Hey guys! Planning on hibernating your bike this winter? I know I am tucking my R1 away! Storing a bike properly takes a lot of preparation. Read on for my top tips on how to do it right.

Storage
Ideally, the bike should be kept indoors when it is not in use. Using a bike cover can provide additional help to prevent accidental damage, make it harder for small creatures to nest, and also stops people from seeing your bike. For complete cryogenic status, companies offer bike chambers for a few hundred dollars that have filter systems to keep away moisture and dust. But that’s a bit overboard in my opinion.

Cleaning
After the last ride before storage, give the bike a really thorough cleaning, paying special attention to metal parts and linkages. Actually, you should do this after every ride anyways. Not many garages are moisture free, so manually dry the bike and coat metal parts (but not the brakes) with an anti-corrosion formula (like WD-40). Remember to grease any parts (linkages, cables, etc.) that might have been stripped of their lubricants.

Battery
The battery of an unused bike left in a cold garage will start to drain flat (yeah, Alex learned that the hard way). To avoid that, use a Battery Tender to keep the power level topped up. There’s an argument that these reduce the working life of a battery, but they are still the best option for bikes, especially those fitted with alarms. Another option is to remove the battery altogether and store it in a cardboard box, somewhere dry and out of reach.

Brake Fluid
Brake fluid attracts water. Period. As most garages suffer from a little dampness, you’ll need to re-bleed the system with fresh fluid when it’s time to ride again. And you don’t want to take chances when it comes to your brakes! Some people strap the lever close to the bar to keep air bubbles out of the brake system, but ultimately, putting undue pressure on the seals may damage them over time.

Fuel
The octane level of fuel begins to reduce after about a month, which can affect engine performance or cause pre-ignition. Leaving fuel in an unused bike can leave an enamel-like residue on the fuel system and can clog injector nozzles or carburettor needles and jets. If you are planning on storing the bike for over 3 months, use something like Silkolene Pro FST in the fuel tank for the last ride. For longer periods, I would suggest you drain the fuel tank.

Engine
For bikes stored for any great length of time, blank off the air intakes. It’s surprisingly quite common for small, furry animals to treat an airbox as their new house. Also, it will keep out insects and dust.

Whoa, looks like I’ve rambled on for a while. I’m going to have to sign off and complete my tips next time! Happy Holidays everyone!

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As an avid motorcycle hobbyist, I buy and sell bikes. Craigslist is a big contributor to my hobby and you can come across all kinds of great deals and some.. not so great deals.

On Monday, I woke up and did my usual rounds online and came across this ad for a 2007 Honda Cbr600rr frame, motor, and swingarm, all for $1000 bucks. I thought, this is an early bird special and it won’t last. I quickly shot the guy and email and he called me back. I asked the guy all the general questions about the package: condition, mileage and if all the paperwork was in order. He tells me he doesn’t have the paperwork yet and that he’s waiting for it.

That was an immediate red flag, but all was not lost. Having been in many a situation where there was no paperwork, a hand written bill of sale can make due with the DMV. My summation? Probably NOT hot. Great, ALL SYSTEMS GO, and he gives me his address.

From experience, you never look a gift horse/good deal in the mouth or at face value. So I called my buddy, Officer Dean Marcic, from the SFPD Auto Theft Unit to ask him if I could run a quick check on the VIN and Engine Number. He said sure, and to call him when I have the info.

I make it to the guy’s house in 20 minutes. Everything seems legit as I’m checking the frame out – no damage, all numbers intact. We’re looking good. I pick up my cell phone and call Dean back. Carefully called out all the numbers.. he repeats them slowly back to me.

Then Dean asks the bone chilling question, “is the guy standing there?”

I say, “yeah, this seems like a great deal.. should I call you back?”

Dean says, “yes” and I quickly get the feeling that I could have almost lost a $1000 bucks.

As I look the guy over one last time, I tell him I want it and that I’ve got to pull money from the bank ATM. The guy says no problem. As I’m leaving, I get the feeling that I’ve completely wasted my time but I’ve probably helped someone relocate what’s left of their bike.

I step in my truck and immediately call Dean back. Dean picks up and I ask, “it’s hot, isn’t it?” and he says “yes.” Imagine my anger and frustration at the fact that I wasn’t going to purchase what I thought was a great deal. For the sake of the editors, I can’t write down what I said next. As I left the area, I give my buddy Dean the address and wash my hands of it.

The seller guy deserves everything he has coming to him. For attempting to sell stolen bikes on a public forum, he gets the 2008 IPM IDIOT OF THE MONTH AWARD!!!!

Guys and gals, please be careful when you buy used bikes and bike parts. The thieves are out there and so are the idiots.

Ride safe and happy buying!

Hiya folks. Now this may be a bit off topic, but I’m going to post it here under my R1 section, mainly because I was riding my R1 today. As many of you know, I run a motorcycle parts and accessories shop called TNT Moto here in San Francisco. As part of my job, I constantly scour the internet for great deals.

I get a call from a person off Craigslist, and this man wants to sell me all the fairings off a 2007 Suzuki Gsxr600. However, he doesn’t want to damage anything and wants to ride the bike over to have me take them off. At the price he was asking, I couldn’t refuse, so today he drops off the bike and leaves. I store the bike in my shop and go out to run errands. He needed to go get a tow truck to take the bike away.

So, I’m at Whole Foods when I get a call from my neighbor asking if my R1 parked out front was stolen. I asked him why and he told me that the police were asking about the bike. I get back to my shop and ten policemen surround me and force their way in.

Now, by this time, the police think that they have hit the jackpot, what with all the parts neatly organized in my shop. Surprisingly, they go straight for the 2007 Suzuki Gsxr600, and tell me that there is a LoJack signal emitting from the bike. Sure enough, they open the tank and two black pads are taped to each side of the frame.

After some explaining to the head officer, he tells me to call the Gsxr owner to come pick up his bike. The guy takes two hours to get to my house. In the meantime, I help the officers take down every VIN on every part in my shop. When the guy finally arrives, the cops swarm him and take him down. Before they took him away, the head officer asked me if their was anything I wanted to say to the Gsxr owner.

I walked up to him and said, “You brought a stolen motorcycle to my shop and tried to sell me stolen goods. Do you know that?”

Surprisingly, he replied, “Oh really? Sorry dude.”

That basically, was an admission of his crime. So, he’s sitting in jail somewhere right now. I also got the all clear from SFPD on my parts, so I’m up and running again.

Lesson? If it’s too good to be true — it usually is. Be careful out there guys.

What’s up people? Check out my bike roar!

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What’s up people? Here is an overview of my current ride.

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