Starting after sitting

[Blue Laser]

Guys,

My bike's been sittin' for quite some time (no, I'm not gonna say HOW long), but I'm kinda concerned

about startin' this puppy when it's been so cold.

It's been in the 20's and 30's here in NorCal, but I have the bike on a Battery Tender and have recently

ordered a Powerlet rearset kit (I got tired of taking the C & D panels off to use my Battery Tender), and

a Powersports tire inflator; both should be here next week.

My question is: How harmful is it to start the bike since it's been sittin' for so long? Isn't that kinda hard

on the engine, since all the oil in the crankcase is just kind of all there at the bottom?

Thanks for any advice...

Jim

 

[SkooterG]

Cold engine not run in a long time NOT a problem. To me, there are only two things to worry about: Bad gas, and a low battery. Sounds like you took care of the low battery with the tender. By the way, why not simply permanently connect the SAE two prong connector to the the battery that comes with just about all types of tenders? Then it's just plug and go.

Depending on how long it's been sitting, bad gas is your other major concern. Did you add STABIL or similar to the fuel BEFORE you let it sit? If not, and depending on how long, you might want to drain the tank and put in fresh gas.

In the great scheme of things, you are probably fine. Just fire it up, then go top off with fresh gas.

 

[FJRottie]

No problem whatsoever if stored properly

My bike sits for 4-5 months every winter.

I have a fresh oil change and treat gas etc before storage, so it sits with new/treated fluids ready for the next season.

My battery is pulled and put on a tender but the bike sits in the garage as the temp dips to as low as -25 F and back up.

In the spring the "tendered" battery is put back in and then vroooooom, just like a summer day.

Make sure you let the engine run and drop to operating RPM before riding etc etc.

 

[Geezer]

If you did not put anything in the gas to keep it fresh, then you want to get as much of the old gas out of the tank as possible and top it off with fresh fuel. Run the fuel pump through a couple of cycles by turning the key on and waiting for the pump to stop, then turn the key off and back on. This will pump fresh fuel from the tank through the fuel rail and push the old stuff back into the tank where it can mix with the fresh stuff.

 

[Blue Laser]

By the way, why not simply permanently connect the SAE two prong connector to thethe battery that comes with just about all types of tenders?

ScooterG,

Can you expound on this? I also ordered a Powerlet plug with my tire inflator that should fit

the Battery Tender, but I don't have it yet. Is that what you were talking about, or are you

speaking about just leaving the leads on the battery on the bike? That particular solution deosn't

seem to be very "clean", as far as having wires dangling around. I probably don't get it, so can

you explain what you mean to someone who isn't much of a wrench? I'm pretty inept when

it comes to some of this stuff. TIA...

Btw, I didn't add anything to the gas, because I figured I would have ridden it before now,

but life had other priorities, if ya know what I mean. I'll go pick up some STA-BIL for the

Blue Laser, but hopefully it'll start when I get to it without hurting the engine. What about

all the oil in the bottom of the crankcase? Won't starting the engine hurt some of the metal

parts since it hasn't been started in a while, and there's probably no oil covering the metallic

parts that actually need it? An inquiring mind wants (needs) to know!

:dntknw:

Jim

 

[SkooterG]

ScooterG,
Can you expound on this? Jim

No problemo.

Most, if not all brands of battery tenders should come with multiple ways of connecting to the battery. In the below photo are two of the types, one is the alligator clips that I assume you are using, with a two pronged "SAE" connector on the other end. The other type, on the bottom in the photo is the SAE connector with ring terminals at the other end and also a fuse.

You bolt the ring terminals to the battery for a semi-permanent installation. Then simply connect the battery charging device to the "pigtail" at the SAE connection.

Now, you talk about a "clean" installation. Well, that is a judgement call in the eyes of the owner, but, having to take panels off all the time is a major PITA. Anywho, here's what my installation looks like. The pigtail is routed from the battery out the bottom of the "D" panel as you see below. IMHO, it looks fairly clean. There are already some other wires there also - GPS power wire, radar detector power wire (on the bottom which needs to be "cleaned up") and I don't know what the other one is - perhaps a powerlet wire going to one of the 2 powerlets on the left side of my FJR (I didn't install them - they came with my used FJR) I will be ziptieing them all together soon for a more asthetically desireable install.

I then feed the battery tender pigtail through the hole in the frame just behind the steering head. It comes out the other side, and thats where it lives. Fairly unobtrusive, and easy to get to. In the below photo, you can see the pigtail's SAE connector coming out from the hole in the frame, and is connected to the charger's SAE connector. You can all see the cap that covers the SAE connector when not in use.

The other advantage I find for this set-up is that I have an additional un-switched 12V power supply that is available. While doing IBA rides, I use it to power my LittleLite. I also use it to power my air compressor when needing to air up a tire. Yes, you can use Powerlets for the same purpose, and there is nothing wrong with that, but this is simpler, and does not require any $$$ powerlet type plug adapters, as most stuff comes with SAE two prong connections. You could also use this to power a tank bag if you wish, or a myriad of other farkles.

As for the oil, don't worry about it. There should still be a thin film coating the important metal parts, and once cranking, oil will quickly be supplied where it needs to go.

 

[jestal]

Don't worry about starting the engine after storage. There is still some oil where it needs to be. Not all of it drains off. You could leave it sit for years and there will still be some residual oil in the bearings and on the pistons. It really only needs a tiny bit of oil in the right places....otherwise engines would all fail very quickly because of startup problems.

 

[Blue Laser]

ScooterG, Jestal, FJRottie, Geezer,

Thanks one and all for the reassurances.

ScooterG, I should have asked about this before, since your

pics indicate something I should have known/thought about/

done as soon as I got my Tender...YIKES!

Thank you SO much for being so explicit with the pics and

how you did your set-up...if I'd only known!

What the hey, I STILL may do that (if I can find the two-prong

SAE connector, that is...I think it's in the tray of my toolbbox.

I sure hope so, otherwise, it's Powerlet install time).

Thanks again, guys...you're the BEST!! (The forums here are

AWESOME and you guys ROCK!!)

Jim

 

[Blue Laser]

ScooterG,

The other type, on the bottom in the photo is the SAE connector with ring terminals at the other end and also a fuse. You bolt the ring terminals to the battery for a semi-permanent installation. Then simply connect the battery charging device to the "pigtail" at the SAE connection.

Unfortunately, the battery connection doesn't work on my battery. The holes are WAY too big, so there'stoo much empty space to make room for a decent connection.

I then feed the battery tender pigtail through the hole in the frame just behind the steering head. It comes out the other side, and thats where it lives. Fairly unobtrusive, and easy to get to. In the below photo, you can see the pigtail's SAE connector coming out from the hole in the frame, and is connected to the charger's SAE connector. You can all see the cap that covers the SAE connector when not in use.The other advantage I find for this set-up is that I have an additional un-switched 12V power supply that is available.

Sounds good, but yours comes out the bottom of the top of the fairing, but I don't think mine's long enough to do that. It seems to be just

a tad short. Spent an hour and a half on this when I could of had the Powerlet in in thirty minutes, so they say.

:cray:

Jim

 

[Bluestreek]

I use a powerlet with a sae adapter for the battery tender or air pump or anything else that calls for 12 volt power.

 

[BrunDog]

I use a powerlet with a sae adapter for the battery tender or air pump or anything else that calls for 12 volt power.

Yeah! I was dying to type this, but BS beat me to it.

I have two powerlets: The first is the left, which is powered through my bluesea fuseb lock and switched by ignition via a relay. The other is on the right, and it is hardwired (through a fuse, of course) to the battery. Tankbag plugs into the left, battery tender on the right, via an SAE to powerlet plug. Couldn't be easier, prettier, or more practical. Well, that's my opinion, of course.

Plus, I live in South Florida, where that whole "winter" thing just doesn't apply. Hahhaaahahahaaahahahaaah!!!! :bleh: :bleh: :bleh:

-BD