Posted by Max on November 20, 2000 at 07:08:36:
In Reply to: Keeping Savage battery up in the winter? posted by Rick on November 18, 2000 at 22:56:20:
A good condition, properly charged battery, disconnected per Polar Pilot should keep its charge through the winter. Cold storage is better than hot as self discharging however small is less. Make sure it is full and that any demineralized(steam iron quality) water you've added has entered the solution by charging the battery. Low amps is the key here. No point in boiling away the water you've added and chancing warping the plates from heat.
Also don't start it unless you are going to ride it. I started mine last winter and was carefully monitoring the cylinder and sump temperature and wasn't watching the header. It is a Highway Hawl single wall drag pipe with added HD muffler and turned red enough to see through. So much for the marginal chrome clear down to the brake pedal. Engine still wasn't hot, just the head pipe running lean and with some cold start up misfire.
Treating the fuel with an anti varnish additive (StaBil) is well worth the effort and pays big dividends the first warm day in spring when the fever hits. Nothing worse than a gummed up carb on a day you would rather be "scooting".
Unless you use a special oil known to me as "fogging oil" and used by the aviation industry, the engine oil will have run off the cylinders by spring start up anyway. If you are using a synthetic oil, it seems to leave a residue that stays on everything it touches.
Would be great to get it up on blocks and get the weight off the tires, but be sure to air them to the maximum before storage. The $99.99 hoist from Sam's club would be great for this and easy to get it back in serve on that warm day.
We have had unseasonable cold here on the dry side of Washington State so I've missed the usual Fall riding days, but the weather guys and gals promise warmer weather after Thanskgiving, thank goodness for ballistic nylon jackets and chaps and snowmachine gloves. I'm not suffering to bad, I still ride the TW200 Yamaha over to the relatives for errands, but it is slower and shorter cross field and farm road than the higheay.