A word from the wise please. Blade is going into hibernation this coming weekend. I have been given two bits of advice that conflict with each other: 1. Drain fuel tank, the fuel will go off over winter 2. Fill fuel tank, it won’t go off if you fill tank right up ie no air to dull the fuel. In a past life I had the benefit of a garage with central heating radiator so other bikes have been kept cosy warm, just put a cover over and night night till spring. Top up tank with new fuel in spring and start her up. Easy. This year, going to be kept in a cold and probably damp garage. It’s been properly cleaned and polished with an in door cover over at the moment. Plan to get a good quality outdoor cover in the next few days and an Abba stand is on order as is an Optimate charger. Dealer who sold me the bike told me the cable for the charger should have been fitted during PDI but I could not find one when I looked last weekend. Any clues where it could be hidden as I can see no added cables on the battery lugs so I assume it wasn’t fitted, unless they have plugged it into the loom somewhere ? ABS Blade was brought new during the summer so would like to keep it as new if I can. Any advice would be really appreciated.
Always kept my bikes with a full tank in a cold garage at the bottom of my garden. never had any issues with it. I think the main reason to keep it filled is to stop any chance of the inside of the tank rusting/going manky. I will start it up and warn the bike up a few times over the winter
I use stablizers in mine however still not done them, I say a large amount of fuel goes off slower than a little, mind you that said the shelf life of unleaded is posted on Shells website as a year, people tell me its weeks but they are wrong according to the oil companies. The rust in the tank is a valid point and my advice would be the same fill the tank to keep condensation to a min. Long term storage are quite different to the winter park up, I wind the motor over now and then to coat cams etc but I dont norm start them as more condensation enters the motor on the cool down.
Got a bloke in the oil/fuel trade on GSXR site he said fuel takes years to go off so this year I'll be filling mine!!!!
Fill her right up so no air. That's what us plant lads are taught after each day! Diesel. but same rule applies. No air.
Thank you everyone. Thats it then, full tank and bye bye till spring. Any bright ideas on the hidden charger lead, dealer told me today they have record of it being fitted but the guy that did the pdi is no longer working with them. I will have to have another look see at the weekend. One other note Abba stand that I ordered on Sunday evening arrived at my girly's office yesterday,thats great service. only problem is she says she cant lift it to bring it back on the tube/train so i have to pay congestion charge to go and fetch it from central London tomorrow. Bugger, i didnt think about that.
Well, if it has been fitted it must be attached to the battery terminals. P.S. The Optimate comes with one anyway I think, so you can just fit that one when it arrives.
Fill her to the top & what Arthur says. If you don't turn her over during the winter, make sure you turn her over a couple of times with the engine stop on before firing her up, just to coat everything.
