Motorcycle Repair: winterization, psi air, trickle charger

Question
I'll be storing the bikes over the winter (Nov. to May) in a garage. I filled it with gas and put stabil(sp?) in the tank. And I put the trickle charger on the battery. Is it necessary to drain the carbs?   (concours,magna,ninja)

Answer
Hi mpratt,

Yes, drain the float bowls unless you intend to start and run the engines every few days during storage.

I use and recommend "Sea-Foam" as a gasoline stabilizer. The only other product I recomend is Marvel's Mystery Oil.

With any additive, follow label instructions to the letter. Adding too much additive may harm carburetor parts. Too little is not effective.

Draining float bowls leaves some minute amounts of fuel in the bowls. Also, a fuel bubble can form across the main jet and other orifices. This bubble may harden into a skin. You might blow very low psi air into the bowls to help the drying process.

I return tech information files via email. There was no email address with question as requested.

Respectfully,
Mark Shively