[douglasjd]

Hello all!! I'm new to this forum.

I recently acquired a 1983 GL650i. The bike starts up and drives.

The motor is leaking oil where the rear housing bolts up and water from the weep hole.

My wife just had our 3rd child so the bike needs to be put on the back burner. Even though I can't work on it, I am just thrilled that I found the bike I've been looking for!!



So I'm thinking about storing the bike for about 2 years and looking for suggestions since it won't be operational(just looking pretty). I live in Arizona where it gets very hot in summer but not bad in the winter. I am able to park it in my garage so it won't be exposed to the elements.



What do I do about fuel in carbs and tank? I have heard to drain carbs but leave tank all the way full and have heard to drain everything. So what is best?



My oil level is fine and looks good. It only leaks when running. Is that ok to leave as-is?



As for the coolant system. The water is slowly weeping running or not. I don't know if the right mixture is in it. It could be just pure tap water???? Do I drain it all and put 50% / 50% in for storage or leave it dry?



I am going remove the battery, top it off with distilled water and apply trickle charge.



The bike will be on center stand, my tires look great. Should I over inflate them and if so to what PSI?



Any other suggestions for storage would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks, Josh

 

[Ziturf]

Hi Az650 I. Change your oil in engine and rear drive. Either a full tank with stabilizer or bone dry. Drain the carbs. And a sqirt of oil in each cylinder to stop rust. mmmmmm tires I'm not sure. But I bet you will be working on it next spring.

 

[bedrich7]

As far as the tires go, just make sure they aren't sitting anywhere where moisture can get to them. When I winterize my bike here in Utah, I put my tires up on plywood or some kind of board because the water seeps everywhere and if it gets into your tires and freezes and thaws, well... crack!!

 

[gusbratz]

I have old equiptment manuals that say a 50/50 mix of engint oil and kerosene, spray into the carbs while bike is running until it kills the engine. now the valves intake and cylwalls are coated. then do your normal draining of carbs and gas tank. remove battery and put on a tricke charger or it will be junk after 2 years of sitting.

 

[Ziturf]

You can buy a spray can of fogging oil and spray as Gusbratz recomends. Probably better to keep engine filled with 50/50 coolent to keep corrosion to a minimum.

 

[Shep]

People often forget the electrical connections when storing bikes and then when they pull them out problems occur.



Pull apart ALL connections,clean them and try and get hold of some AFC50,



Read about it here,



http://www.allyearbiker.co.uk/ACF50.html



http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/acf50.php



Spray all connectors with it after cleaning and put them back together.



It can also be sprayed down the cylinders and then rotate the engine on the kill switch e.g no firing.It will protect against inner corrosion.It can be used ALL the bike if you wish.

This is the best anti-corrosion treatment I've ever used and as I work in the Aircraft industry I can attest to it's professional use as well.

I use it on all my nuts and bolts on servicing and have never had a nut or bolt seize with age.Every,"Biker" should have a can and it goes a long long way.



Also if possible I would start the bike once a month if you can just to keep oil going around the engine and also move the wheels to prevent brakes locking and the rear wheel weight ruining the rear wheel.Many people who store bikes put them on a,"Paddock" stand,



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Moto...8659649QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories



HTH

 

[NateDawg]

Some would spray down the bike with WD-40 especially the fork tubes. I have heard that engine oil gets acidic after a while. How long I dont know. I'm thinking the best thing you could do is start it and let it get up to op temp once ever 6 months or so to keep everything lubricated. But for sure drain the fuel bowels. If you are going to start it every 6 months or so (recommended) top it up with premium fuel, and before you go to start it put a little octane booster in the gas, acetone Stable or Seafoam works great. If you can't find fuel without ethenal or whatever else they add to thin out fuel in your area, then the additive will be more important, since ethenal or any alcohol being added to your fuel draws moisture to itself.



Congrats on the baby

 

[douglasjd]

Thank you all for the suggestions!! It will be a couple weeks till I'm able to start the preparations. For now the bike is in my covered garage. Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[NateDawg]

Rubber gets hard over time. It just dries out. Never over inflate a tire. An inflated tire has stress on it. You can eliminate that stress by putting the bike on the center stand and putting a jack or block of wood under the motor to take the weight off the front tire and then reducing the air pressure to about 20 PSI. A thin coat of WD wouldn't hurt

 

[ramprat06]

For the tires, the above suggestions are good, especially getting the weight off them. I'd probably take a rag with some Armor All on it and lightly wipe the sidewalls of the rubber, making sure not to get it on the rims or brake parts. Don't over inflate, just keep some pressure in so the beads stay seated.



I also agree that ACF50 is the cat's meow when it comes to preserving things from corrosion. I have access to it at my airline as well, and we go through it like washers and rivets.



Joel in the Couve

 

[Shep]

For the tires, the above suggestions are good, especially getting the weight off them. I'd probably take a rag with some Armor All on it and lightly wipe the sidewalls of the rubber, making sure not to get it on the rims or brake parts. Don't over inflate, just keep some pressure in so the beads stay seated.



I also agree that ACF50 is the cat's meow when it comes to preserving things from corrosion. I have access to it at my airline as well, and we go through it like washers and rivets.



Joel in the Couve

I've said it before and I'll say it again.It's really weird that it's not caught on over there and doesn't have that many suppliers considering it's a US company that makes it e.g the Lear Jet company.



Over here you can even buy it at local Motorcycle fayres.Hell even my local motorcycle shop about half a mile away stocks it now