Winterizing Doesn’t Have to Mean Storage
I’ve never “stored” my Vespa scooter for the winter — draining fuel, adding stabilizer, or pushing the machine to the corner of the garage to wait for warm weather again in the spring. Riding had become too much fun, too important, an obsession that I wasn’t willing to surrender because of winter. So I rode when the roads were clear, piled on protective gear and tools to stay warm, and pushed against the elements in ways that may have been a stretch in terms of risk.
So now I’m looking at how to manage “winterizing my BMW K75 motorcycle.”
Just a Little Ride
I hadn’t ridden the K75 in a few weeks. Colder weather and a decline in riding enthusiasm was to blame. But if I wanted to keep the motorcycle ready to ride I needed to take it out periodically. The reason to ride appeared in form of a lack of apples for my breakfast bowl of oatmeal — a cold weather staple. So I told Kim I was going to exercise the BMW and off I went.
The temperature was in the upper 30s and there was nice, bright sunshine which always makes things feel warmer. I donned my gear and took off. I had considered using my Gerbing electric gloves since the motorcycle grips have no wind protection but I left with my regular summer/fall leather ones.
The plan was to ride 20 or 25 miles, just enough to juice up the battery and make some room for fresh gas in the tank.
A Stop For Apples
As some of you might already know, it doesn’t take much of a reason to go for a ride. Going to pick up apples was enough. There is a grocery store three miles up the road and they sell perfectly fine apples. But I decided on a meandering trip to Way Fruit Farm — 12 miles as the crow flies, 40 miles by K75.
It was a fine day to ride. The motorcycle performed flawlessly. And it felt good to stretch my legs and spirit for a little while.
Mmm-mmm! Sounds like a tasty ride (in more ways than one). My last ride was a day before the Big Snow arrived, from home to Gotham and back. The weakest part of my prep was always in regard to gloves, and evern though putting the Piaggio handlebar muffs on Melody helped a lot, they don’t entirely cut it when temps approach true freezing. I finally hit upon combining the muffs with a pair of Joe Rocket Burner Lite heated gloves, and, wow, they worked, which is saying something, since my ride started late-AM last Tuesday, and ended around 8:45 PM that evening, with temps ranging from about 40°F (going up) to about 33° (coming back). The gloves made one hell of a difference, which is saying something, because it took four tries to just get Mel started that morning; since we don’t have a garage, she’s only sheltered by a good-but-aging cover, so the cold got to her battery (and everything else). But she did fire on the fifth try, and all was good the rest of the day. But I am buying a battery tender, stat.
What’s the projected ratio of ride-time, in Winter, between the Vespa and Beemer? I know you’ve only had the latter a short time, but I’m curious as to what your gut tells you? (I’ll have more to say about my experience shortly on MV, as well as a review on the Burner Lite gloves.) Stay safe, and keep rolling and writing.
I have had hand guards on most of my bikes for years but had never used muffs/hippo hands etc until this Fall. I purchased a new to me Versys 300X in the Spring. Concerned about running a heated jacket and grips at the same time and over taxing the bike’s electric capabilities I have opted for a pair of Givi Handlebar Muffs. More than happy with the results. I have been out in the high 30’s and low 40’s with medium weight gloves in genuine comfort. Not unlike my past history with electric clothing I am silently repeating to myself “why didn’t I do this years ago?” That old nugget about wisdom and age comes to mind as does the “Keep It Simple Stupid” thing too.
The muffs are just short of miraculous. Like you, I waited a long time to get them. For me, they just seemed so ugly. Now, I’m sold and ugly doesn’t matter.
I just bought a Mad Bomber hat. I look insane in it. But man is it warm!
Be well and be safe Steve!
Too funny! I looked up Mad Bomber Hat as I had not heard the term and wasn’t certain I knew exactly what it was? It’s a Cousin Eddie hat! Bravo! Winter tis the season of goofy but uber functional hats. We have a Christmas LL Bean order due any day now and so looking forward to our red and black checkerboard Elmer Fudd hats with the pull down ear flaps. Merry Christmas One and All 🎄
Cousin Eddie. That reminds me that I have to watch Christmas Vacation as part of my holiday repertoire. I’m a committed LL Bean shopper. I think everything I own is from them, Woolrich, or Orvis. I’m a traditional fellow. Here’s a fashionable view of my new hat!
Muffs and heated gloves are the best combination I’ve found to keep my hands warm. It works below 0F though I doubt if I’ll do any more of that kind of winter riding. 20F and above for me now I think.
A Battery Tender should help your outdoor storage and starting issues.
I definitely think I’ll be riding the Vespa more in the winter. It’s better equipped to handle the cold with a lot more built in protection from the elements. A lot depends on the weather too. I will probably only ride the BMW when the temperatures are 35F and higher.
You be careful too riding in the winter!
Always good to find a reason to ride! I’m still out and about a bit on my Suzuki, but it’s mostly just a nippy commute to work in the city once or twice a week, weather permitting. Still fun to get out and enjoyable if enough clothig is donned. Stay safe!
I agree, any reason to ride is a gift. Long or short rides, it’s nice to be out on two wheels.
Hope all is well with you and be safe!
heres an important tip for those who cant ride in the cold: start your engine and rev it for at least 5 minutes everyday even if you do have to go out to keep the engine alive…..or else the cold will definitely damage your bike’s engine.
I can’t see how it would hurt to start the scooter or motorcycle every so often for 5 or 10 minutes as long as they are on a Battery Tender. Otherwise, I think the low revs may tax the battery rather than take excess power from the generator.
So far during my 15 years of riding, I’ve been able to get out as much in the winter as I would in the summer. Would ride as far but kept the engine turning.
When I was younger I used to ride for as long as I could into December. It seemed like the cold didn’t bother me as much, but now it feels like it creeps in through every seam in my jacket and gloves. The truth is now the law restricts any winter rides. I live in the province of Quebec, Canada and a few years ago they made snow tires mandatory on all vehicles (including motorcycles) from December 01 to April 01. You can get an exception to ride to the dealer for maintenance, or if a new owner wanted to ride the bike home, or if you decide you want to ride out of the province, but a casual ride could get you a ticket if the cop was having a bad day. I have noticed that you can actually buy winter tires for the scooter, but the cost is just too much for the few times I would actually get out.
No riding without snow tires would be a deal-breaker for most riders. I have snow tires for the Vespa but haven’t put them on yet this year. No legal requirements for them but they make a difference in traction. Even on dry roads. I bought studs for them last year but didn’t put them in. Good thing because we had no snow to speak of. Now I won’t venture out in the same sort of snow covered roads that I used to ride on.
I hope your wait for warmer weather isn’t too bad.
I took the Tri Glide out frequently last winter, even when the roads weren’t clear – obviously no worries about stability. Really messed up the aluminum wheels and under carriage. Won’t do that again. It’s enough to do a major clean up and spraying oil on the underside of the Jeep in the Spring – half day job and messy.
Nice riding out around Way Fruit Farm and beyond. BTW with so many vehicles, I keep Star Tron in all gas tanks, all year long.
Hmm, think I’ll have some oatmeal with apple . . . and mixed nuts.
The winter muck has done a number on my Vespa. Even cleaning it off doesn’t undo the almost instant damage of salt and grit. I quit worrying about it from a cosmetic standpoint but I have to remain attentive to the brake lines and exhaust.
I’ve never used any sort of fuel stabilizers in the Vespa or BMW. I burn through the fuel fast enough that I don’t worry about it. If there’s a lot more snow this year I may have to rethink that.
Don’t forget the blueberries with the oatmeal!
Least anyone think spraying the underside of a car (Jeep) with oil is environmentally unfriendly, that’s used motor oil mixed with kerosene. The kerosene evaporates leaving a sticky, semi-hard residue. Immediately after treatment the Jeep sat in the garage for weeks and left only two tiny drops of oil on the floor. Most of it is sprayed inside the frame-rails anyway.
Sounds messy, friendly or not.
Our Honda Odyssey is 18 years old. No oil treatment underneath yet. No rust either. Maybe Jeep doesn’t use that good Honda metal!!
Beemers love exercise….do you have ethanol-free gasoline in the area? A beemer mechanic once said its not enough though to run it for a few miles….need closer to 70+ to heat things up enough in the gearbox to boil off any water condensation within.
There is one station I know of that sells ethanol-free gas around here — Burkholders near Millheim. Just 15 miles away. I try and time things to fill up when I’m out that way but most of the time it’s just gas from the local Sunoco station.
I make some 70-mile rides in the winter. Sometimes double that. But those rides are the exception. That’s why I drain the oil in the spring because of less riding. So far I’ve seen no ill effects.
I know the R Bikes need exercise. Not sure about the K bikes since they are the superior line.
Despite the disapproval in certain quarters I go down to the garage once a week and fire up the three bikes. That is my weekly routine until the temperatures rise and the road salt washes away. The ones that need it get to simmer on battery tenders (Kawasaki and CF Moto) while the Honda Nighthawk needs no assistance. The sound of the engines running stirs memories of rides past and suffices for the next three months.
I’ve certainly done what you do when I can’t ride for a few weeks. And both the K75 and Vespa are on Battery Tenders. Whatever pleasant sounds the engines make, it’s washed away by the stink of exhaust. I never run them in the garage lest the house smell like an engine shop.
I open the garage door before I start. Two of the bikes shoot their exhaust out the door while the third does leave an odor that slowly dissipates out the door.
I tried that but for some reason the exhaust drafts back into the house. And the garage is separated by a breezeway. An obvious first world problem for me.
Burkholder’s Market outside of Millheim sells ethanol-free gasoline, should you need to stock up.
Thanks Brad. I try and fuel up there when I can’. Maybe I need to plan rides specifically with that in mind.
I feel exactly the same. When you have scooters in the garage, it´s difficult to go out with bikes. More even during winter. My Vespa, Lambretta or Piaggio are always prefered and the Honda NC Integra is often parked in the garage. This is just not the case if there is time and the possibility to travel far. The result of this is that the NC hardly moved in 2020 because of the pandemic.
I’ve definitely witnessed a decline in mileage this year due to the pandemic. At least I think that’s to blame. Could be I’ve just been distracted or lazy.
The Vespa is just better suited for the cold and easier to manage in snow than the motorcycle.