Tips for Preparing Your Motorcycle for Storage This Winter

Your bike takes you places and it’s a joy to ride. Whether it’s the growing warmth of spring, the blaze of summer, or the crispness of fall – you’re gonna be out riding. But, sadly, winter is coming. And it’ll be time to stow that bike of yours away until the return of spring.



When you do, it’s important to store it properly. In this article, we’ll give you a thorough rundown on how to store your motorcycle for the winter. 

Why Prepare For Storage?

You might be tempted to bring your motorcycle in from that last ride of the season and let it sit through the winter. And you definitely could, it’s just not a good idea. Not taking the intentional steps to prepare your bike for long-term storage is just asking for it to have engine trouble or serious damage. You need to take care of your investment and go through the appropriate steps before stowing it away. Don’t provoke disaster – get your bike prepared for storage this winter.

How To Prepare Your Motorcycle For Storage This Winter

We’re going to give you an extensive list of actions you can take to ensure that you have your bike prepared to head into storage – follow these steps carefully and you’ll be set to increase the longevity of your motorcycle.

1. Fill Up the Bike's Fluids

The first thing that you’ll want to do before placing the bike into storage, is to review and fill up all the bike’s fluids. And we mean all of them – brake, clutch, and coolant. Be sure to review and be acquainted with the specifications from your motorcycle's manufacturer to verify that you are applying the appropriate type and amounts. If you’re feeling ambitious, it’s even better to go ahead and drain out all the fluids and apply new fluids prior to placing it into storage.

2. Fill Up the Bike's Fluids

Next, you’ll want to go ahead and change both the oil and the oil filter. Reality is, your bike wears out and becomes dirty – it collects contaminants that cause this muskiness and they are terrible on your engine. It’s not a good idea to let this old oil soak your bike’s components over the prolonged winter season as this can lead to corrosion and faulty performance of the motor’s key systems. And anytime you change the oil you need to proceed with getting the filter changed as well.



Unless you have some sort of lift jack that can elevate your bike and keep the tires off the ground, you’ll need to consider a flat-spot prevention. Prepare for this by setting a weekly reminder for yourself (very easy to do in today’s age of smartphones) to go and rotate the bike while it’s in storage.

4. Wash and Apply Wax on Motorcycle

The metal chassis of your bike also deserves some tender love and care. Before you put the motorcycle away give it a good and thorough washing. Once completed, be sure to apply wax to all of the bike’s metal exterior. Washing the bike will remove anything that could prove corrosive and applying the wax will provide a sealant barrier to prevent anything corrosive from attaching and doing damage while it sits.

5. Avoid These Areas for Garage Storage

You’ll need to think carefully about where you are actually going to place the bike for storage. More than likely this will be your garage – which is a safe and logical choice. But you need to think through where specifically it’s going to go within the garage itself. Be sure to avoid putting it close to any windows – the UV radiation of the sunlight can do some pretty serious damage to both leather and paint. So, unless you really want to develop a faded appearance on your bike – steer clear of those rays. You’ll also want to get it away from any high traffic areas. Having it close to where there’s a lot of movement is just asking for it to be bumped and damaged. Finally on this point – cover it with some sort of protective sheet to deter scratches and nicks while it sits.

6. Remove Motorcycle Battery and Apply Protection Layers

Something you might not consider right off the bat is that you should remove the battery prior to getting the bike put away for winter. This will ensure that there is no drain placed on the battery and that its longevity is preserved. Once you have the battery pulled out, go ahead and top off the cells inside with distilled battery. This will ensure that the battery continues forward in proper operation when re-installed. If you have any leather built into the bike, be sure to apply leather protection layers prior to the final stow. These chemicals are designed, like wax on metal, to form a protective layer that shields the leather from possible damage and preserves/lengthens its life.

7. Top Off the Fuel Gauge

One final thing for that final ride – be sure to get the fuel topped off. Then once you return home consult the manufacturer’s recommendations and apply an appropriate amount of fuel stabilizer. Once applied crank the bike on and let it run for roughly three to four minutes so that stabilize can cycle through the entire system. With all the above steps applied you can go ahead and get your bike stored away and have great peace of mind that you are doing right by your motorcycle and that you’ll be able to enjoy it for many spring/summer/fall days ahead.

Motorcycle Storage and Extra Space

Motorcycle storage inside your garage takes a lot of extra space. Nonetheless, you will have to find a way to organize your garage. Next you'll want to clean the garage floor to ensure that your motorcycle will be kept under a clean floor. Sometimes there is not enough room and that's why you should go with Danley's Garage World for a renovation. We have build over 100,000 detached garages since 1959. We build custom size garages to make room for your motorcycles, vehicles and other fun motor vehicles. Speak to a specialist and get a free quote online today.