Winter hibernation

[CXey]

sadly it's rapidly approaching...the time to lay up the SP till spring.

So I'm thinking a quick best practices list would be useful, get the best tips off everyone for keeping their SP's in top nick.

Usually, I'd;
Over inflate the tyres by 10%
Lift the bike off the floor (stands)
drain the fuel
put a drop of oil in the tank & down the pistons
Put in some old sparks that are knackered
Trickle charge the battery
Good clean
DW40 coating on the metal work and a polish of the plastics

Anyone else?

[Sppete]

Whoa!
Way too early for that! I'm hoping to be riding until at least December. or at least until the first pile of salt is thrown down
As long as you keep her clean you'll be surprised at how much fun there is still to be had even when the temps are down a bit Im actually trying out a new layer of lard I've put on already this year in preperation, I shant be cold

Pete

[CXey]

Well with the CX needing finishing and me KLR desperate to go out, someone has to give. I think I'll tweek the SP a bit in the mean time

[steve p]

you dont want to miss out on them crisp cold January mornings when the air is supercharged with nitrous oxide, and two years ago i started my winter strip down at the end of September and missed out on the best October we've ever had! November and December are normally pretty shitty so the fairings will come off then, then il wipe down the engine etc with brake cleaner, degreaser etc. and spray with ACF50 Draining the tank can cause petrol pump problems but so to can old petrol and water in the tank, so it could be worth taking the tank off, draining it completely and then filling it up again. In cold areas in the States they drain the water cooling system but they do get -20. Bike up on paddock stands isnt a bad idea to save tyres. The hardest part is getting the bike upstairs and into the bedroom other than that i just start it up every week and let it get hot enough for the fan to cut in if its too crap to go out. What i have found usefull is to attach a flying lead from each battery terminal to a connector block under the seat cowl lid. To this it is easier to connect all your alarm, power commander, speedohealer etc. leads and also your battery charger if needed.

[SubSailor]

:cry: sadly it's rapidly approaching...the time to lay up the SP till spring.

So I'm thinking a quick best practices list would be useful, get the best tips off everyone for keeping their SP's in top nick.

Usually, I'd;
Over inflate the tyres by 10%
Lift the bike off the floor (stands)
drain the fuel
put a drop of oil in the tank & down the pistons
Put in some old sparks that are knackered
Trickle charge the battery
Good clean
DW40 coating on the metal work and a polish of the plastics

Anyone else?

I wouldn't recommend draining the fuel tank. Condensation can form which can lead to rust.
Keep the fuel tank completely filled to prevent moisture and add a fuel stabilizer instead, such as Sta-Bil.
It worked fine on my bike. I then drained the tank next spring and burned it in the truck.
WD-40 on the fork sliders is a good idea to prevent possible corrosion (it was originally a corrosion preventative for the Atlas missile).

[CXey]

didn't know about the missle part

I heard keeping fuel in the tank is the worst thing you can do. It clods up lines/filters etc with old fuel and that fuel is hydroscopic.
Mind you, I've heard tale than an SP1 is faster than an SP2 and we all know thats a load joke!

Should I duck for cover now or later?

[steve p]

most SP2 riders have flies squashed on the backs of thier helmets

[Speedytwin]

Lads are yon not getting a bit carried away here. Winter 2-3 months. Petrol won't go off that quick.
Just give it a good clean and spray it down with WD40 and fill the tank dint put oil in it for the love of god.
And the red one is not faster. It's just more raw power and they made the 2 for the people that couldn't ride the fast res one.

[CXey]

Well, just before putting it away last night, I went out for a nice blast round the Cotswolds. Lurvely.
But she's away now, bit of modification to take place over winter but the KLR is back out in action ready for some mud!

I forget though how slow everything else seems compared to the SP tried to out drag a Golf VR6 this morning on the KLR...I didn't win

[Sppete]

Well,
I've been loving the weather this last weekend. Treated the SP with a trip down to cornwall and back on Friday and then had a run over to the Black mountains in wales on Saturday. Managed to clock in a little ove 500 miles....Oh and there aint no flies on the back of my helmet

Pete