Winter Maintenance

[bensley]

Ok, as Wezrvf and I are new to Ducati's and this forum we were thinking it might be a good shout to start a new thread where we can all share winter maintenance tips to ensure our pride and joy's stay proud and joyful come the spring sunshine, warm weather and the nice dry roads.

Admittedly this will be more informative for me and Wezrvf as newbies but maybe everyone can learn a little something along the way.

I'll start by outlining my plans:

1) Put it in a garage!

2) Buy a paddock stand to keep things upright and off the side stand for extended periods.

3) Borrow my friends bike cover to try and avoid scrapes etc.

4) Investigate getting a trickle charger to keep the battery in good shape.

5) Start the bike and let it run for 10 mins once a week.

6) If I'm super keen, systematically take off bits and clean them and replace them over time.

Ok, so maybe I nailed it in one hit, or maybe I look like a total muppet now. Please share your thoughts and may we all have a safe and problem free winter.


P.S - I love this smiley thing :freak:

[utopia]

To repeat what I said in Wez's other thread.......

Don't start the engine once a week unless you're going to ride the bike, for lots of reasons, including .......
10mins is too long for an air-cooled engine to be running without any cooling air flowing over it.
Its also probably not long enough to fully evaporate any internal moisture, which will then turn your oil to emulsion sludge as well as encouraging internal corrosion.

Better to take it out for a longer run, preferably on back roads which are unsalted.
And/or put it on a paddock stand, remove the plugs, engage a gear and turn the engine over by hand via the rear wheel every now and then, to reposition the cambelts and avoid them taking a "set" where they wrap around the pulleys.
Add a small drop of oil down the plug holes to ensure good lubrication of the bores if you're being fussy.

And keep the bike in a shed/garage which is either never heated at all or is constantly heated. Occaisional heating will just increase the likelihood of condensation of airbourne moisture in the tank. Though at least with a plastic tank I guess this won't cause any corrosion.

I'd be inclined to leave a minimal amount of ethanol free fuel in the tank.

Also, particularly if your garage has a cold concrete floor, many would recommend a paddock stand front and back, to keep the tyres off the ground.
I don't bother cos my shed has a raised wooden floor and the other shed has insulated tiles over the slabbed floor.

And its worth emphasising, no matter how obvious it might seem, if you do take the bike out during the winter on salted roads, wash it immediately unless it has been treated with a corrosion inhibitor like ACF50.

[DrD]

What he said but I would be inclined to give it an oil and filter change before laying up.

[pompone]

Lube and slack a bit the chain
Spray electrical connectors
Drop a tiny bit of oil into the barrels through the plug hole
Paddock stand for the rear, lift the front using either a stand or axle stands
Maintain the battery
Turn the engine by hand every couple of weeks

[Dirty]

I'm going to get mine an electric blanket and an iPod with Verdi on loop :)

I do start mine every couple of weeks. I know it's not ideal but if I don't she's a bitch to start when I get round to it. I'll look out for any decent enough weather and take the opportunity to spin it about a bit if I can but I hate winter riding.

That said my mate just ordered a Panigale R so I'll probably be popping round for tea and drooling sessions quite a lot.

[Darren69]

Only an R? I'd be inclined to get one of them Tricolore jobbies, the plain red ones are a bit boring imho. Maybe in 10 years or so if I'm still riding I'll look for a nice one?

[Nickj]

Winter maintenance......

Plan what you need to do and dress up warm unless you can get the bike somewhere heated.

If in performing maintenance in a cold place take a bucket of warm water to warm up spray cans.

One important and often overlooked item is to flush out the tank and ignition lock barrels so they are water free, it's a real sod to need to fill the tank at 120miles when the air temperature is -5 and the pins are frozen solid.

[Dirty]

Only an R? I'd be inclined to get one of them Tricolore jobbies, the plain red ones are a bit boring imho. Maybe in 10 years or so if I'm still riding I'll look for a nice one?

He's chopping in his 1098 track bike which was tricolore. Special job by JHP so he's keeping the panels. I guess red is a change for him! I'm gutted because I had first refusal but he's selling it a year or 2 too early and keeping the CBR :fiery:

[wezrvf]

Thanks for starting the thread bensley :)

Loads of really helpful advice from everyone here. I might try and convince the other half that a bike in corner of the dining room for a few months will be fun :)

Hopefully I will get another couple of rides before the ice and grit sets in :)

[Black Bob]

Hopefully I will get another couple of rides before the ice and grit sets in :)

Ermmm - it's only October and it's been scorching outside this week ? :look:

[Davidg1230]

Ermmm - it's only October and it's been scorching outside this week ? :look:

+1

Wrap up warm, wash the bike down often, liberal use of ACF50 and ride all through the winter, but only when it's dry and not icey

[wezrvf]

Chaps, i notice your locations are London and Exeter. I can tell you up North it hasn't been scorching all week and once November kicks in you don't see a dry/ non icy day in Manchester until April !! ;)

[mintyhit]

Err.. buy some warmer cloathing and keep riding it? :-)

...also, keep it clean and ACF50.

[bensley]

Lube and slack a bit the chain
Spray electrical connectors
Maintain the battery


What do you spray them with, WD40? and what exactly do you mean with the battery, a trickle charger for a couple days a week or so??

Sorry to be pedantic just don't want to screw anything up.

Yeah agreed Wez, lots of helpful tips.

I will not be starting my bike up then once week but turning it over by hand with the plugs out and a drop of oil where the plugs were.

I'll have a crack at an oil and filter change later I reckon as the bike was serviced about 2 weeks ago and is in the garage right now so will no doubt get a little bit of oil in there too. Hopefully the filter is up for the job for a little longer.

[bluestoesonnose]

Give the bodywork two or three coats of polish. A full spray can of ACF-50, over the bike, lift tank and go for it, fill the switch gear with it and ACF-50 grease on all the connectors and terminals. Wash the bike after every ride, nothing serious, just get the worst off. And give the chain a light lube if its been wet.

Won't be doing this for a month or so, though

[turbohobbit]

My bike's my method of commuting so I have no choice but to ride all winter. I can feel a handguard purchase coming on. Or I will do when I get my bike back. If I get my bike back.

[holty]

I agree with most of the above... I have heard that leaving your bike on the side stand for long periods will mean that the engine oil will settle on the LH side of the crankcase, thus when you go to start the bike up again the RH side of the engine is momentarily starved of oil, which can't be good! The solution is to park your bike up on a track stand, this keeps it nice and level and the internals bathed in oil.

[Dirty]

Only an R? I'd be inclined to get one of them Tricolore jobbies, the plain red ones are a bit boring imho. Maybe in 10 years or so if I'm still riding I'll look for a nice one?

Just popped round to see him today and got 2 bits of good news. 1st he's not going to chop in his 1098 track bike anymore. I have 1st dibs on it but didn't have the means to buy it. They dropped their px offer to less than he was prepared to accept so he‘s keeping it, for now :)

2nd and most interesting it turns out he lied to me about the Panigale R. He's getting a superleggera! He was sworn to secrecy until it was officially announced. I'm going to have to get some drooling practice in :)

[Capo]

I agree with most of the above... I have heard that leaving your bike on the side stand for long periods will mean that the engine oil will settle on the LH side of the crankcase, thus when you go to start the bike up again the RH side of the engine is momentarily starved of oil, which can't be good! The solution is to park your bike up on a track stand, this keeps it nice and level and the internals bathed in oil.

What exactly gets starved of oil?

[crust]

I agree with most of the above... I have heard that leaving your bike on the side stand for long periods will mean that the engine oil will settle on the LH side of the crankcase, thus when you go to start the bike up again the RH side of the engine is momentarily starved of oil, which can't be good! The solution is to park your bike up on a track stand, this keeps it nice and level and the internals bathed in oil.

What exactly gets starved of oil?

A trackstand will only keep the bottom of the engine lubed, to be extra sure you need to turn the bike upside down occasionally to lube the top bits, then lay it on each side to lube the sidey bits.

Honest ;)

[modama]

I agree with what has been said. The best winter maintenance is warmer clothes and go for a ride when sunny yet cold.

[Darren69]

I agree with most of the above... I have heard that leaving your bike on the side stand for long periods will mean that the engine oil will settle on the LH side of the crankcase, thus when you go to start the bike up again the RH side of the engine is momentarily starved of oil, which can't be good! The solution is to park your bike up on a track stand, this keeps it nice and level and the internals bathed in oil.

Its true that the oil will settle on the LH side when on the side stand, but if you sit on the bike and hold it upright for a few minutes won't the oil level out again?

The top of the end of desmo engines are prone to be starved of oil since the valve gear has no oil retention especially the rear cylinder, unlike a conventional engine, hence running the engine on a fast idle for a few minutes will help circulate the oil round the heads.

[jerry]

it is essential to properly warm up ducatis at fast idle for at least 2 minutes prior to riding especially desmoquattro models to circulate the oil to the top end ,,,

[bensley]

Is there a preferred method for turning the bike over by hand whilst in gear? I have my bike up on a paddock stand so the rear wheel is off the ground and I put it in gear, when I attempted to turn the rear wheel by hand it wouldn't budge so I used more and more force until I started to lift the bike higher in the air. The whole bike moved before the wheel turned and hence moved the internals. I'm sure there is a simple answer to my question. I don't' want to break anything, just trying to follow the good advice written above.

Cheers,
Ben

[utopia]

Take the spark plugs out.

Also, perhaps select 2nd or 3rd gear.

[bensley]

Thanks very much.

Is there an easy way to drain the petrol out the tank? I have a feeling its been in there a while and won't be doing any good. I'd like to empty it so that I can fill it up in Spring with new stuff when I want to ride it again.

Cheers!

[utopia]

I siphon mine.
Removing the tank can be a bit of a pain as the petrol pipe clips require a bit of a knack to remove without damaging them.
If you do remove it, take care that the petrol pipes are correctly routed when you replace it. I'd recommend a photo.

Also, while we're on the subject, don't use the std tank prop (unless in an emergency).
Particularly if there is petrol in the tank, the weight, coupled with the off-centre location of the prop, causes the tank to twist on the rear hinge. This is a common source of leaks when the welds are overstressed.
Instead, use a wooden prop off the airbox. About 18in long is about right, but make sure it locates in the deepest area of the base of the tank.
The plastic end piece on the std prop also seems to perish fairly quickly. I was lucky to spot this before it lead to a disaster.

ps. If you're being fussy, a few drops of engine oil down the plug holes before you turn it over won't do any harm.

[bensley]

Utopia, thanks so much, I will have a crack at siphoning it out as well so as not to risk damaging the hoses etc.

One more quick question, once you've taken the plugs out and dropped a bit of oil down each hole and turned it over etc. etc. do you then leave the plugs out, or screw them back in for winter storage?

Thanks again!

[Darren69]

I'd be tempted to put the plugs back in even if you don't fully tighten them, just to avoid anything else from dropping down the hole

[utopia]

I put mine loosely back in, just by a couple of threads or so, simply to keep creepy crawlies, dust etc from getting in there.
Then every now and again, I whip them out again and turn the engine over again, just to reposition the belts and stop them taking a "set" from being in the same position on the pulleys all winter.

(as Darren said while I was typing)

[bigredduke]

Not done it this way myself but i will be trying it soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAuNqbyvXdw



Thanks very much.

Is there an easy way to drain the petrol out the tank? I have a feeling its been in there a while and won't be doing any good. I'd like to empty it so that I can fill it up in Spring with new stuff when I want to ride it again.

Cheers!

[utopia]

That might work ok for a full tank, but I wouldn't fancy it for one that was less than about 3/4 full.

Tbh, I find it dead easy to siphon, as long as you think before you suck.
Use a nice, long tube.
Hold the tube high and straight, which gives a good resistance to suck against and avoids the risk of surges into your mouth.
Suck until the petrol is about 6in from the top then cap the pipe with your thumb.
Lower the end of the pipe to below the level of the tank, insert into your chosen container and release.

I use clear neoprene tube, but silicone rubber is probably better as its much more flexible.
I use small bore tube, (about 2mm) which is easier to establish the siphon, but takes ages.
And my vessel of choice is a collection of empty, 2 litre whiskey bottles. (I only claim to have drunk the contents of "some" of them).

[Dukedesmo]

And my vessel of choice is a collection of empty, 2 litre whiskey bottles. (I only claim to have drunk the contents of "some" of them).

Hopefully only before they were used for petrol though? :dizzy:

My tank has an electric pump (but no drain plug) in it, so using a fuel tank type connector I can plug in and connect to a 12v supply and it pumps (most of) it out through the quick release fuel feed hose.

[bensley]

Ok, I did it, well I think I got most of it out. Does it matter if there is a little bit left in there?

:freak:

[LVC]

What a hassle.....

I've never emptied any of my tanks (several bikes, various tractors, quads, jetskiis, etc), just fill the tanks to full and add the right amount of additive to the petrol (stops separation).

All batteries get put on the Optimate4 alternatively at least once every 2 weeks. Some have their negatives disconnected (mainly the jets and tractors) others are left as they are but with a smearing of vaseline over the connections.

Fogging spray in the cylinders of the jets (via the plug holes), don't bother with the others and WD40 spray over the electrics.

All covered up with either custom bike covers or old blankets or sheets and locked away in the barn or garage.

Done this for many years and never had a problem with any of them with one exception: I forgot the additive one year in the lads 50cc quad and had to rebuild the carb come the spring time due to petrol separation causing blockage.