BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Do you Lay Up your Bike for Winter Storage or ride all the year round.

Because I have two Bikes & the way I want to use/look after my 2012 RT, I Lay it up for the Winter.

I think the last time I used my RT was in September 2015, it will now be stood until 1st April 2016.
It was SORN'd at the end of October 2015.

The Bike was prepared for Winter Storage as follows,
all the Panels were removed, the Bike was professionally cleaned & treated with ACF-50 by All Year Biker,
Fuel Stabiliser added to a full fuel tank,
both wheels are off the ground, using the centre stand & a scissor jack,
all brake calipers were cleaned, lubricated & pistons "pushed back",
plastic cap placed over the air filter inlet & poly bag over the exhaust,
the Battery is charged every now & then,
& the Bike is loosely covered to keep the dust off it.

Any Service items which would have been due early in 2016, were also completed, hopefully allowing me to just look forward to riding it next year.

What do you do & why.

Definitely a lot less although I do not totally tuck it away for the winter.  In 20 years of BMW ownerships I have never suffered any corrosion issues so I believe that if you keep it clean and salt free that's all that's needed if you have a well ventilated garage.
I try to get in a 30-50 mile ride every other week or so but only on dry clean roads.  Mileage permitted I also go for a service late in the year. Battery gets plugged in once a fortnight if I don't get out.  Its covered in the garage with a breathable cover to keep the dust and my cats off it  I always treat fasteners and machined bits of alloy with transparent wax all year round. All painted parts are regularly wax polished mainly to stop scuffing and I like my grey to glow a bit. .

I try to keep riding as long as the roads are fairly clear of salt, snow and ice. As long as it's above freezing I'll give it a quick wash when I return home.


I do service it, wash,  wax before the real cold sets in. I keep fuel stabilizer in it as needed and keep it hooked to a battery tender as well. that has served me well for the last 35 years. No problems yet.

Ride as often as possible through the year barring ice. Rinse with cold water after every ride if there is salt around, otherwise snow foam and pressure washer and a flick with a sponge when the muck has built up. Very occasional turtle wax. Battery charger on overnight if it's been a quiet time. You lads make me feel guilty but in all honesty I cannot summon the enthusiasm. Same with the car.

k9doc wrote:otherwise snow foam and pressure washer

I've often though about using Snow Foam, AYB use it to good effect for a deep clean, what make do you use & how do you apply it, thanks.

I personally would never use a pressure washer.  In my earlier life at a dealership I have seen lots of damage to things like wheel bearings and ABS sensors caused by them.  They also nicely remove most types of preservatives and polishes you might have applied.

@DD


The trick is to use a good quality lance with vibrating plates(rather than the junk often supplied with a pressure washer) and good quality neutral ph snowfoam.

http://www.shopnshine.co.uk/valet-pro-advanced-neutral-snow-foam-5l

http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/pa-snow-foam-pre-wash-lance.html

I foam the bike liberally, leave it 5 minutes or so and then use the Karcher. It's amazing how the muck falls off. Then a good quality shampoo, low pressure rinse and a real 'shammy' leather. Back problems don't allow too much bending and fiddling.

Never had a problem with pressure washers but I do go easy ie. lower pressure around the sensitive locations. Great for the fiddly inaccessible bits and those areas that can fetch the skin off your knuckles.

Imagine a week long tour in mid summer, a screen, headlight, fairing, forks etc plastered with dead flies. Snowfoam, pressure wash after 5 minutes and 90% will have disappeared. A light going over with shampoo removes the rest.

The snowfoam liquid can also be used diluted in a hand spray as a prewash but I've no experience of this method.

The cleanest and best kept bike I've ever seen(granted photographs only) was a GS. His cleaning regime was Snowfoam, shampoo, leather followed by Pledge furniture polish!

I am lucky to live in a state where there is no need to winterize, just keep it on a battery tender and ride on the weekends when the sun is out.

Just done a nice 150 miles this weekend. Roads down here in West Sussex were mainly dry but it was a bit windy. I try to ride at least once a week, however when the ice and snow is around the bikes stay in the garage. I always put the bike away clean. Don't like pressure washers but having said that have never used one. Just think high pressure water could do a lot of damage so prefer a hose. However if used sensibly I guess they are good. I prewash with lots of water, then spray on a degreaser Surfex HD from Bilt-Hamber diluted 1:20 applied using a hand held garden pressure spray, rinse off, car wash, rinse off and then blown dry. I know a little OCD but I have two corrosion free clean bikes. Might try snow foam instead of the degreaser. Bill-Hamber make some good products.

I am lucky to live in a state where there is no need to winterize, just keep it on a battery tender and ride on the weekends when the sun is out.

This side of the pond with half the place under water and  the rest in a gale,  we don't need to know that. 

k9doc wrote:I foam the bike liberally, leave it 5 minutes or so and then use the Karcher. It's amazing how the muck falls off.

Imagine a week long tour in mid summer, a screen, headlight, fairing, forks etc plastered with dead flies. Snowfoam, pressure wash after 5 minutes and 90% will have disappeared. A light going over with shampoo removes the rest.

Would you use the Snow Foam for deep cleaning rather than regular light use.

Does it remove Brake Dust from the wheels without any agitation, or is brushing still required.

DaygloDavid wrote: Would you use the Snow Foam for deep cleaning rather than regular light use.

Does it remove Brake Dust from the wheels without any agitation, or is brushing still required.

My bike is usually visibly dirty when I clean it so I always use Snowfoam. If I was a routine cleaner, I would still use it as I'm sure it's as good with covert dust/grit/salt as it is with the more obvious sort.

Regarding brake dust; Snowfoam followed by a pressure wash will get rid of a lot of it, but you would still need shampoo plus cloth, brush or whatever to get the rest. Bottom line is it does a good job much quicker with less effort. The water in the bucket stays cleaner for longer and you use less shampoo. IMO the easier it is to remove the dirt, the less likely you are to damage paintwork by rubbing/brushing the muck in during the process of removing it.

After the Snowfoam and pressure wash gets rid of the dirt, you are basically left with  traffic film which shouldn't contain much in the way of abrasive particles.

David when you have your bike clean use a good wax on all the paint and screen. Note use a wax not a polish which contains abrasive particles. A wax like Poorboy's Natty's Blue can be used regularly with no chance of causing any damage. A wax only product will provide a protective barrier and make cleaning really easy. Dirt such as brake dust will not stick well to wax so its easy to shift. It will also give the bike a nice shine. I use it on the screen after every wash. Helps with bugs in the summer. Anything which results in less scrubbing will be good for paintwork and clear plastic. Don't use it on black plastic any silicon based product works better. Waxes and polishes are very misunderstood products. To cause even more confusion there are some products that act as a mild polish with a wax for protection. Personally I prefer a wax only product, I know then it contains no polishing compounds, its purely a wax designed to protect.

Thanks for the feedback.

I suppose because of the way I use my Bike & the fact that I've got the time (retired),  I can take as long as I like cleaning my Bike.
I'd rather clean my Bike thoroughly on an infrequent basis, than frequently but not thoroughly, hope you know what I mean.

As previously discussed, I do use Muc-Off on small areas at a time, it foams reasonably well, then it's well rinsed off.
When Part-Ex'ing both my 2007 & 2010 Bikes, the Dealers commented on what good clean condition they were in for their age & mileage.

I do use Halo Smart Motorbike Wax (produced by AYB) on the plastics, screen & wheels etc.



Another product which is easy to use & gives a great finish is Autoglym Instant Show Shine, a friend put me on to it after I commented on how good his Bike looked.

Bilt-Hamber make an interesting wax called Auto-balm.


http://www.bilthamber.com/waxes-polishe ... /auto-balm


Interesting because it has anti-corrosion properties. Basically applied to bare metal it stops corrosion. Not a straight forward product to apply, you have to read the instructions carefully. However if you do as they say then its a fabulous product. It also contains some fillers so will mask fine swirl marks. Cool stuff.