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Winterisation storage questions....


johnnyjazz
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Hello esteemed and revered friends! so i finally got the ol' girl all finished (74 TY250a), with many many thanks to all you on here i'm deep in gratitude.

So I recently left my job where i kept/worked on my bike (i'm onto bigger/better things) but sadly lost the indoor semi heated storage facilities.  so now its the in-laws unheated garden shed in upstate NY!  seeing as the winters here are super cold and brutal and i have a few other things on, I've decided to put her away till next spring when i have a bit more time to enjoy her

Ive looked at many vid's on line regarding winter storage and there seems to be some confusion about whether to drain the tank or fill it up totally.  what would you guys recommend for an old twinshock?  ive only run Non ethanol gas with synthetic pre mix at 50/1 since new oko carb...should i put a bit of 40/1 through the engine before storage..and is fogging necessary?  the tank has been red koted so i dont think rust is an issue.  but i should drain the carb or leave gas in there?  sorry to be such a noob!!

and the only other concern i have is the freezing colds affect on the vinyl seat. is that an issue cracking?  i plan to wrap her up really good (though read about bike sweats and got nervous) and keep the wheels off the ground, ive just changed the oil too...but if im missing anything else from you experts who have done this a million times id appreciate any pointers!

thanks so much in advance and all best for a while, johnny :)

 

 

 

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If the garden shed is not sitting on a insulated pad,then condensation can be a problem.In this case I would fill the tank with fuel and treat the fuel with stabilizer ,start the bike and warm it up so the fuel in the carb is also treated.Next,remove the spark plug,with a oil can squirt a liberal amount on non synthetic 2 stroke oil in the spark plug hole and turn the motor over to be assured that the crank and piston are coated in this oil.Replace the spark plug.Coat any exposed metal surfaces with Vaseline ,ie fork tubes,shock shaft...anything not painted that you do not want to rust/corrode.If you have a stand for the bike,use it to elevate the tires off the ground,if not put some cardboard or plywood under the tires.Put a cover ,anything but plastic,and old bed sheet works good, over the bike and its a good idea to tape over the exhaust and air filter intake to keep out moisture and rodents.Set a mouse trap or two under the bike.

Edited by Bmonk
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If it is going to spend the winter in an unheated shed I would recommend the following. Perhaps a bit extreme but will ensure a safe journey through an upstate NY winter..

Start and warm the bike up.

While running, fog the engine with fogging oil. This will ensure that the crank and connecting rod bearings are coated.  Dumping oil in the spark plug hole will not do this.

Since your tank is coated, remove it and drain the gas. Even with a fuel stabilizer, the gas will deteriorate some over the winter and you can always use it in your snow blower.

Remove and clean the carb. It will then be ready for fresh gas next spring.

Coat all exposed bare metal with something like Fluid Film, or even WD40.

Cover the bike. An old sheet as mentioned above is a good idea.

Not sure what to recommend for the seat, although the mouse traps are a good idea.

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I understand that here are tons of people that have had good luck with fogging oil,but I am not one of them.If the fogging oil can only contained oil,that's one thing,but it's the agent that makes it an aerosol ,often alcohol based that can be a problem.I disagree that introducing oil into the spark plug hole does not lube the crank and rod bearings.....liberal amounts and turning the motor over to distribute the oil is the key.In the winter months when things are cold all the time it maters little if the fuel tank is full or empty.But in the early spring when the nights are below freezing and the days are above freezing,in a shed ,the probability is high that condensation will happen inside the empty(lined) tank.....so it is a trade off ....which is the least harmful scenario water in the empty tank or a full tank that is treated.and the possibility that the gas stabilizer is not working 100 percent.?

The fact that something gets done and the bike is prepared for winter is usually a signal for success.Most problems are from just parking the bike and not doing anything..

The reason I recommend non synthetic oil for storage is the same as using an aerosol fogging oil ....sythethic oil ester based is by its nature thinned with as evaporative agent ,in storage this often evaporates leaving the heavy deposits in the base and in the process of evaporating absorbs moisture...in my experience sythethic oil is great for lubrication but no so good for storage.

 

 ..?..

 

Edited by Bmonk
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Am I correct in thinking that the TY has a crankcase drain screw? My monoshock TY did and when I put it in to semi permanent storage I filled the crankcase with oil and drained it years later - all seemed fine. You could even fill the bore too.

A wee bit smokey on initial start up but no harm in that.

Edited by 2stroke4stroke
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Take the forks out and obviously both wheels. Remove the fuel tank. Now using all the skills of the Man from Uncle quietly sneak everything into the house and hide the bike in bits under your bed. The fuel tank you can either fill with diesel and place in a box and surround the tank with bubble wrap and blankets....fire hazard....so store off the floor and away from potential sources of no common sense. 

Alternatively you could ask a local store to use your bike as an advertising window dressing...Father Christmas riding a TY250 ...choose the store carefully one that keeps the thermostat turned up when the store is closed, you may even get a hire fee!

Seriously, cover with breathable covers, leave the tank to dry out spray in silicon fluid and refit the filler cap. Pump up tyres to 20-25 psi. Slacken the brake cables off. Plug the exhaust tail pipe, rag will do. Remove air filter and stuff an oil soaked rag into the air box, put the filter into a pplastic bag. Remove the spark plug and spray in silicon fluid, refit plug straight away. Make a note in your diary/ calendar each month to remind you to check the bike, every other month you’ll want to re-apply the silicon fluid and check the tyres. You will also want to do the tank as well.

The thing to do is remember that you parking the bike for winter, not totally ignoring it. A gentle loving wipe over of wheel rims and frame etc is a good thing......of course if you were the Man from Uncle you would be able to just reach down under the bed and get that reassuring feeling that you beloved is snug and warm....then you can check the wife/girlfriend....or erhem!?????

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Up here it's damp all the year round more so through west where it must rain every day Summer or Winter.

Here's my point, I'm 55 and every bike I've got will outlast me even if I leave them under the porch out the back which I do.

I know this is no help, but never any bother with bikes left for a while.

So my tip would be move to East Scotland and build porch.   

 

 

 

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wow! Thanks so much friends. awesome advice :)  dpyam, i use similiar to aspen fuel (pic attached) ..and section swept, classic man, awesome. you got me thinking about taking her apart and seeing if could wangle the in laws to put it in the living room...haha! but the beauty of westchester (1hr north manhattan) is the riding is much better and a lot less traffic lights so the idea of being able to jump on her and ride is a huge plus of putting her there (ride em dont hide em, right?)..plus the inlaws dont have any w/shop space otherwise id really consider stripping her down- hell, i even asked the wife if i could keep her in our brooklyn 1 bed apt. hmmm...you can imagine the response! 

Bmonk, how much oil would you squirt in the plug hole? like 5mils? if you could define 'liberal amount' that'd be great.  i only got her as an investment for my son who likes the idea of having a vtg trials bike when he's older.  i think the bank gives me 0.1% on my savings so i figured a real nice TY would give me a better return than that! one just turned up on my doorstep so i don't want to waste all my hard work and return to a rust bucket!  the last trials bike i had that i had to store outside was a fantic 240 in 1985!  i was only 11 so don't remember much about it- other than i sold it for 300quid, prollly rusty! 

and breagh, brother, right now the thought of escaping the world headquarters of consumerism,materialism and capitalism and moving to east Scotland to build a porch would be just what id like to do with my life! (spent many happy hours in the highlands) sadly, wifey works in the NY fashion world so not sure what she'd do there...i did suggest she could get into trials and fishing perhaps, maybe learn the bagpipes?....very large eye roll.  oh well.... 

best vibes to all and thanks so much again! johnny

 

705788515219.jpg

20180704_111310.jpg

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my oil can holds about 250mils ,so use at least 1/2 of that ,put the piston at the bottom of the stroke so the oil flows down the ports to the bottom end and turn the motor over the get everything coated....get everything good and wet with oil ,you can't use too much.

It will smoke like a stack when you start it up and will probably foul a plug.

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1 hour ago, johnnyjazz said:

wow! Thanks so much friends. awesome advice :)  dpyam, i use similiar to aspen fuel (pic attached) ..and section swept, classic man, awesome. you got me thinking about taking her apart and seeing if could wangle the in laws to put it in the living room...haha! but the beauty of westchester (1hr north manhattan) is the riding is much better and a lot less traffic lights so the idea of being able to jump on her and ride is a huge plus of putting her there (ride em dont hide em, right?)..plus the inlaws dont have any w/shop space otherwise id really consider stripping her down- hell, i even asked the wife if i could keep her in our brooklyn 1 bed apt. hmmm...you can imagine the response! 

Bmonk, how much oil would you squirt in the plug hole? like 5mils? if you could define 'liberal amount' that'd be great.  i only got her as an investment for my son who likes the idea of having a vtg trials bike when he's older.  i think the bank gives me 0.1% on my savings so i figured a real nice TY would give me a better return than that! one just turned up on my doorstep so i don't want to waste all my hard work and return to a rust bucket!  the last trials bike i had that i had to store outside was a fantic 240 in 1985!  i was only 11 so don't remember much about it- other than i sold it for 300quid, prollly rusty! 

and breagh, brother, right now the thought of escaping the world headquarters of consumerism,materialism and capitalism and moving to east Scotland to build a porch would be just what id like to do with my life! (spent many happy hours in the highlands) sadly, wifey works in the NY fashion world so not sure what she'd do there...i did suggest she could get into trials and fishing perhaps, maybe learn the bagpipes?....very large eye roll.  oh well.... 

best vibes to all and thanks so much again! johnny

 

705788515219.jpg

20180704_111310.jpg

Very nice TY250 very standard looking too....nice??

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