As the temperature is starting to cool off I was wandering what is best for my bike. It doesn't get ridden that often in cold weather, but I like to keep it ready to go in case someone gets a wild hair to take a ride. Having said that, is it good or bad to go out in the garage and start it up and let it idle for a while? I don't have an outlet to keep a charger on it. Ideas, comments are all appreciated.

 

Don`t start the engine unless you are going to take the bike out and ride it, because running the engine for short periods will accumulate moisture in the engine.

Buy a battery tender, and an extension cord...You don`t need to leave it connected all the time.

 

Pull the battery if you can't get an extension cord to reach. Take it in the house and keep it on a tender there.

 

1. The worst thing you can do for an internal combustion engine is to start it and then let it idle for an extended period of time. That time, before the engine is up to optimum operating temperature, is when most of the wear takes place. The best is to start the bike, let it idle only until it's running smoothly enough to ride it gently until it warms up fully. If you can't do that, it's better not to start it at all.

2. The second worse thing you can do is start it, let it run for a short period of time, and then shut it off. One of the byproducts of combustion is water vapor, and if you don't get the motor up to full operating temperature and ride it for a while, the water vapor can condense inside the crankcase and contaminate the oil, and cause corrosion. If you can't ride it long enough to get it up to operating temperature, it's best not to start it at all.

3. I've read that it takes a good ten minutes of ride time to get the battery's charge back to what it was before you hit the starter.

4. If you can't get it out and ride it because of the weather, just keep it on a battery tender. That's much better for both the bike and the battery than starting it, running it for a few minutes, and shutting it off.

 

Do your best to install an external power socket on your home, from which you can run an extension cable. We have a weather-proof socket on the house wall, the wiring to it being from inside the house. I have a car on a tender parked outside as I write! Put a suitable circuit breaker on that external socket, to protect the rest of your wiring.

 

Spot on. Couldn't have put it better.

 

No battery tender.

Start and idle bike every two weeks or so in the garage until the heads are warm to the touch or oil temp is 80*+ on the temp gauges.

Been doing this for years, never had a dead battery or corroded engine. Oil coats the inside of the engine when warmed up and takes years to run down and uncoat the inside.
Engines are made of Aluminum and Aluminum is porous enough to absorb oil, just try wielding it. The castings must be heated to 700*F. to burn off the oil.

Batteries have always lasted 5+yrs, and never needed to overhaul engines. New style batteries are ASM and don't sulfate up like the old "liquid" batteries. That is why they invented them and they cost so much. After all they don't keep them on charge in the store, just in the box on the shelf.

It takes 15min of run time or 5miles to completely warm the engine and charge the battery.

Just don't run if below 40*F without changing the oil to a lighter weight per ops manual. And battery tenders are a waste of money/time/electricity.

Just my $.02

Now everyone tell me I'm wrong.

 

I totally agree, no start is the best if you can't get it out for atleast a 20 minute ride.

Not too sure about the battery tender though...

I pull my battery every winter and bring it inside and put in on a bench or plywood. Never on concrete, I hear it can drain the charge. Has to do with the moisture in concrete.

As for tenders, Not sure exactly how they work but to constantly trickle charge a battery without cycling it is not good either. A battery needs to discharge and charge (cycle) to keep it healthy... I have never used a tender and have never had any problems. My last battery (OEM) lasted seven years. Can't ask for anything better than that..

 

Yup, you're wrong on several counts.....

 

Okay, you're wrong.


First street bike I owned, I did that, too. After a couple of years the mufflers rotted out from the inside from all the acidic condensation from combustion in a cold motor.


My current bike is never started unless I'm going to ride it. After 20 years, there's not a bit of rust inside the pipes or muffler.