The annual 'my bikes hibernating' thread

[A500leroy]

Whos put there bikes away for the winter?

Whos riding through winter?

[Pothole]

Winter tyres, ACF50, blah blah blah...

[Speed addicted]

Bikes are pretty much done for the year now, I live near Aberdeen so it’s getting pretty chilly and the roads are covered in slippery crap.
The bike also only saves me about 5 mins on my 15 mile commute.

The car will be getting winter tyres once the supplying garage loosen the wheel bolts to something vaguely like the 140nm in the book, as I can’t shift them using a breaker bar or impact driver and neither can my local Costco tyre place!

[NS400R]

Just come back. Thought I'd go for one last ride. Sun is low, roads slippery and soaked. That's it for this year. I'll wash bike and then store for winter.

[WarnieV6GT]

If its dry and around 10 degrees then I'll go out but I dont do any long runs. Our local bike cafe is 25 mins away and all good nsl single carriage roads, so just going there gets the itch scratched.

[Cylon2007]

Mine always stays taxed insured and ready to go, there are too many good days through winter to be sat there thinking "if only the bike was ready to pop out for a ride".

[Jag_NE]

I’m done. It’s a fun thing for me and it stops being fun when the roads are slippy and it’s freezing! It might come out next month as I need to get it serviced but that will be it.

[CaptainSlow]

What do people do with the battery? Usually I just hook up a tender but I'm not sure if this does them much good. Last year I kept it indoors and then gave it a few hours on the tender every few weeks.

[200Plus Club]

CaptainSlow said:

What do people do with the battery? Usually I just hook up a tender but I'm not sure if this does them much good. Last year I kept it indoors and then gave it a few hours on the tender every few weeks.

Avoid storing it in a cold room while discharged and it will be fine. Charge it up and store it somewhere without frost etc.

[JulianHJ]

Mine's getting a thorough clean and ACF50 later today. I'll ride through the winter as I'm on the south coast so it never gets really bad; my commute consists of 25 miles of busy A-roads which are routinely gritted. I won't ride when it's snowing though.

[anonymous-user]

CaptainSlow said:

What do people do with the battery? Usually I just hook up a tender but I'm not sure if this does them much good. Last year I kept it indoors and then gave it a few hours on the tender every few weeks.

Keeping lead acid batteries on trickle charge IS good for them.

Lead acids batteries lose charge over time, and keeping them topped up with a low current stops this.

[Jazoli]

Put mine away last weekend, that's me done, I don't care for riding at this time of year, low sun, st covered roads, cold temps and filthy bikes are no fun.

I'll be in the car until March at least.

[black-k1]

Mine will remain taxed, insured and road legal for the whole winter but commuting duties stop at the end of the coming week. The risk frost on the untreated country roads I have to use becomes too great. I'm too old to bounce and the bike is too expensive to fix!

[Birky_41]

I'll ride albeit a lot less over winter. If I go out and its dry I can deal with getting caught in a bit of rain but I wont do a fun ride when its wet out

Since getting the heated gloves the cold isn't such an issue just need the tyres up for the job

[itcaptainslow]

SORN’d my CB1100 now. The Monkey only costs £20 per annum to tax so I keep it taxed all year in case there’s a dry, sunny, salt free day.

[Bordtea]

Yep - SORN'd the MT10 yesterday. Managed to get out one day in January this year so will get it taxed if we get a good day in the new year, but most likely won't be coming out again until March :-(

Battery will be getting plugged into an optimate.

Am I strange in that I ACF50 the bike over winter even though it's only sitting in the shed and not being ridden? My logic was always moisture in the air, condensation that gets on in the winter etc

[Olza23]

Mines ACF 50'd in the garage but will remain road ready as I cannot not ride her for the whole winter, will drive me insane. Any dry fresh day over the weekends through winter I'll take her out for a spin 😀

Ride safe

[mikal83]

My FJR is all tucked away till April, sorned and snug in the corner of my garage

[bogie]

I dont usually ride my MV during winter, but is insured/taxed just in case there are some warmer dry days. Ride the Harley if its dry and over 10 deg ish, it has "regular" touring tyres on it. Its nice to get out for a few hours mid winter. I just give it a good coat of ACF50 now just in case get caught in rain and/or left over salty crap on the roads.

[TommyBuoy]

Olza23 said:

Mines ACF 50'd in the garage but will remain road ready as I cannot not ride her for the whole winter, will drive me insane. Any dry fresh day over the weekends through winter I'll take her out for a spin ??

Ride safe

Same as me (out on it now). My unwritten winter rule is dry and above 5 degrees I'll ride