Winter Storing a WR

[scbrown]

I live in Alaska and we have to store our bikes about 7 months out of the year (we could probably squeeze another month with studded tires, but the snowmobiles call). On my previous dirt bikes I would drain the gas tank/carb fuel bowl and move the battery to an above freezing location.

However, the WR has me scratching my head. Since it has a metal tank and fuel injection, should I fill the tank and use fuel stabilizer instead? Thoughts?

[reppans]

I'd fill, stabilize and run the motor so the stabil circulates through the hoses/injector. My question would be the battery...

The manual states that it needs a special MF (maintenance free) charger or you will damage the battery. Is this BS?

I have a Battery Tender Plus... will that work for an MF battery? Does the WR use an AGM or Gel type MF batt.? Clicky

[blueshopsuper]

After living here most my life and having some of the old steel tank bikes, I would say stabil and a full tank.

[Jäger]

For the battery, I'd apply RV thinking to it. Better batteries like Trojans have tables for the current required for various types of maintenance on the batteries. I think what you're looking for is the float charge to keep it happy through the winter. I would hope Yamaha can do better in the information field than to just tell you you need "a special charger".

[ZX1100F1]

For long-term storage Yamaha (short story version) recommends that you fill the tank and add fuel stabilizer, fog the cylinder, install a butt-plug, adjust tire pressures and store on lift of possible, remove battery fully charge and store it indoors.

The battery in the WR is just a wet sealed type filled with normal electrolyte, Yuasa recommends using only BatteryMate, OptiMate or Accumate chargers for these types of batteries, as with anything other chargers may work but these are the only ones that have been tested and appproved.

[maim]

ok so it sounds like solar panel time in the shed for me come winter.

[scbrown]

Thanks folks!

[scbrown]

Here is what someone wrote on the regular WR forum:

1) Wash thoroughly.

2) Remove the chain. Lube it & bag it with the master link attached to one end.

3) Lube all cables.

4) Completely drain fuel tank and carb float bowl.

4a) I would open and close the throttle a few times to also get all the fuel out of the carb's accelerator pump circuit.

5) Pull spark plug. Add one tablespoon of your favorite motor oil down the plughole.

6) Kick over (slowly) several times to coat the cylinder walls.

7) Remove the timing plug and position crank to TDC so all the valve springs are totally relaxed. Reinstall timing plug.

8) Reinstall spark plug about half way and leave plug wire off to remind you to install a fresh plug when bringing it out of storage.

9) Place on stand with both wheels off the ground. Someone once told me to deflate the tires, but I never do that. I guess it wouldn’t hurt. It would, however, make moving the bike around the garage more painful if you had to.

10) Tie a plastic bag over exhaust pipe opening to keep moisture out and deter kids from pouring anything down the pipe.

11) Clean, oil, grease and reinstall the air-filter.

12) Try to complete any other maintenance your doing as soon as possible and have the bike back together so you won’t forget anything or leave internal parts exposed to the elements for long periods of time.

[robmod]

Have any of you tried pulling the spark plug and putting a tablespoon of oil down the hole? It took me half an hour to get to the plug wire on my 08 wr250r, and the plug is WAY down in the cylinder head.... not easy to get to like a Honda Rebel or something! It's even trickier to try to pour oil down a tiny hole at the bottom of the "well" formed by the cylinder head. I pulled it off, but don't think it will take you 5 minutes to do! And as for "kicking it over a few times", you're better off leaving the plug out for a few minutes and rolling the bike across the garage floor while it is in 1st gear. Maybe everybody else's WR is different, but my 250R doesn't have a kick starter on it. This winter I took out the battery and put it on a maintainer indoors... seems to be doing fine. I'm about to put it back in and I was on here trying to find a good write-up of how to clean and re-install an oil-based air filter... never done it before.

[Petemit]

Man, I guess I'm cruel to my bikes by the looks of some of your guy's posts. I fill my tank, put stabilizer in and put it in my garage. I'll usually run the thing once a month for a bit just to see how she's doing ?

Other then that, it gets a basic tune up once riding season begins and thats it.

Guess I'm a bit of a butcher but while the massive list of things you guys are doing sounds great and won't hurt, seems a little overkill. But maybe I'm just lazy?

[eastcoastzigzag]

fill tank, add Stabil, remove battery to home.....cry a little....

worked great in NY!