Better to store bike or do idling warm up during a month of no ride

[zirconxi_imp]

Hi guys, for motorcycle that are going for a month long no ride, is it better to cover the bike up or do a daily warm up idling? I had been riding almost everyday since i own the bike until recent covid19 outbreak and forced to use car. For the last 2 weeks, i had been warming up the bike every other day for about 5 minutes each time. But felt the exhaust had been going richer each time i let her idle. And most important of all, my neighbor are going crazy with lock down and every time i start the bike she go berserk and slam her door (no rev, just idling, and low 80-90ish DB exhaust only, but she couldn't take it.). I live in a hot and humid weather condition, and thought a warming up is better than a covered up. So, should i continue to do short time idling? or just take out the battery and cover up the bike?

 

[Cormanus]

Is the bike stored inside or outside, zirconxi? If it's inside, I'd put it on the centre stand and get a battery tender to keep the charge up to it. If it's outside, I'd be tempted just to cover it with a well ventilated cover. It should be all right for a couple of weeks without doing anything to the battery.

 

[Jim21680_imp]

Agreed...you might be doing more harm than good with the frequent 5-minute start-ups. During winter months here, I keep my bike in a dry but unheated garage, hooked on a battery tender. I start it maybe once every 2 months just to keep the internals coated with oil. Air cooled bikes seem to tolerate long-term storage quite well, even completely unattended to.

If you're forced to keep the bike outside with no access to power, I still think you'd be plenty okay for a month of storage, at least. A ventilated cover is always nice if you have one.

 

[zirconxi_imp]

Well, its stored under shade, but during evening thunderstorm she will get wet. I am more worry about rust or any thing that will jam due to no movement for a month, but afraid to go into headlines of "Neighbor got chopped up due to stress of covid19 outbreak". Anyway, the disc brake and chain already developing rust. My little ninja once got a chain so rusted its crooked and jam up the links. once had my car aircond compressor jam up due to long time no drive.

 

[alprider]

chain: why not enough lube ?......disc brake why not with a clothe on next day some wipe off ?

and basical why not a extra bike-cover ?

and just if so look for battery tender and completely filled tank with the best type of petrol and let it sleep for months...we don't do anything else during the snow season

if you live on the coast with salt air, a colleague might have a good idea to preserve

 

[max]

All of the above zirconxi, the main concern storing an engine are the piston rings, cylinder, valves and seats corroding with a high moisture content, running without a load and a cooler engine frequently will cause soot and carbon buildup over time and although the exhaust is stainless you still don't want condensate to build up in there.
And every time the engine shuts off and cools down the air volume reduces and lets some fresh air in the system

Running for five minutes when the moisture content in the air is low once every three weeks or so should be sufficient to keep the valves/ seats and piston rings in good shape and a plastic bread bag covering the cold exhaust would help.
A short ride to a petrol station is an even better idea, in nz you can get groceries and petrol locally, maybe you are out of toothpaste one day.......

For the disks put some plastic shopping bags around them to stop the moist air condensating on the surfaces and definetly a cover over the whole bike, i have some large furniture plastic bags that keep the dust off mine, maybe post a picture of where and how the bike is stored?

 

[Rocky_imp]

I agree with max. Moisture is a part of combustion and you're introducing moisture into the engine and exhaust.
My bikes sit inside a warm and dry basement for six months over the winter and they never get started.

 

[Obleo]

That’s the worst thing to do to a motor, take it out for a short ride and let it burn any moisture that’s in the engine. A start up of only 5 minutes is not enough. Just idling doesn’t do that.

 

[pdedse]

Well, its stored under shade, but during evening thunderstorm she will get wet. I am more worry about rust or any thing that will jam due to no movement for a month, but afraid to go into headlines of "Neighbor got chopped up due to stress of covid19 outbreak". Anyway, the disc brake and chain already developing rust. My little ninja once got a chain so rusted its crooked and jam up the links. once had my car aircond compressor jam up due to long time no drive.

Rust / heat effects are difficult when you live in a hyper-humid area in the tropics, at least that's my experience from living in Costa Rica. I was appalled how my new CG125 showed its age even after one rainy season.

 

[Wisedrum]

Don't like to let an engine idle for some time wether it is cold or not. When the motor is running the bike should run. Despite of the fact that an idling engine will disturb someone's peace, if you're not out in the
lonesome wilderness or another lonesome place, it will do an cold engine no good as mentioned here before.

There is one exception for me, if I did an oilchange or has fixed something else on the bike, I let the bike idle shortly to see, if it works. Afterwards I go out on a ride.

Whenever I can foresee that nothing else around me will move for the next minutes inclusive me, I turn the engine off and start it again when the beat goes on.

Wisedrum

 

[zirconxi_imp]

Alright, it seems most agree idling warm up done more harm than good... covering her up it is then... Taking her battery out.....

 

[peterbaron]

Your climate is very humid/90%, hot/28*C and you keep your bike inside, where it can get wet during downpour/lacking ventilation to dry out after = all three bad scenarios/killer at the same time. IMHO there is no perfect solution for your case while not riding.
I am with Max advice as the best you can get for your condition, summarizing keep in mind and you may:
* lube/soak your chain with oil, while on center stand spin your both wheels 1-2x a week
* apply thin/new non detergent oil layer or vaseline to your rotors, by cloth , not mist/spray. Loosely, shield rotors by cardboard discs as moisture absorbent. If plastic bag - keep it open for ventilation purpose abap, so moisture is trapped to min. Do not apply brakes - you need air gap between pads and rotors to prevent form rusty imprints. Prior riding, clean rotors by using brake cleaner and deglazed as needed.
* if you decide to idle your bike when when ambient is dry, I would run engine until its operating temperature is reached.
Over protection, leaky shack, tightly covered bike/rotors and lacking ventilation could ba a killer as well, so the most important is: use your own judgement as per your climate/location/situation and opinions of others.
Good luck with rust free bike, you/bike will prevail

 

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

Your better off just covering it with a battery tender for a month than an idling period. The oil doesn't come up to temp then but you have all the wear of a cold start. I ride my second bike every week, a short run to get the temp up, I ride the Honda every Wed. Working from home now, I ride to my fave taco shack. Gotta get lunch, right?

 

[PowerDubs_imp]

Other than the battery, I have zero concerns about letting a modern fuel injected engine sit for a long long periods of time and even then just a brief starting to get stuff moving around.

Sure you might smell some funny gas when you fire it up many many months later, but just top off the tank with fresh gas and some barrymans fuel cleaner and ride it.

This was completely different in the old days with carburetors, but fuel injection is a whole new ballgame.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

If any engine, FI or no, sits for a long, long period of time, the seals and rings dry out and shrink. The clinging static oil barrier on all bearing surfaces slides off after a period of time. Not good to let it sit for a long time unless it's prepped for it. When I had a boat in a slip and didn't use it for a while, I would start the diesel engine, put it in gear at a fast idle, 1800 or so, and let it run against the dock lines until the temp came up to normal, leave it running for ten minutes, then shut it down.

 

[max]

Something i just thought about is the catalytic converter, it has small openings and may be prone to clogging if it is not working at operating temperatures, i have no evidence or links to back this idea up but someone else may have better info on this subject.

 

[zirconxi_imp]

Today I push my bikes around to rotate wheels. And there is some brake pad rust imprint on the rotor, some chain roller rust. CB still look ok..A bit unfortunate, my ninja (park on outer edge of shade) have chain rust lock up a few links, its part of the chain resting on the rear sprocket where the rain water will wash away the oil I have put earlier. But a bit of twisting and re-oil had freed up the link again. As for catalytic converter, my CB is without (after market exhaust), my small ninja, well, i am thinking a few high speed freeway run should clear it. I am having another idea after observing my FI car, it seems when we engage gear even when engine is cold, the computer will auto lower down the idling. What if we start our bike on center stand, and engage gear for the rear wheel to rotate. will this lower down the fuel injected into the chamber? This way I might free up my chain and scrub off my brake pad imprint on the rotor as well... And some engine sound to treat my lonely soul..