air to get water out of the nooks and crannies of the engine block. Once it’s dry, apply a high-quality wax to the painted parts and a light coat of WD-40 (or a dedicated corrosion inhibitor) to exposed metal frames to create a barrier against moisture.

2. The Fuel Debate: Full vs. Empty

For modern fuel-injected bikes, the consensus is clear: fill it up. An empty gas tank is prone to rust. As the temperature fluctuates, condensation forms on the inside of the bare metal tank walls. Eventually, that rust flakes off and clogs your fuel pump.

Fill the tank with premium fuel to the brim—leave as little air space as possible. However, gas goes bad over time. It turns into a varnish-like sludge that ruins injectors. To prevent this, you must add a high-quality fuel stabilizer.

• The Critical Step: Don’t just pour the stabilizer in and walk away. Pour it in, then ride the bike for 10 minutes. This ensures the treated fuel cycles through the lines and into the injectors or carburetor bowls.

3. Oil: The Silent Killer

Old oil is acidic oil. The byproducts of combustion (carbon and sulfur) mix with your oil to create mild acids. While the engine is running regularly, this isn’t a huge deal. But if that contaminated oil sits in your oil pan for six months, it can corrode internal bearings and seals.

Even if you aren’t due for an oil change by mileage, do it anyway. Storing your bike with fresh, clean oil ensures that the internal components are bathed in a neutral, protective lubricant rather than a corrosive bath.

4. Saving the Battery

Batteries hate being ignored. Even when the key is off, your bike has tiny draws—the clock, the alarm system, the computer memory. Over three months, these will drain a battery to zero. Once a lead-acid battery hits zero volts, it is often chemically ruined and won’t hold a charge again.

You have two options:

• The Smart Charger: If your storage space has power, hook up a smart charger. Do not use a standard car charger; you need one that monitors the voltage and floats it.

• The Disconnect: If you don’t have power, remove the battery entirely. Take it home and store it in a cool, dry place (not on a concrete floor), and charge it once a month.

5. Tires and the Flat Spot Myth

Rubber is pliable. If you leave a 500-pound machine sitting on the same patch of rubber for six months, the tire carcass can permanently deform, creating a flat spot. When you ride it again, you will feel a rhythmic thumping vibration.

The gold standard is to get the tires off the ground. If your bike has a center stand, use it. If you have paddock stands, use them.

If you don’t have stands, don’t panic. Simply over-inflate your tires by about 10-15 PSI (do not exceed the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall). This makes the tire harder and more resistant to deformation. If possible, try to roll the bike forward or backward a foot every few weeks to change the pressure point.

6. Pest Control

Mice love motorcycles. Airboxes and exhaust pipes are perfect, cozy condos for a rodent family. They will build nests using your seat foam and chew through your wiring harness for fun.

• Plug the Holes: Stuff a rag or a piece of steel wool into the end of your exhaust pipe and the air intake. Steel wool is best because mice can’t chew through it.

• The Reminder: This is crucial—put a bright piece of tape over your ignition or speedometer that says “REMOVE EXHAUST PLUGS.” Trying to start a bike with a blocked exhaust can blow out seals and cause massive damage.

7. Resist the Urge to Start It

This is the most common mistake owners make. They think, “I’ll just go start it up for 5 minutes to keep the juices flowing.” Do not do this.

Idling a bike for five minutes does not get the oil hot enough to boil off condensation. Instead, it introduces new moisture into the engine and exhaust system, which then sits there and causes rust. Unless you are going to ride the bike for a full 30 minutes to get it to operating temperature, leave it alone. Let it sleep.

Putting your bike away properly takes an afternoon of work, but it buys you peace of mind. There is no worse feeling than the first warm day of spring arriving and your bike refusing to start. By stabilizing the fluids, protecting the battery, and securing a safe, dry environment for it to rest, you ensure that your reunion will be nothing but open road and green lights.