Prepping your bike for storage

If you are the sort of person who puts their bike in storage over the colder months, then there are a few things you can do to make life easier come Spring. We put the call out to NZ's parts distributors to find out what products they suggest.

Clean your bike
The first thing you'll want to do is give you're bike a good clean. Future you will thank you for getting all that grit and grime off. There are a few ways to do this, but when I'm doing a proper wash, I like to start with a good hot bucket of soapy water and a sponge. I've been known to use Armorall car wash for this job. Muc-Off does a pretty good product if you are the sort of person who prefers to spray on, then hose off.

Protect your bike
Once cleaned, give it a quick dry down, and spray it down with a protectant to help stop oxidation and corrosion while it's in storage. Suggested options here include Scottoiler FS365, IPONE Plastic Shine & Protect or Muc-off Motorcycle Protectant.

Full the tank
Fill the fuel tank, and add a fuel stabilizer to stop the fuel from going off while the bike is parked up. One suggestion is IPONE Fuel Stabilizer.

Put your bike on stands
Decide where in the garage, shed, or storage unit the bike is going to hibernate, it's sometimes a good idea to put down a mat if your bike has a tendency to drop oil. Park the bike up and put it on its centre stand, if it doesn't have a centre stand, front and rear paddock stands are a great idea. This takes the pressure off the tyres and stops them from deforming and developing a flat spot. Suggestions include Black Ice and Bike-Lift.

Cover your bike
Once she's all parked up, tuck her in with a cover to keep any UV light from ruining the paint or plastic, this also stops dust from accumulating on the bike. R&G does a good range of covers here.

Look after the battery
At a bare minimum, disconnect the battery, this will stop the bike from drawing a current and flattening the battery over time, but remember batteries don't like to sit for a long time, they also don't like the cold. A good idea is to attach a trickle charger or battery tender while it's in storage for long periods of time. Options here include the CTEK or Powerroad battery tenders, or you can pick up a new Powerroad Lithium-Ion battery when you decide to get the bike out again, this would also save you weight. (I'm a big believer that if you have to replace something, you may as well upgrade it. right?).

Gear Storage
If you wear leather gear, now is a good time to clean and condition it before you put it away for winter.
If you have textile gear, cleaning is advised also.
Don't leave your helmet sitting on the mirror over winter, this will deform the EPS and render your helmet close to useless.

So, there you have it, a bunch of tips and tricks, plus some handy products to have in the shed for just such an occasion, ask for them by name from your local bike shop.

if we missed anything, let us know!