An Easy Guide to Winterizing Your Motorcycle
- Sean Good
- Dec 4, 2025
- 7 min read
If you live in the northern hemisphere, then you know that winter and its inevitable weather is on its way: frosty mornings, black ice, and snow. Sadly, this means that you may have to tuck in your beloved machine for a few months of hibernation until warm weather returns.
But getting your motorcycle ready for a 3-6 month break is easier than you might think, and well worth the time investment. Skipping proper winter preparation can invite corrosion, fuel system issues, and premature battery failure, leading to frustrating delays in the spring. With only a few supplies and a few hours of free time, you can ensure that your bike will ready to roll at the start of next riding season. Read on to learn
The Six Step Process
Oil change
Fuel stabilization
Clean & lube
Tire prep
Battery prep
Miscellaneous tips
Tools and Supplies
Fresh oil, oil filter, drain plug washer (if performing an oil change)
Motorcycle detailing supplies, soap, wax, detailing brushes or mitts
Fuel stabilizer, or access to ethanol-free fuel
Spray protectant, such as Fluid Film or WD-40
Chain cleaner, lube, and a chain brush
Battery tender/maintainer
Tire pressure gauge
Motorcycle stands (optional)
Shop rags or microfiber cloths
Step 1: Oil change (optional)
Your motorcycle's service guide will provide you with a mileage-based interval, and a time-based interval (e.g., "Every 5,000 miles or 12 months"). As oil cycles through your motor, it accumulates byproducts which can react to elements in the oil (sulfur and phosphorus), as well as collecting moisture in the air from the combustion process, making it slightly corrosive. That being said, synthetic oils have advanced significantly in the past 30 years and are extremely durable, and stable. Here's a great article by Revzilla about the science behind pre-winterization oil changes.
I know pre-winter oil changes are an oddly divisive topic, but here are the rules of thumb I've gone by in my years of riding & maintaining motorcycles:
Change your oil before winterizing if...
You ride infrequently and regularly hit the annual time-based oil change interval. Changing at the end of each season means you start every spring with fresh oil!
You ride frequently, but your oil life is less than 50% (e.g., 2,500 miles or more on a 5,000 mile interval)
The thought of used oil of any age or mileage sitting in your sump over the winter makes you uncomfortable. It's cheap insurance for peace of mind!
You can wait to change your oil if...
You ride frequently, regularly hit the mileage interval instead of the time-based interval, AND your oil "life" is greater than 50% (e.g., 2,500 miles or less on a 5,000 mile interval)
You simply don't want to change your oil right now (we throw no shade)
Quick guide to oil changes:
Warm-up: Run the engine for a few minutes to warm the oil, which makes draining faster
Drain & replace: Undo the fill plug to prevent chugging, drain the old oil, replace the oil filter, and replace the drain plug copper washer.
Refill: Add fresh oil to the sight glass or dipstick. Run the bike for one minute, then let the oil settle for 10 minutes before rechecking. Top off if necessary.
Log: Note the date & mileage in your owners manual or digital log
Step 2: Fuel
Most gasoline in the U.S. contains 5-10% ethanol (a corn byproduct) which attracts moisture from the air. When gasoline with ethanol is left to sit in a tank, it can lead to separation or gumming in the tank and fuel lines. It can also be rough on the rubber components common in older motorcycles. Both carbureted and fuel injected motorcycles can experience hard starting in the spring should any of the above occur. Before storing, it's best to stabilize the fuel or fill the tank with ethanol-free gasoline
Quick guide to fuel prep:
Option 1 - Add fuel stabilizer: Pour the recommended amount of fuel stabilizer directly into your fuel tank. This treatment inhibits oxidation and prevents separation in ethanol-based fuels. Check the product label for the correct ratio based on your tank's capacity when full.
Option 2 - Fill with ethanol-free fuel: This is my preference, if you live near a gas station that sells it. Ethanol-free fuel prevents the introduction of moisture and is safer for older seals, hoses, and fiberglass tanks.
Top it up: Fill the tank to the top (without overflowing). This minimizes air space in the tank, preventing condensation and rust from forming while it sits.
Run the engine: Start the motorcycle and let it run for 5 minutes, or the time it takes to ride home from the gas station, to let the stabilizer or ethanol-free gas circulate.
Note... If you plan on doing mid-winter repairs that require removing the fuel tank, consider not filling the tank completely full until after the service is complete. From personal experience, a nearly empty tank is much easier to remove and re-install without making a stinky mess.
Step 3: Cleaning
If you want to keep your motorcycle looking sharp over the years, regular cleaning and detailing is worth the sweat. Road grime, bug splatters, and brake dust can etch paint and chrome during storage, creating perfect entry points for corrosion. If you store your bike under a cover, dirt and grime left on the paint can turn into scratches and haze if the cover flaps in the wind.
Quick guide to cleaning:
Thorough wash: Give the bike a good scrub-down, paying special attention to hidden areas like the forks, radiator, under the rear fender, and the engine case. Small detailing brushes make this process easier.
Wax/polish: An annual polish and wax does wonders for keeping bodywork looking sharp, and adds an extra layer of protection from sun, rain, and snow.
Protect metal: Let the bike dry in the sun, or use a leaf blower to get moisture out of the crevices to prevent corrosion or hard water stains. Clean & lube your chain. Spritz a little Fluid Film or WD-40 on exposed cable ends, pivot points, or bare metal bolt heads, then wipe off the excess.
Step 4: Tire prep & parking
With how common radial motorcycle tires have become, I personally think that flat-spotting is not as big of a problem as it used to be with bias-ply tires. That being said, it doesn't hurt to do the following:
Over-inflate: Inflate the tires 1-2 PSI higher than the recommended cold tire pressure, but not past the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall.
Use a stand: If your motorcycle has a center-stand, or if you have a front and/or rear stand, storing a motorcycle upright takes some weight off the tires and suspension and frees up a little space in your garage too. If your fork seals start to leak over the winter, they will drip straight to the ground instead of dribbling onto your brake pads and rotors (ask me how I know)
Step 5: Battery Management
Motorcycle batteries are fickle. They are small and sensitive to low temperature swings, and lithium batteries require special equipment to maintain their charge.
Option 1 - Remove: If your bike is stored in a location with extreme temperature swings, I'd suggest removing the battery from the bike and storing it on a tender in a temperature-stable area (like a basement or heated garage).
Option 2 - Connect a tender: If your storage location remains temperature-stable, connect a smart, automatic battery maintainer. These actively monitor battery levels and only charge when necessary, keeping the voltage optimized without overcharging (which can damage a battery). If you have a lithium-ion battery, make sure the maintainer you choose is compatible with it. Smart maintainers are safe to leave connected all winter long. To make this process even easier, I suggest installing a pig-tail connector to your battery terminals.
Step 6: Final recommendations
Location: If you have a heated garage with space, great! There's no better spot except your living room. Sheds, barns, or covered parking areas are also good spots to park a motorcycle to keep it out of direct weather.
Pest control: If you have mice problems, I suggest stuffing a rag or bright-colored microfiber cloth into the exhaust and air intake to prevent rodents from nesting or storing their acorns. Write a note on painters tape, such as "Rag in intake/exhaust," and affix it somewhere visible on the bike so you don't forget to remove them in the spring. Placing steel wool near exposed electrical connections under your seat, or setting a few traps or bait boxes aren't bad ideas either.
Cover: Use a breathable, fabric motorcycle cover. Avoid cheap plastic tarps, which are abrasive and trap moisture. If you live somewhere windy, consider whether a bike cover might cause more harm than good by rubbing grit from the air into your paint, or turning your bike into a sail and tipping it over.
Let it be! I know it hurts to look at your motorcycle under a pile of snow day in and day out, but there is no benefit to starting your engine every few weeks to 'let it warm up.' In fact, it can do more harm than good - an idling engine doesn't get hot enough to burn off condensation that forms in the engine, which then mixes with the oil, leading to the very issues your pre-winterization oil change prevented.
Winterizing your motorcycle is an easy and essential time investment in risk mitigation. By completing these six steps, you can ensure that your machine will be protected against the elements over the coming winter months, and will be ready for you on the first crank next spring! The biggest challenge now is figuring out what to do with yourself until then.
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