for those of us that get snow...winterizing questions

[rmx250]

Ok, so all my previous bikes, including my previous vstrom 1000, they would just get fresh gas mixed with stabil, get an oil change, and put the battery on a tender. Never had a problem. I'd do the same with my new S10 but what happened with my wifes bike has me questioning my winter ritual.....

My wife got a 650GS and it seems the BMW doesn't like ethanol, stabil, or a combination of the two. After two winters, the fuel pump and injectors had to me changed out. Long story short, I was told that I shouldn't use ethanol in any bike (yea right) and that I should use techron mixed with pure gas for storage....

Anyway, just asking what the rest of you are doing for storage. Should I worry about my S10's fuel injection with stabil and gas that has ethanol??? Or should I continue prepping it for winter like I have done with all my other bikes excepy my wife's....

Thanks,

Larry

 

[Venture]

I'm sure some bikes are pickier than others when it comes to gas. With that said, I have no idea where I could get gas without ethanol around here, it just doesn't exist anymore. I just mix in the stabil and give the bike a little run to get the stabilized fuel in it and that's that. Not much else you can do. Make sure you fill the tank all the way up to help prevent condensation from getting in.

 

[johnnail]

I'm sure some bikes are pickier than others when it comes to gas. With that said, I have no idea where I could get gas without ethanol around here, it just doesn't exist anymore. I just mix in the stabil and give the bike a little run to get the stabilized fuel in it and that's that. Not much else you can do. Make sure you fill the tank all the way up to help prevent condensation from getting in.

and then start it and let it warm up once a month all winter

 

[Venture]

and then start it and let it warm up once a month all winter

If you're going to do that, make sure you get it up to operating temperature so that any accumulated moisture is burned out of the crankcase. Otherwise you're just distributing water all over the engine.

 

[HoebSTer]

RMX250, are there any Cenex's arund the SPokane area? There are a few here and they truely sell NOn ethanon gas. I found this from some web-site awhile back. Just my thought!!

 

[colorider]

If you're going to do that, make sure you get it up to operating temperature so that any accumulated moisture is burned out of the crankcase. Otherwise you're just distributing water all over the engine.

Agree. IMHO, you are better off not even starting it.

 

[Kevhunts]

Ok, so all my previous bikes, including my previous vstrom 1000, they would just get fresh gas mixed with stabil, get an oil change, and put the battery on a tender. Never had a problem. I'd do the same with my new S10 but what happened with my wifes bike has me questioning my winter ritual.....

My wife got a 650GS and it seems the BMW doesn't like ethanol, stabil, or a combination of the two. After two winters, the fuel pump and injectors had to me changed out. Long story short, I was told that I shouldn't use ethanol in any bike (yea right) and that I should use techron mixed with pure gas for storage....

Anyway, just asking what the rest of you are doing for storage. Should I worry about my S10's fuel injection with stabil and gas that has ethanol??? Or should I continue prepping it for winter like I have done with all my other bikes excepy my wife's....

Thanks,

Larry

I followed your ritual on my '09 G650gs and had no issues. I did use the "marine grade" Stabil though.

 

[jajpko]

I only used Stabil once in my old KZ1000 kawasaki and the carbs were a freeking mess in 6 months. We have fuel injection thankfully, but I still to this day think Stabil does absolutely zilch. Somebody over at Bobistheoilguy forums had an analysis done on stabil and it came up as 100% mineral spirits. So that is the magic brew that keeps gas miraculously good for up to 3 yrs. Ha, right.

Sta-bil works just fine, it's the people using it that have problems. They do not say the gas will stay good for 3 yrs. The shelf life on the undiluted product is only 2 yrs. And 12 months when mixed with gas.

I have used it for years and have not had a problem.

 

[troll]

I only used Stabil once in my old KZ1000 kawasaki and the carbs were a freeking mess in 6 months. We have fuel injection thankfully, but I still to this day think Stabil does absolutely zilch. Somebody over at Bobistheoilguy forums had an analysis done on stabil and it came up as 100% mineral spirits. So that is the magic brew that keeps gas miraculously good for up to 3 yrs. Ha, right.

I'm with ya on this one RonH... I fill the tank to reduce condensation, pull the battery and put it in the house for warm keeping and start it up 6 months later in the spring. I do the same thing for summer storage of my snowmachine but I leave the battery in as it is warm. never had a problem yet...

 

[tc9988]

I'm with ya on this one RonH... I fill the tank to reduce condensation, pull the battery and put it in the house for warm keeping and start it up 6 months later in the spring. I do the same thing for summer storage of my snowmachine but I leave the battery in as it is warm. never had a problem yet...

+1 on filling the tank, removing the battery and using marine Stabil and don't even think about starting the bike until you are ready to go in the spring.

 

[elizilla]

Larry, I think the problem with your wife's bike was that it's a BMW. I had a demo ride on an F800ST that died two miles from the shop, due to fuel left in it all winter, and that was a bike that belonged to the BMW dealer. If the dealer can't store them successfully, despite having a heated showroom to store them in and pro mechs to maintain them, what hope do any of us have?

Just ride all year. ::014::

 

[rmx250]

BMW has told us to use techron every couple of tanks and to have techron in the gas during storage....
I wish the bike didn't fit my wife so well. It's a great bike when it runs....

I guess I'm just spoiled by my previous bikes...