Bench Wrenching: The Rites of Spring By Paul Glaves (March Owners News)

March 5, 2007 Page 1 of 5    12345

As I write this in January it has been a mild winter, the end of the warmest year on average since they started keeping track of such things - parts of Colorado and the plains states excepted, of course. Some of us have been able to ride most of the winter, but many readers have stored their motorcycles, or at least "put them away" for a few months. Now the days are longer and warmer and it is time to get the unused or little used motorcycles out and road-ready for the riding season. Many of the things discussed in this column apply to any motorcycle, BMW or otherwise, while some of the issues are specific to BMW traditional K Series and Oilhead motorcycles.

In some respects storing a motorcycle can be more damaging than operating the motorcycle. In most cases it is not the storage itself that is damaging as much as it is the damage which can occur as the aftermath of prolonged storage without taking the storage period into account before operating the motorcycle. Most, but as we shall see, not all, problems from storage arise from moisture and humidity, temperature, or corrosion. Dealing with these problems before operating the motorcycle minimizes any long-term damage or safety concerns arising from the storage.

If you haven't kept the battery charged with an automatic charger or periodically recharged the battery during storage the battery can, in fact, be damaged. Most lead-acid formulations become damaged by sulphation if the battery is left at less than a 50% charge for any period of time. If a battery is fully or nearly fully discharged it may never again take a reasonable charge.