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V7 Winterizing

trialsn

trialsn

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Contributor
Joined
Sep 25, 2015
Messages
193
Location
Toronto, Canada
Morning all,

I'm sure this has been covered somewhere in the forum (apologize in advance for creating a new thread), but I wanted to ensure that I capture everything V7 specific (if it exists). Now that we have received our first snow fall, I'll be going through the process of a quick winterizing process as the bike will be in an underground garage with an ambient consistent temperature of well above freezing (for 99% of the time).

Just wanted to know what everyone's opinion of Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer for the V7. If I'm correct with the amount of stabilizer my bike will require:

Imperial
5.8 gallon tank + .66 gallon reserve = 6.46 gallon total. Therefore I will require 2.58 ounces of Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer (1 ounce for every 2.5 gallons).

Metric
22L tank + 2.5L reserve = 24.5L total. Therefore I will require 77.37mL (30mL for every 9.5L).

I know this is ridiculous, but I really don't want to make a careless error for any reason. My second question is about battery tenders. I plan on buying a general trickle charge, but wanted to know if there are any specific requirements that I should be aware of before purchasing? Do I simply remove the batter, hook the battery to the trickle charge and walk away until I'm ready to ride again?

Thanks all, and apologies for the VERY dumb question.

Chris
 
2 oz. will do you fine, be sure to fill the tank completely and leave little air gap.
If you can, I highly recommend removing the battery and bringing it indoors. When using a Tender, either plug it in once a week to top off, or set up with a simple timer so it's on for just a few minutes/day max. Don't leave it plugged in all the time.
 
By filing the tank right up, you mean to the bottom lip of the insert, correct? My plan was to do a quick ride to the gas station which is literally around the corner from me (literally like 2 minutes). Fill the tank to the bottom lip. Add the stabilizer on site and ride back, which would allow the fuel additive circulate into the engine and such. Good idea? Bad idea? The only other option is to fill it up and top it up with a jerry can (can't see that amounting to a lot of fuel being required), then adding the stabilizer/having it run for the 3-10 minutes.

Regarding the battery. Is it fairly straight forward to remove, or should I be aware of any special tricks?

Thanks again! I'll be donating to the site now since it's like having my own personal mechanic haha!

Chris
 
Chris, a ride around the corner will suffice, and yes, fill as much as you can without it overflowing. Adding the Stabil at the gas station is fine.

Battery removal is simple. Pull the right side cover. Remove the battery support bracket at the top (two philips-head bolts), and it's easiest to remove the rear brake reservoir... and unbolt the batt cables.

Thanks for any donation, the site is quite $ intensive.
 
Donation complete and I'm sure I'll be doing it again.

Is removing the brake reservoir easy? I'm guessing it's literally just unscrewing the reservoir, letting it float off to the side and then re-screwing it in place?
 
Last edited:
Just winterized mine yesterday filed the tank as high as possible about bottom of inner lip. Added stabil at home let it warm up took down my road and back to mix it in the lines. Removed battery and brought it in the house, I have a battery tender that I will occasionally put on it. I just have to clean the bike and check everything over. This Year It is being stored in my unheated wisconsin garage in stead of my living room. I'm going to put some Styrofoam under the tires and cover it. In the spring I will change fluids and adjust valves again.
 
trialsn said:
Is removing the brake reservoir easy? I'm guessing it's literally just unscrewing the reservoir, letting it flow off to the site and then re-screwing it in place?
Click to expand...
Yes on all.
 
Sorry, one last question (I hope). Suggestions for a battery tender? I found these online at Canadian Tire:

Battery Tender Plus, 1.25A Charger/Maintainer
canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/battery-tender-plus-1-25a-charger-maintainer-0111941p.html#.VlS_KHarRQI


NOCO Genius G1100 Smart Battery Charger
canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/noco-genius-g1100-smart-battery-charger-0111926p.html#.VlTCRHarRQI

Both are relatively the same price and have the same functions (i.e. hook up tender to battery, and forget as the tender itself will monitor the rate of charging). Will both of these work with the Yuasa 12V-12Ah (150x85x145)?
 
Yes, they will. I have both (well, the NOCO unit I have is a bit bigger). Both work very well. I think the NOCO unit has more sophisticated electronics (wicked smart) and I wouldn't hesitate to leave my battery on it for extended periods of time.
 
trialsn said:
Sorry, one last question (I hope). Suggestions for a battery tender? I found these online at Canadian Tire:
Click to expand...
Princess Auto sells the CTEK 4.3 automatic charger which is well respected and has optional pigtails that allow you to provide for charging the battery while installed on the bike. The charger often goes on sale. I've had one for years and years and it still operates extremely well.
 
GT-Rx® said:
2 oz. will do you fine, be sure to fill the tank completely and leave little air gap.
Click to expand...
It's usually recommended to fill the tank completely to avoid buildup of condensation that can ruin a tank (holes, rust, etc.).

I've a 2011 V7 with a plastic tank. Is it possible to leave the tank half full before winter storing. After all, moisture in the tank won't cause it to rust or corrode. Thoughts?
 
That will leave room for (potential) condensation. Best to fill to top.
I use Sta-Bil year round in all cars, trucks, work equipment, and the bikes. Never a fuel related issue.
 
I am absolutely no expert but I would like to offer my battery maintainer experience. Every motor vehicle I own (4 cars, 3 motorcycles, and a riding lawn mower)is always on a battery tender of some sort. If I'm not currently driving it, it's on a tender. I never remove the batteries from the vehicles. Most of the vehicles spend the winter in sub freezing weather in unheated garages. The last battery I bought was for my Mazda Miata. After twelve years it was still starting the car but I was getting nervous about its age. All of my motorcycle batteries are years old and still work fine. I also use Stabil in the tanks of the vehicles that don't get driven in the winter. They ALWAYS start right up in spring.
 
I use Sea-Foam instead of Stabil. Replaced old lead battery with new featherweight Lithium from Todd, just remove the battery and don't mess with a tender! We'll see how it holds over the winter.
 
tonUPRacer said:
featherweight Lithium from Todd, just remove the battery and don't mess with a tender! We'll see how it holds over the winter.
Click to expand...
AG Lithiums are excellent when shelved. 10 year hands-off shelf life they tell me.
 
Winter storage: Don't forget to remove the spark plugs and spray oil into the cylinder. Then put into 4th gear and rotate the rear wheel to move the pistons and spread the oil around. (don't forget to replace plugs)
 
If you have a nearby source of non-ethanol gasoline (such as found at many local airports), then run your tank almost empty and re-fill with pure (i.e., non-ethanol) gasoline. Over a few months of winter there will be absolutely no need to bother with sta-bil or any other chemical concoctions.

Go here to locate a pure gasoline source:

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp
 
M0T0Geezer said:
If you have a nearby source of non-ethanol gasoline (such as found at many local airports), then run your tank almost empty and re-fill with pure (i.e., non-ethanol) gasoline. Over a few months of winter there will be absolutely no need to bother with sta-bil or any other chemical concoctions.
Click to expand...

Gas without ethanol will start to turn into varnish in about three months. Sta-bil, StarTron, etc. have been around since long before they started putting ethanol in gas.
 
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