Winterizing a Shadow

[Markymark116]

Hi,
I bought a 2006 Shadow VT750 Areo in October this year and really loved riding for a week or so b4 the snow started falling. Can I get some opinions/suggestions for Winterizing? I was told to make sure to have the Fuel tank completely full for the Winter to prevent rust. Another person said that because I'm parking the bike in a garage which isn't heated nor insulated, that I need to park the bike either raised off of the ground/concrete or at least place plywood or something on the concrete just so the tires aren't touching the concrete.
I put a little bit of a Stabilizer fluid into the tank and let the engine run for about 5 minutes or so. I assume that 5 minutes would be long enough.
Any thoughts, suggestions, tips?.....
I can hardly wait for summer and get on the road, I'm lovin' my Shadow!

Thanks!

[justinmahn]

Full tank and stabilizer are good, but I was always told to turn the petcock off and run the carb dry.

I prefer moving the bike at least once a week to prevent the tires from remembering the bulge at the ground. Then again, I prefer riding mine in the winter too. Arkansas is great for that.

[DRVMN]

I modified my motorcycle floor jack so it would clear the bottom of the engine and raise my motorcycle using the frame. I top off the fuel, add a good fuel stabilizer (I use Star Tron) and for the last month I rode around with fuel stabilizer in the tank just in case that was my last ride. I also bought a battery tender and hard-wired the harness to the battery. Now I can plug in the charger and keep the battery fully charged throughout the winter. I shut the fuel petcock off and run the carburetor dry (I know there are different views on this one some say yes - others say no) but in 40 some years of running fuel out of the carb, I have NEVER had my gaskets dry out, leaks, etc. My machines have always fired right back up when needed. I will put a cover over my bike shortly so it doesn't get dusty or full of snow when I open the garage and it's blowing outside.

[DRVMN]

Maybe these pictures will work better:

(It doesn't look like it in the picture, but the bike is about 4 inches off the ground)

[lazyboy]

Fill the tank,put in fuel stabilizer like seafoam or stabil.Run it a few minutes or shut the fuel off and run the carbs dry.We all have different opinions on that one.
Block it up! When I lived in cold country I just used a 6x6 or 8x8 under the frame and shims to get the weight off the tires.
A battery tender junior on the battery. Kiss it goodnight and throw a sheet over it.

[DRVMN]

[vzshadow]

Fill tank, K100 fuel stabilizer, battery tender, cover.
Simple as that.

[dieseljuice]

I'm hoping for another mild winter in NJ, so I can keep on riding.

[tigrzeye]

I changed the oil and filter before storing last year, thought was fresh oil no acids or particles left in over winter. Any reason to do this? Or am I just wasting money and oil?

[gat803]

Originally Posted by vzshadow

Fill tank, K100 fuel stabilizer, battery tender, cover.
Simple as that.

This^^^

If your oil is due for a change, change it. Other than that.....it's fine. This is the oil that's in your engine anyways. If it was that caustic it would have destroyed the engine a long time ago.

Air your tires up. Modern tires don't flat spot when aired properly, and it won't hurt them to sit on cement for 3 or 4 months. They sit on the ground the rest of the time.

It's not necessary to lift the bike of the ground. Springs weaken thru action, not by sitting static with very little load on them. Again, they sit normally the rest of the year.

Run the gas out of the carb/carbs or don't. The fuel inside will evaporate in a month or so anyway, and the carb will be dry at start up either way.

The two most important things are Stabilize the gas, and don't start the engine during storage unless you can RIDE it up to normal operating temperature. Engines run in cold weather for short periods of time attract moisture, inside and out. The leads to rusted out exhaust systems and excess water in the crankcase. Letting it idle and reving it isn't enough.