Protect Your Motorbike

A guide on winterproofing your motorbike during winter.

motorbike riding in the winter weather

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Winterproof Your Motorbike

Motorbikes have been designed for all climates, but like any vehicle they are still vulnerable to bad weather. During the winter when it’s cold, wet, snowy and icy, or a combination of all four - many of us choose to park the motorbike up and use other means of transport. The UK always has unpredictable winter seasons and the roads can become very dangerous to ride, not being a very nice place to be. Damage can occur whether the motorbike is parked up in the garage or if you were brave enough to venture out. Hats off to the heroes that ride as much as possible through the dark, cold and miserable season. If you are thinking of riding, it would be worth the time to protect the bike as best you can.

Using Your Bike During Winter

First of all, you need to keep it as clean as possible. Regular washing will keep the amount of road salt from eating away your paint and metalwork. It’s worth paying attention to cleaning the brakes and brake disks, removing any road salt that may have got on them. Use plenty of polishes, waxes, and other restoration fluids that are going to protect your machine for longer. Apply a product like ACF 50 to the Motorbike. Don’t be shy when applying it - ACF50 will protect every surface it touches. When applied, remember to start the bike and let it warm up and burn off any access ACF 50. Otherwise, the first time you ride the motorbike, it would be like a scene from Stars in your Eyes, “Tonight Matthew, I’m going to be…..”. If you have used it before, you know the score.

Regular Checks

It would help if you had regular checks on your tyre condition as these are the most critical component keeping the motorcycle in contact with the road. Ensure you have plenty of tread left on the tyre to ensure the best grip possible, and the most straightforward job to do is check and maintain the tyre pressures.

Your bike battery can fail any time but more so in the cold winter months, even if you are using the motorbike daily…another annoyance you don’t need in your life. Extra usage of heated grips, maybe heated clothes, and cold temperatures have an adverse effect on battery life. If you use these often, it would be recommended that you use a Battery Optimiser.

Costing around £40, just plug it in every night for as long as possible. This will give you less chance of failure and takes the stress of a drained battery away. They work by keeping the battery on a trickle charge from the optimiser will almost ensure the battery will result in good health at the end of its hibernation period.

The optimiser monitors the battery’s voltage. If the voltage drops, the optimiser cuts in. Sounds like magic- I’ll take one!

Storing Your Bike

If you decide to store your motorbike for the winter months, you would expect a few things to happen when you choose to use it again in the later months:

  • Still be in the garage where you left it
  • Look as sharp as the day you left it
  • You would like the motorbike to start first time off the button
  • Ready to go!

For the best chance of all these steps to occur, you will need to do some work beforehand. It is advised to get a tracker or an alarm fitted if you have not got one already. Peace of mind for when the motorbike is stored is always welcomed. Secure the motorbike with a good lock and chain and even secure the lock to the floor with a heavy-duty floor anchor. The more you do, the best chance you have of seeing your motorbike in the springtime. As you store the motorbike, you should give it a full valet. Wash and wax it, cover it in ACF50. Clean and lube the chain. Ensure the bike is completely dry before storing it. Oil any cables with silicon spray type lubricant. If you are not fortunate to have a garage or lock-up, worth investing in a proper waterproof cover designed to fit your motorbike, moisture is the motorbikes enemy.

Fuel Injected Bikes

Most modern motorbikes are fuel injected. The best advice is to fill the motorcycle’s fuel tank to the top. This will stop the inside of the tank from corroding. You will need to add a good quality fuel stabiliser. Fuel can go stale in as little as 30 days that can lead to running and starting issues. Add the treatment, run the bike for a while, ensuring that the treaded fuel is through the system.

Tyre Pressures

Ensure the tyres are inflated to the correct pressure. It would be best if you left the bike sitting on the main centre stand throughout the period. You could use front, and rear paddock stands if you prefer. Leaving the bike on the stands relieves any weight or pressure that would be otherwise left on the fork springs, seals and rear shocks. Using the stands will also take the weight off the tyres avoiding the possibility of deformation.

Riding All Year Around

motorbike riding in the snow

'I want to sell my motorbike'

If you have a BMW F850GS and want to sell it, why not get a price from us today. Fill out your motorbike's reg above, and a few extra details. We will then get back to you within 24 hours with a competitive price for your bike. If you are happy with the price, we will arrange for someone to pick up your bike from your home (usually within 48 hours). Payment will be made directly into your bank account on inspection at your property. It's as simple as that.

Why Sell Your Bike To Us?

Selling your bike to us is safe & secure. Selling your motorcycle to a private buyer can be risky. Many people have had their bikes stolen after allowing the buyer to test drive their motorbike and have them ride off and not return. The seller then has the problem of claiming on the dreaded insurance, as many insurers will not payout when the motorbikes are "stolen with keys".

We provide payment on collection. No cash. Payments are through bank transfer at the time of sale at your home.

We also provide a no fuss promise. As long as the bike is in the condition that has been stated on the valuation, we will perform a quick check, then we will pay the money directly into your bank account, no fuss, no further haggling. We buy any bike that is as agreed in the valuation.

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Existing Finance?

If you have exisiting finance and can't afford the repayment, we can take care of it. We will deduct the difference from the final amount.

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