Preparing Your Motorcycle For Safe Long-Term Storage In A Self-Storage Unit

Whether you're running out of garage space or need to keep your motorcycle safely away from the elements during the winter, a self storage unit is a secure place to store your motorcycle for a long period of time. Motorcycles are small enough to be stored in smaller, inexpensive storage units, so you won't pay much to keep your motorcycle secure and safe from the outdoor weather. Before you store your motorcycle, you'll need to take a few precautions to make sure the engine and the battery remain in good condition.

Fully Fill Your Tank and Add Fuel Stabilizer to Prevent Rust and Corrosion

It's important that motorcycles are stored with a full tank of gas. Flushing the fuel system allows air to enter into the carburetor and allows moisture to build up in the inside of your fuel system, potentially causing rust and corrosion. This can cause major engine damage when you attempt to start your bike again after removing it from storage. The components of the fuel system are also designed to be submerged in gasoline.

You'll need to add fuel stabilizer to the tank in order to store a motorcycle for longer than two months. Fuel stabilizer prevents gasoline from oxidizing and protects the metal components in your fuel system from corrosion. Ideally, you should fill up your tank with ethanol-free gasoline before storing your motorcycle. Ethanol can attract moisture and cause your fuel system to rust when your motorcycle isn't operated for a long period of time. If you can't find ethanol-free gasoline, use a fuel stabilizer designed for ethanol-blended gasoline.

Adding fuel stabilizer to your motorcycle's tank will make the gasoline slightly more solvent. When left to sit in your fuel system for a long period of time, it can dissolve some of the built-up gunk in your fuel line and engine. You may come back to a clogged fuel line. To prevent this, run a fuel system cleaner through your bike a month or two before you put the motorcycle into storage.

Remove the Battery and Periodically Charge It at Home to Keep It Alive

Remove your battery from your motorcycle before you put your bike into storage. Most storage facilities won't allow you to store batteries in the unit due to the risk of explosion. The battery will also slowly drain its charge over the course of two or three weeks, so it would be dead when you took the motorcycle out of storage.

To keep your battery alive outside of your motorcycle, buy a charger unit for your home and periodically charge the battery. You should do this once every week. As long as the battery is in use and not allowed to drain all of its charge, it will be in good working condition when you remove your motorcycle from storage.

By following these tips, you ensure that your motorcycle will come out of the storage unit free from damage and ready to use. Renting a self storage unit is a great way to keep your motorcycle safe from the elements.

Share