To Winterize or Not

1775 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by fatboy_nj, Nov 19, 2014

fatboy_nj

Discussion Starter · Nov 19, 2014

I have a 2006 Fatboy that I just bought in August. I live in NJ outside of Philadelphia, where the winters are, normally, not all that severe. During a normal winter I would expect to be able to get at least 1 or 2 days in a month where I could get a 30 min or so ride in. This winter is already looking different, but that's a topic for another day.

I have read plenty of threads on HOW to winterize, but what I'm wondering is SHOULD I winterize if I assume that I'll be taking the occasional ride over the winter months.

If I winterize, I know that one of the things I should do is to change the oil then let the bike sit to avoid unnecessary build up of moisture in the various parts of the engine. But if I winterize then go for the occasional ride when weather permits, am I doing much harm since that will likely lead to moisture in the engine and I would expect some condensation given the temperature. Based upon what I have read throughout the forums it seems that the biggest risk is when you don't winterize and do mostly shorter rides where the bike doesn't have time to completely warm up, allowing the moisture to evaporate and hopefully removed as much as possible. So it would seem that if I winterize and only ride it during the winter when I can ride long enough to allow the bike to come up to temperature then I should be fine.

As I write this I think the answer is winterize and minimize the number of short rides. This should not significantly increase the wear related to possible corrosion and it doesn't seem like a few longish rides when possible would cause enough problems for me to worry about.

Sorry for the somewhat rambling message here, but I'm thinking about this as I write it and possibly answering my own question. What do you guys think? I know this is not an exact science but if you could give me your rationale with your answer that would be great too so I could learn a bit as well as get my answer.

Thanks much.

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webco2

· #2 · Nov 19, 2014

fatboy_nj said:
I have a 2006 Fatboy that I just bought in August. I live in NJ outside of Philadelphia, where the winters are, normally, not all that severe. During a normal winter I would expect to be able to get at least 1 or 2 days in a month where I could get a 30 min or so ride in. This winter is already looking different, but that's a topic for another day.

I have read plenty of threads on HOW to winterize, but what I'm wondering is SHOULD I winterize if I assume that I'll be taking the occasional ride over the winter months.

If I winterize, I know that one of the things I should do is to change the oil then let the bike sit to avoid unnecessary build up of moisture in the various parts of the engine. But if I winterize then go for the occasional ride when weather permits, am I doing much harm since that will likely lead to moisture in the engine and I would expect some condensation given the temperature. Based upon what I have read throughout the forums it seems that the biggest risk is when you don't winterize and do mostly shorter rides where the bike doesn't have time to completely warm up, allowing the moisture to evaporate and hopefully removed as much as possible. So it would seem that if I winterize and only ride it during the winter when I can ride long enough to allow the bike to come up to temperature then I should be fine.

As I write this I think the answer is winterize and minimize the number of short rides. This should not significantly increase the wear related to possible corrosion and it doesn't seem like a few longish rides when possible would cause enough problems for me to worry about.

Sorry for the somewhat rambling message here, but I'm thinking about this as I write it and possibly answering my own question. What do you guys think? I know this is not an exact science but if you could give me your rationale with your answer that would be great too so I could learn a bit as well as get my answer.

Thanks much.

I agree with you, you asked and answered your own questions. :thumbsup

If you are sure to ride long enough to have everything get warmed up to temperature , it'll be fine.

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Louisville Joe

· #3 · Nov 19, 2014

fatboy, my winterizing only consists of making sure the gas tank is full with stabilizer added, battery tender plugged in, and cover the bike with towels and a sheet. Use my Sears lift to get the bike sitting upright, but still with some weight on the tires, so I can get my Tahoe in the garage also. I don't change any fluids till it's time to change them and winter arriving doesn't make me change any fluid that isn't ready to be changed.

Our winters aren't usually too bad and most every month of the year there is usually at least a day or two I can ride. But if I ride I make sure I ride at least maybe an hour, usually longer, in hopes of burning off any condensation in the motor/fluids. At the end of my ride I will fill/top off the gas tank and add more stabilizer, run it a few minutes, then put it back on the lift and cover it.

Works for me--so far no ill effects and fires right up in the Spring.

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Junster

· #4 · Nov 19, 2014

I owned a fatboy and now I have street glide. Both were never really 'winterized' because I often get this cabin fever in winter and had to go out for a ride when it is warm enough. I do make sure I top off the gas tank to prevent any rust build up inside of thank. Other than that, I just connect it to a battery tender and keep it in garage for next ride.

I live in Burlington Co, NJ. Yes, we do get those lucky warm days all winter long and I ride as long as there is no snow on the ground. One thing I do not do is starting up the bike just for the fun of it. Doing this supposed to be bad for the engine.

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fatboy_nj

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 19, 2014

Thanks. You guys are fast! As I was writing it seemed like it made sense but it's always nice to have some confirmation from people with a bit more experience.

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