Motorcycle Storage & Offseason Maintenance and Tuning

Motorcycle storage and offseason maintenance is necessary for a lot of us. Lucky ones never really need to store the bike, but no one could ignore the MC -maintenance without consequences. Especially in allroad motorcycling damages are very common. A rough appearance may be intentional, but never the less damages should be taken care of asap and in the season end at the latest. Some of the damages are always bigger than expected and probably lead to a full stop sooner than later. Every time the bike takes a fall something probably bends, shifts or starts perhaps a crack. These damages are often well hidden and very hard to identify on the scene with the naked eye. After every fall take a short moment to evaluate the nature of the fall in question. What kind of impact forces (speed, surface, direction) were directed to which part of the motorcycle ? Look at the skid marks on the scene. This way hidden damages could be fixed on time and the risk to come into a full stop in the middle of nowhere could be minimized.

Before storing the motorcycle in the garage fix all the damages while they are still fresh in your mind. This way the next season could be started right way and safely when the conditions are again right. In addition you would not forget to fix all the damages. On the other hand, the repair and service providers are not as busy in the season end as they are in the beginning of the next season. They may even give discount outside the busiest time.

Motorcycle storage indoors for the offseason is naturally the best option, but I would also recommend to cover the bike. A proper motorcycle outdoor cover and indoor storage tarp such as the Dowco GUARDIAN Weather All Plus EZ Zip provides additional protection and a kind of rest for the bike. The storage rooms are hardly ever just for the bike and used perhaps daily for something else. The motorcycle storage cover would not only protect the bike. It would also help to pass by very close without getting grabbed and build up a kind of zone which is reserved entirely for the bike. Outdoor motorcycle storage may be just fine depending on the weather conditions, but hardly without a proper MC -storage cover. The elements are very harsh for the paint, plastic parts, leather and all the rubber in the bike. Storage out of doors would easily shorten the expected lifetime of many parts in the motorcycle and extra attention would be in order.

Motorcycle Offseason Battery Maintenance

One of the very basic motorcycle offseason maintenance task is taking care of the 12V -battery. If the battery is not maintenance charged, energy and part of the expected lifetime would be lost. Even if the battery is disconnected from the MC -electrical system, the charge simply drops especially when the battery is stored below zero conditions. Also rather new batteries can come to the knees with poor maintenance. Without maintenance charging the expected lifetime of the battery becomes a lot shorter and in the worst case scenario, the battery lasts only one season. Good quality MC -batteries with proper maintenance last several years easily.

When the motorcycle is stored indoors, the battery could be left in place and supported with a proper maintenance charger over long periods of time. Computer controlled maintenance charging keeps the charge up without damages or overdoing it. Unintelligent chargers can not be left connected very long, because they are not following and reacting on the progress. Modern MC -battery chargers are very user-friendly and intelligent. There are also simple charge level indicators which allow to route a charging plug more available and leave the battery in place. The indicator could be left on in order to follow the charge regularly and if the bike`s own alternator has not been able to fully charge the battery while riding, it can be done easily at home with the charger. This is interesting detail for a lot of allroad and adventure motorcyclists with smaller alternators.