winter woes- is idleing enough?

[papas]

my sporty is not going to get ridden this winter and I have no way to hook up a tender. If I start it and let her idle will this be enough to charge the battery some? How long do you think? It's in SC so it's not to drastically cold but I want to share some love with her before I can get out and ride this spring. TIA
steve

[Bone]

No - starting and idling a bike that is in storage is beyond ridiculous.

You won't (I hope) run it long enough to either properly charge the battery or cook off moisture so it will just contaminate the oil and add un-necessary wear to machined surfaces.

No good will come of it.

If you're worried about the battery, remove it and charge it.

If you want to "bond" with the bike over winter time - perform some maintenance, add an accessory, or wash/wax it.

[SpartanDen]

I agree.... unless you can put 20-25 miles at a whack on her, you are far better off to pull the battery and put it on a trickle charger for a bit before you plan your fist ride. Best bet is to change fluids and give it a once over, buy a battery tender, hook it up and let it sit. you can get a battery tender jr for around $30-35.... that by far is the best bet.

[ozark]

Originally Posted by papas

my sporty is not going to get ridden this winter and I have no way to hook up a tender. If I start it and let her idle will this be enough to charge the battery some? How long do you think? It's in SC so it's not to drastically cold but I want to share some love with her before I can get out and ride this spring. TIA
steve

General consensus is that it's a bad move.

If you must run it without riding at least turn off the enrichner as soon as possible and rev the engine some.

How long? Until the engine is hot. This depends on the ambient temperature.

If it was my bike I would change the oil, lube,wax it, put a stabilizer in the gas then shut off the pet cock and run the carb dry.

Here's a link if you are interested LINK

The OEM batteries are pretty good but a tender is still a good investment.

Ozark

[papas]

thanks...sorta.

I DO NOT have access to power so a trickle charger is NOT an option. It's in a storage unit in a state that is 3,000 miles from me so adding accessories and polishing it is NOT an option. I was going to have a non-riding chum occasionally run it, but as stated and my guess was correct, this ain't gunna happen. It's EFI so no petcock to shut off.

The tank is full and treated. I'll gamble that she'll have enough juice to fire off in FEB or I'll jump or trickle her to get it running.

steve

[shotgun46]

You can bet A tender real cheap on the net do some searching I found one last year shipped for around 20 bucks and please do run you bike like that

[Shu]

If your battery was in good shape when you parked it, it'll be fine in a few months when you get back to it. Hot weather is harder on a battery than cold when it comes to storage provided it is fully charged when parked. Since it doesn't get 'that' cold in SC, fire it up on a warmer day and it will crank just fine.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Originally Posted by papas

I DO NOT have access to power so a trickle charger is NOT an option. It's in a storage unit in a state that is 3,000 miles from me so adding accessories and polishing it is NOT an option. I was going to have a non-riding chum occasionally run it, but as stated and my guess was correct, this ain't gunna happen. It's EFI so no petcock to shut off.

What about having your "non-riding chum" pull the battery, get a cheap tender and take it somewhere (said chum's apartment or house) and keep it on the tender there?? I know he/she is just a chum...but I think even Chum's can handle pulling batteries!

[xllent01]

Originally Posted by papas

my sporty is not going to get ridden this winter and I have no way to hook up a tender. If I start it and let her idle will this be enough to charge the battery some? How long do you think? It's in SC so it's not to drastically cold but I want to share some love with her before I can get out and ride this spring. TIA
steve

The bikes in SC..why not ride it all year long??


guess that depends how close to the coast you are.. I only live about 3 miles from the beach (direct flight) and it stays warmer here in the winter than say 2 hours north in Raleigh or north of I-95 where they get more snow or colder weather than we do.

[Bone]

Originally Posted by Cosmo Kramer

What about having your "non-riding chum" pull the battery, get a cheap tender and take it somewhere (said chum's apartment or house) and keep it on the tender there?? I know he/she is just a chum...but I think even Chum's can handle pulling batteries!

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