By NELDA MASCHMEYER
Winterizing a motorcycle is as easy as one, two, three, said Steve Jewell, Parts Manager of Monarch Honda in Orem.
“The most important thing to remember is to fill the tank as much as you can before you store it,” Jewell said.
He said after the tank is filled, the motorcyclist should put some type of fuel stabilizer in the tank. After that, the carburater should be drained.
Jewell said he recommends lifting the bike with a jack so that the tires won’t be ruined. A cover can also be put over the bike to protect it.
He said the motorcyle does not necessarily have to be put in the storage unit.
“I know guys who ride all winter long and everything is okay,” Jewell said.
He said you can buy heated vests, pants and gloves to keep you warm in the winter. The heating cords can be connected to the cigarrette lighter jack.
“It’s harder to keep the motorcyle in perfect condition if you do ride all winter. The thing I would most recommend if you do store it is to fill the tank with gas,” Jewell said.
Chris Bryant, 25, a mechanical engineering major from Leesburg, Vir., said he called a motorcycle shop to ask them what to do with his motorcycle in the winter.
He said he doesn’t own a garage space but rather has a little awning he puts on top of the motorcycle.
Bryant said the man at the motorcycle shop told him that if he didn’t fill the gas tank up completely, water would condensate inside the tank and cause erosion and paint chips to come off. He said the chemical stabilizer keeps the gas from gunking up.
Bryant said he also learned to keep the bike covered and close to the wall, where the heat comes from. From these steps he said he has learned how not to let a bike freeze.
“The main thing I learned was to fill my tank up with gas.”
Gustavo Olivera, 25, a zoology major from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said he rides his motorcycle all year and never has a problem with it.
“I don’t do anything special with it. I just leave it outside and it runs just fine for me,” Olivera said.
He said the most important thing to remember is to bundle up when it gets cold.
