Ducati Monster Forum

So it is nearing winter, and I don't particularly like riding in the rain, and the cold.  Just wanting some advice on how best to keep my bike in storage until spring/summer.

I am already looking to get one of those battery savers.  Anything else?

cheers  ;D

front and rear stands to keep the tyres off the ground, battery tender, drain the fuel out of it.
i reckon winter is the best time to ride, especially after the early morning dew has burned off.

paul.

thanks for the advice - just a question or two - why drain the fuel out?  just out of the tank itself? wouldn't it be best to keep some fuel in for the seals on the injectors etc?  I got a paddock stand for the rear, make sense to get the front up too.

oh yeah it maybe lovely in winter where you are, but here in my little country town it is just plain cold and miserable, and when it eventually rains it buckets (you all know this little country town as Adelaide  ;D)


cheers [thumbsup]
jason

Winter storage!
Com'on, there is no snow that falls in our cities unlike the Northern Hemi.
Storage, I'm with Loony winter is a great time to ride.
I do agree riding in the rain ain't no fun but then that is always the way with most of the folks on here.

But I guess if you need to store it, Loony's suggestions are on the money.
Don't know if you'd need to drop the oil also.

haha yeah I know sounds soft! I look at it as a risk analysis also - far greater chance of going down the road in wet conditions.  I rode back from Phillip Island after MotoGP a few years back on my old Pantah along the Great Ocean Road in the pouring rain.  That is when I found out my newly purchased rain proof jacket was actually a sponge.  That experience soured my winter riding - but I digress...

I am about to change the oil anyhow and put a new filter on it. 

What winter,12 weeks at the best with global warming.
And here in Sydney winter is generally dry and summer wet,
And summer too hot to ride :o

Probably put it on stands,and a battery tender once a week.
And on  nice sunny winters day's take it for a spin at least a few times over winter [thumbsup]


BTW I recently bought an old Honda CB400 with 12000klm on it been sitting in a garage 20 years with a full tank of fuel un started.
I just drained the fuel changed the oil ,new battery  and it ran perfect :o

But that's a jap bike.
Remember we're talking Ducati-Italian here!

Oh did I say that.....

Have Faith my son [bang]

leave the oil until you take it out of storage, change the oil and filter then. you should drain the fuel, a low tank will attract moisture which will rust a steel one and contaminate the injection system on them all. Fuel has lots of additives these days and goes stale quickly, best to drain it and run it till it stops, the convenience of having fuel in the bike will be outweighed by the fact that it will run like shit and probably need the injectors ultrasonic cleaned.


paul.

yeah I agree - just helping a friend get her CB400Four up and running - same thing, drained fuel, new oil, and away it purrs.

My mates MHR (no not a MH900e) sits in storage years at a time, always has troubles when he goes to get it out...be it battery, carbs, fork seals

thanks again Paul - that has made it a lot clearer.  Just another question (sorry about all the questions!) but my Monster is a 2006 S2R 1000 - would it have a plastic tank?  And the is there a drain tap near the injectors, or do I just disconnect the hoses? I know Australia has the worst fuel in the world - and the highest boiling point.

i'm fairly sure yours has a plastic tank, not sure if there's a drain on the tank or not, you may want to drop the main line from the tank and drain it that way.

paul.

Gee, I thoughjt that you would fill the tank to the top just to stop the corrosion but that is with a steel tank, I also would drop the oil out and put in new as the old oil is full of contaminants, wheels off the ground like people have said also bungs in the mufflers and also the air box to stop any hornets or wasps getting in, maybe a light spray of WD-40 on the engine area.






                                 Mmick

ah thanks for reminding me about the exhaust mick.  reminds me of a flying huntsman I saw come shooting out of a Conti when my mate went to start his old bevel.  was hilarious at the time as it landed on another mate standing behind the bike!  The other thing with fuel in the tank Mick is sometimes it starts to form a gum or residue, and can block fuel lines, carbs etc if left too long in you tank.

Just stick it on a resistance trainer thingy with the rear wheel up in yer loungeroom, and ride it while you're watching motoGP on the telly in the middle of the night.

At least that's what ppl seem to do with their pushbikes over winter...

Yes yours is a plastic tank, it's fairly obvious cause when you tap it it doesn't go tink'tink'tink' like metal.
There are two lines with plastic clips that run up to the back of the tank along with a over flow drain hose.
You can just un-clip them and it will drain out, of course you pull out the fuel pump if you feel like it just to check the
filter and make sure it is fully drained.

I can't imagine any major problems having fuel out for such a short period of time, no greater difference to it
being off the road for painting or repairing reasons.

I too was like you Jason regarding winter storage, but I realised that the amount of nice days over winter (even a nice morning or arvo) you can take the bike for a blast, may put in a few litres of fresh fuel and this also keeps the battery charged up.
I still put mine on the trickle charge and stands but always make sure there is fresh fuel in it every few weeks at least.

If you do want to store it make sure you drop the oil and put in fresh oil at the start of storage. Maybe start the bike once a week for a few minutes or so to keep the internals lubed.

So does this mean I have to wait till spring to catch up for that ride?

No need for a truckle (Kiwi trickle) charger as my Monsters get used continuously throughout the winter. (Victoria) [thumbsup] [moto]

riding in the "not the best" conditions keeps you sharp and improves your riding! Plus I'd go nuts not riding for that length of time!  [roll]

But, agree with the getting both whells off the deck and draining the fuel along with the battery tender. [thumbsup]

excellent suggestion - my mate just bought one of those fat people treadmills (it is rated up to something like 200kg) that he now doesnt use - wonder if I could get that past the missus in to the lounge, and the S2R....hmmmm ;D

haha maybe mate, but I am getting some pretty convincing arguments here to keep riding during winter - just means I need new wet weather gear - and if we have a dry winter like we did last year....you may not have to wait that long Vossy!  [moto] ;D

oh yeah we will catch up - eventually....

I have a simple solution.........Just park it in my garage and i will keep it ticking over through winter.......is much easier to invest in some thermals and heated grips though......... [thumbsup]

Slightly off topic, but it was 34 degrees today out west of Brisbane necessitated me taking the cover off the pool and going for a dip.

So much for "Winter" storage  ;D

Bugger that..... Winter storage....
Best time to ride, cool mornings, warm days, cool evenings.

What more could you want ???  ;D

A naked virgin on the back?  [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]
Sorry, had to beat you to it.

OK, that will do