winterizing my 450X, have questions.
  • Rguinn1207
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    Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 2:51 pm

    winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Rguinn1207 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 5:28 am

    Going through the manual, I have drained the fuel, and removed the battery. However the manual says to drain all fluids (oil and coolant "antifreez"). I just can't wrap my head around draining these last two. What is the reasonfor draining "all" the fluids???
    Thanks in advance for all the help.
  • Back2-2
    Posts: 1148
    Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:31 pm

    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Back2-2 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 10:27 am

    I do not see what area you live in. But, there is no need to drain fluids unless you are in some really extreme conditions that you store your bike in. Many people do fresh oil changes right before they store the bike away for winter so there is no chance of moisture in the oils.
    Sounds like you got it covered.
    Neil
    Black Hills of SD
    Life without Motorcycles would just be boring, really boring
    Honda 450X. Yamaha Tracer GT900. HD Fat Boy. Triumph Bonneville. Yamaha Majesty 400. Yamaha Grizzly. Yamaha Wolverine. Yamaha TW200
  • Rguinn1207
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    Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 2:51 pm

    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Rguinn1207 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 4:14 pm

    Thanks. I live in the mountains of Colorado, (Summit County, 10K feet in elevation).
  • Back2-2
    Posts: 1148
    Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:31 pm

    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Back2-2 » Thu Nov 30, 2017 6:26 am

    10K feet ! Geez :shock: Now that you state that I am thinking a little differently.
    - If that poor bike is going to be in those elements maybe you better drain the coolant and use air pressure to evacuate all the cavities. The oils will be thick as pudding - I think I would drain them also. Man, that is some harsh conditions to leave a bike.
    Neil
    Black Hills of SD
    Life without Motorcycles would just be boring, really boring
    Honda 450X. Yamaha Tracer GT900. HD Fat Boy. Triumph Bonneville. Yamaha Majesty 400. Yamaha Grizzly. Yamaha Wolverine. Yamaha TW200
  • Rguinn1207
    Posts: 16
    Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 2:51 pm

    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Rguinn1207 » Sat Dec 02, 2017 6:12 am

    Just spoke with 3 different mech's from 2 different shops. They all said the same thing (it is over kill, as long as the coolant is a true 50/50 mix).
    Even that all I'd really have to do is afd some fuel additive and just pull the battery.
    I know what I'm doing next year.
  • Leardriver
    Posts: 462
    Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 10:33 am

    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Leardriver » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:44 am

    is the bike stored where you can get at it?

    I start mine up and run it for 5-10 minutes once a month during the winter in Denver.

    Engines love to be run, and it keeps the carb from getting gummed up.
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    Harkon
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    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Harkon » Mon Dec 11, 2017 9:28 am

    is the bike stored where you can get at it?

    I start mine up and run it for 5-10 minutes once a month during the winter in Denver.

    Engines love to be run, and it keeps the carb from getting gummed up.
    Generally speaking, this is not a good choice. Without riding the bike the oil won't get hot enough to properly boil out all of the moisture. The bike warms up and as it cools draws in cool moist air. I would bet that before you start it in the cold, if it's below freezing you could probably see ice crystals built up inside. It is far better to properly prepare the bike for winter and leave it alone until you are ready to ride again. If you have problems with the carb gumming up, you need non-ethanol gas and some proper fuel stabilizer. I prefer to store my bike with the carb drained and dry.
  • Leardriver
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    Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 10:33 am

    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Leardriver » Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:12 pm

    I guess everyone has their own technique. We ride in the winter at the track if it is over 45 degrees. Every engine that I have is started in the winter regularly. It smears oil around and moves the piston, cam, and crank to a different position.
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    Harkon
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    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Harkon » Wed Dec 13, 2017 3:07 pm

    I guess everyone has their own technique. We ride in the winter at the track if it is over 45 degrees. Every engine that I have is started in the winter regularly. It smears oil around and moves the piston, cam, and crank to a different position.
    Oh, for sure. Everyone has a different approach. If you ride it once in a while, the oil will get hot enough to boil off any moisture in the crank case. This isn't the case if you only let it idle for a bit. Either way, it will absolutely not hurt the bike to put fresh oil in it and let it sleep. I make sure it has fuel stabilizer in it and a full tank so as not to allow much air space in the tank. Others prefer to drain the tank entirely. I've tried it with the carb wet and dry. Either way works if you have good fuel, stabilizer in the fuel and it's only going to be put away for 6 months or less. The only other thing is the battery. If you are going to just let it rest and not ride it, the battery should be on a tender.
  • Leardriver
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    Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 10:33 am

    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Leardriver » Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:57 am

    I have heard my entire life about these mysterious acids that accumulate in oil. Keep in mind that I live in low humidity Colorado.
    I have done numerous oil analysis on bikes that have been sitting, and have never detected one gigawidget of adverse acids.

    I suspect that either oils have gotten better, or it was an old wife's tale all along, but of all of the things to worry about, this isn't one of them. If you put a bike away for the season in October, and get it going again in April, the bike will be happy.

    A new battery for a 450 is under $50 shipped to your house. So, whether I get 4 years or 6 out of one, that is longer than I will keep a bike. I charge mine 2-3 times a winter and ride the bike.
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    Harkon
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    Re: winterizing my 450X, have questions.

    by Harkon » Thu Dec 14, 2017 10:36 am

    You are correct regarding acids. I'm not sure how you got there as I never said anything about that, but the oil in these bikes should be fresh enough that acid buildup doesn't really factor in. And you are correct, oil these days is far better than it once was. Ride and have fun 8)

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