In many U.S. cities, it’s nearing the end of riding season, which means that soon, we’ll have to wash, prep and stow our bikes until spring.
The following detailed tips will help you winterize your bike, so it’s protected when you aren’t riding it.
How to Prepare Your Bike for Winter
Water is the eternal enemy of your bike’s inner works, and a bike that hasn’t been properly winterized is a sitting target for creeping moisture. A properly winterized bike is safe from moisture and corrosive compounds. When you do it right, you can start your motorcycle right up when spring arrives and be ready to hit the road.
Clean Your Bike
Cleaning your motorcycle may seem simple, but it’s an essential step in winterizing. Bug splatters and corrosive chemicals that are allowed to sit on your bike over the winter can damage your motorcycle’s finish. Give your bike a thorough all-over wash, and make sure it’s dry before you store it.
Coat Engine and Spark Plugs in Engine Oil
The engine and motorcycle spark plugs are prime targets for moisture over a long period of disuse. To protect your bike, you’ll need to coat your piston rings, valve seats and cylinder walls in engine oil. Start by warming up the engine to drive off moisture. Remove the spark plugs, and squirt some warm engine oil into the holes. Turn the engine over by hand to coat the cylinder walls, and then replace the plugs.
Change the Oil
The chemical makeup of your motorcycle oil can change over long periods of disuse and become acidic. To protect your engine, change your oil before storing for the winter. Ideally, you should change oil again in the spring, so it’s not necessary to change your oil filter for winter. However, if you plan to ride in the spring without changing the oil again, change your filter now.
Lube Everything
Before you park your bike for the season, lube everything that needs lubing. Lube your throttle and clutch cables. If your bike is a chain drive, clean and lube the chain. If you’re feeling really ambitious, lube your motorcycle pivot points, such as shifter, kick stand and foot pegs. Anything you’d normally lube during routine maintenance, lube.
Fill the Gas Tank and Add Stabilizer
Moisture is bad for metal, and your gas tank is made of metal. This means you’ve got two ways to safely store it for the winter: drain it completely and make sure it’s dried out, or fill the gas tank full and add fuel stabilizer. The simple option is to fill up the tank on the way home from your last outing, and add fuel stabilizer based on the capacity of your tank. A full tank prevents moisture from creeping in and fuel stabilizer keeps your gasoline from turning into sludge over the winter – very important if you want to avoid expensive repairs when spring arrives.
Store Your Battery on a Tender
It’s not good for your motorcycle battery to be left alone in your bike for a long period of time, and leaving it for the winter definitely counts. Remove your battery from your motorcycle and store it on a battery tender. At the same time, check the fluid level in your battery and clean any corrosion from the posts. If your bike has the right connection, you may be able to plug a trickle charger in to your bike without removing the battery.
Drain the Float Bowls
In a carbureted bike, you may want to drain the float bowls. To drain the float bowls, you’ll need to turn your fuel petcock off and drain the gasoline from the bowls. Every bike is different, so consult your owner’s manual for details. Gas that you don’t drain can turn into sludge and hamper your bike’s performance in the spring, and potentially lead to costly repairs.
Make Sure Your Bike Coolant is Safe
If you’re storing your bike in physically cool temperatures, use a hygrometer to check the anti-freeze. You may need to add anti-freeze to protect your bike’s system. You should drain and replace the antifreeze every two years as part of your winterization process.
Protect Your Bike from Moisture
If you’re storing your bike on bare concrete, roll your bike onto a piece of old carpet, plywood or MDF. Moisture can collect and ruin your rubber tires if you let your bike sit on cold concrete. Check your tire air pressure periodically and top it up as the temperatures drop.
Plug Your Pipes to Protect from Pests
Rodents and other small pests may try to climb into your motorcycle exhaust to shelter for the winter. Plug your pipes to protect your bike from small pests. Make sure you remember to remove the plugs before you go for your first spring ride!
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Store Your Bike Covered
Store your bike under a breathable motorcycle cover. If possible, store your bike in a heated garage; if not, make sure you complete the winterization process to protect your bike from moisture. With proper winterization, even a bike that’s stored outdoors can be ready to start up and run smoothly when spring arrives.
Then, to “winterize” your bike insurance policy, you only have to do one thing: keep it.
Enjoy unexpected sunshine
With year-round coverage, you can take your bike out on that warm, sunny December day—and in the meantime, enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your bike’s protected while in winter storage.
Earn perks
With most insurance policies, the longer you keep it, the more benefits you get. For example, with our Progressive bike policy, over time you earn Loyalty Rewards like accident forgiveness—which means your rate won’t go up if a claim interrupts your streak of accident-free driving.
Save on your Progressive motorcycle insurance policy with our great rates and Loyalty Rewards. It works like this: the longer you keep your policy, the more perks and discounts you’ll earn.
You’re automatically enrolled in Loyalty Rewards when you buy our Progressive motorcycle insurance policy, and you can view the rewards you’ve earned by logging in to your Progressive policy online.
With our Progressive policy you’ll earn some rewards immediately:
- Unlimited Small Accident Forgiveness – Resolve minor claims and move on—they won’t affect your rate.
- Specialized Claims Service – Resolve claims quickly with the support of claims specialists trained in motorcycles and off-road vehicles.
- Responsible Driver Discount – Earn a break on your rate if it’s been awhile since your last accident or traffic violation.
- Accessory Coverage – Enjoy coverage for up to $3,000 of your custom accessories, and get reimbursed for the full amount–there’s no depreciation in value–if you file a claim.
Then, rewards get bigger over time:
- Renewal Guarantee – Rest assured that your policy will always be renewable, even if your accident history changes.
- Claims-Free Discount – Save at renewal time if your previous policy period was accident-free.
- Large Accident Forgiveness – Avoid a rate increase if a claim interrupts your streak of accident-free driving.
- Buy a Progressive motorcycle insurance policy and start earning Loyalty Rewards today. Check out our motorcycle insurance discounts, too. You may already qualify for significant discounts if you insure more than one bike or already have another Progressive policy — even if it’s not a motorcycle policy. Plus, safe riders could receive even lower rates on our already affordable motorcycle insurance.
You may qualify for even more discounts, too, including the following:
- Claims-Free Renewal – Receive an automatic discount if you have no at-fault accidents during your previous policy period.
- Homeowner – Get a discount on your motorcycle policy if you own your own home. Get a Home Insurance Quote.
- LoJack – Automatically receive a discount if your bike is equipped with LoJack® for even more affordable motorcycle insurance.
- Paid in Full – Pay the full amount of your policy when it renews and receive a discount just for doing so.
- Prompt Payer – Pay on time for a year and receive a discount when your policy renews.
- Responsible Driver – No accidents or violations on your driving record for the last three years translates to a discount.
- Safety Course – Completing an approved safety course could earn you a discount.
Affordable Motorcycle Insurance — Even for Customized Bikes
With our Progressive motorcycle insurance, you’ll receive coverage that fits your needs and affordable motorcycle insurance that fits your budget. Our Customized Motorcycle program offers up to $30,000 of coverage for custom parts, as well as Actual Cash Value or Agreed Value coverage for several types of personalized bikes. To find out what kind of coverage you need, get a quote for affordable motorcycle insurance any time.
Cheap Motorcycle Insurance for Many Types of Motorcycles
Everyone wants affordable motorcycle insurance, but no one wants cheap motorcycle insurance that doesn’t cover what you need. A Progressive policy offers coverage for all kinds of bikes and ATVs: Cruisers, Limited Production Cruisers, Street Sports, High Performance, Touring, Sport Touring, Mopeds, Scooters, Trikes, and even models older than 25 years, to name a few. See what your rate for affordable motorcycle insurance is today — get a quote now! We will also compare your rates with all of the major insurance companies we represent for motorcycle insurance, incuding, Dairyland, Foremost, Metlife and Safeco.
Common Questions
- How do I earn Loyalty Rewards?
It’s simple. You’ll earn certain rewards immediately, just by becoming a Progressive policyholder. Then, by keeping your motorcycle insurance policy, you’ll earn more rewards over time. - How do I enroll?
You’ll be automatically enrolled when you quote and buy your motorcycle insurance policy. - Does it cost anything?
No, it’s completely free. We provide Loyalty Rewards to thank you for choosing us. - How will I know which rewards I’ve earned?
Simply log in to your policy and go to the Discounts and Programs section. There, you can view your current Loyalty Rewards status and see which rewards you’ve earned. - I’m a current customer; do I qualify?
There’s an easy way to find out: simply log in to your policy. We’re able to offer Loyalty Rewards to many of our current customers, so if Loyalty Rewards have been applied to your policy, you’ll see reward details, as well as your status in the program, when you log in. Keep in mind that your status will be based on your insurance history, so if you’ve been insured by us for four years continuously, you’ll have earned four years’ worth of perks.
Learn more about the other products and services we offer.
Austin Insurance Group. Our Progressive motorcycle policies, usually start at just $95 a year.