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Re: [ST] Hot weather question....



On Feb 11, 2006, at 10:59 AM, John Ulizzi wrote:
>   1)  Fuel. I have used Stabil in my bikes and such every winter  
> here with good luck, but is an Arizona summer the same thing?  Do I  
> just put stable in a full tank and not worry, or do I drain the  
> bowls as well ? Or do I have them start and run the bike once a  
> month to flow fresh ( er ) fuel throughout the system ?

Stabil works great regardless of temperature. Use it. I probably  
wouldn't keep a full tank, as water condensation in the tank won't be  
an issue in that climate. Plus, it's always better to put fresh go  
juice in the tank when you're ready to ride.

Per Stabil's recommendation, add the Stabil and then run the bike  
enough to make sure the stabilized gas gets all the way through the  
entire fuel system. Of course, draining the float bowl upon your  
return would never hurt anything and could be cheap insurance in case  
some water/gunk decides to settle out during your absence.

Do NOT just start the bike to make the juices flow. It's very hard on  
the oil and engine because the oil won't get up to temp to burn off  
the water that collects in the crankcase during cold running. (Even  
if your coolant gets up to temp your oil will still be very cool. The  
only thing that really puts heat into the oil is running the engine  
under load (i.e. highway travel) for at least 15 minutes.) That water  
will combine with combustion by-products in the crankcase and turn  
into nitric and/or sulfuric acid. That acid will etch the insides of  
your engine, given a long time to sit and work.

Best thing to do is pour in the Stabil and go for a 30-minute ride  
before you store the bike.

>   2) Battery. Put it on a tender ( have to go buy another one ), or  
> is a trickle charger run off something like the garage door light  
> sufficient ? Or because of the heat , take the battery inside and  
> put on a tender or similarly switched trickle charger ?

Ideally, keep the battery in a cool, dry place. At least keep it out  
of the direct sunlight. Don't let the battery go for more than six  
months without a full re-charge. If you get a GOOD trickle charger  
that won't over-charge and boil water out, that'd be fine as well.  
Plus, it'd be ready as soon as you returned.

--
Blake Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxx>
<http://sobiloff.typepad.com/>
San Jose, CA  (USA)


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