How to store a motorcycle and start it again after a layup

A motorcycle parked for a few months still ages. Fuel goes stale, the battery sinks below a safe charge, tires take a set where they rest on the floor, and mice look for a warm place to build a nest. Preparing a bike for a layup takes an afternoon, and it heads off the problems that greet an unprepared bike when it's wheeled out in spring. The same steps apply to a northern winter or a hot summer stretch when the bike won't be ridden, and most owner's manuals include a storage section whose specific instructions come first.

Fuel and the carburetor question

Gasoline can start to degrade within a month or two, and ethanol blends absorb moisture and can separate in a tank that sits long enough. Stale fuel leaves varnish that clogs carburetor jets and fuel injectors. Before the last ride of the season, add a fuel stabilizer at the dose on the bottle, fill up, and ride long enough to circulate treated fuel through the whole system. A full tank of treated fuel leaves less room for moist air and helps protect a steel tank from rust, though some manuals call for draining the fuel, so check yours.

Carbureted bikes need one more step. Fuel left in the float bowls evaporates and leaves deposits in the small passages, so many owners shut the fuel valve and drain each float bowl through its drain screw, or follow the manual's procedure for running the carburetors dry. Fuel-injected bikes have a sealed, pressurized system and usually only need the stabilizer.

Fresh oil and a clean bike

Change the engine oil and filter before the bike goes into storage. Used oil carries acids and moisture from combustion, and leaving it in the engine for months gives those contaminants time to work on bearings and seals. Wash the bike afterward, let it dry fully, and run it to operating temperature so trapped water evaporates. Clean and lubricate the drive chain while you're at it, since a chain stored wet will rust, and put a light coat of corrosion protectant on bare metal if the storage space is damp.

For storage longer than a few months, some manuals add a step to protect the cylinders. It involves removing the spark plugs, pouring a small measured amount of engine oil into each cylinder, and turning the engine over a few times to coat the cylinder walls before the plugs go back in. Use the quantity your manual gives, and skip the step if the manual doesn't call for it.

Keep the battery on a maintainer or pull it

A battery left connected will drain into the clock, the alarm, or the computer's memory, and a lead-acid battery that sits discharged loses capacity it won't get back. The simplest answer is a smart battery maintainer connected for the whole layup. If there's no outlet where the bike is stored, remove the battery, keep it somewhere cool and dry, and charge it every month or so. Lithium batteries self-discharge more slowly and some makers recommend disconnecting them for storage, so follow the maker's instructions. The battery care guide covers charger types and the lithium rules.

Tires, stands, and covers

Set the tires to the pressure in the manual before storage. A tire that sits underinflated on one spot for months can develop a flat spot, and lifting the weight off with a rear stand, or front and rear stands, avoids the problem. If the bike has to sit on its tires, rolling it a few inches every few weeks helps. Store it on a level surface out of direct sunlight, since UV and ozone age rubber, and keep it away from electric motors such as furnace blowers and freezer compressors, which produce ozone.

Use a breathable cover indoors, because a plastic tarp traps moisture against paint and metal. Rodents like airboxes and exhaust pipes, so stuff a rag or a purpose-made plug into each exhaust outlet and into the air intake opening if you can reach it. Then tie a bright tag to the handlebar as a reminder to pull them out before the first start.

A spring startup check

Before the first ride, go over the bike as carefully as you would a used one you were thinking of buying. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches a pre-ride inspection called T-CLOCS, short for tires and wheels, controls, lights and electrics, oil and other fluids, chassis, and stands, and it makes a good framework for a spring check.

After the first start, let the engine idle and check for leaks while it warms. Take the first few miles gently. Brake rotors often carry a film of surface rust after storage that wears off within a few stops, and cold tires on cool spring pavement grip less than you might expect.

The off-season is also the easiest time for jobs that take the bike off the road for a day. If the brake fluid or coolant is due, the oil and fluids guide explains the intervals, and tires that have sat through a season deserve the closer look described in the chain, belt, and tire inspection guide.

Specs in this guide are general. Fluid grades, capacities, torque values, and service intervals vary by model and year, and the owner's manual or factory service manual for your exact machine takes priority.