I usually just fill mine with 91 or 93 octane and leave them sit. No starting them over the winter to "check" to see if it still runs ok. Short runs without getting up to operating temp will do more harm/damage than just letting it sit. My last real ride was back in probably October, I've taken my 1125 out one time since then, the xb not at all. They'll both sit until some time next month before they get ridden again, so on average, the fuel sits for 5-6 months. Both fire up just fine every year, I expect the same this year.
^^This^^Short runs without getting up to operating temp will do more harm/damage than just letting it sit.
Cold starts are when most of the wear occurs. Shutting a cold motor back down only causes condensation moisture to contaminate the oil & rust out the exhaust.
Oh absolutely. The one or two times I'll crank any of my bikes in the off-season (the XB mostly just to hear that beautiful noise) I let them run until they've been at full op temp for at least a few minutes. With the Buell it's easy - when the fan kicks on I let her run for about three minutes before killing it.Quote:
Short runs without getting up to operating temp will do more harm/damage than just letting it sit.
As for the popular opinion that letting any vehicle sit for extended periods does no harm - I've had too many personal experiences that point to the contrary.
thanks for the kind words chris.
what chris....dean...and go said. a modern fuel injected bike either on a tender 1X a week.....or battery disconnected..........and tank topped off with quality fuel and appropriate amount of sta-bil can safely and consistently sit inside clean dry unheated storage for 4-6 months and fire right up after that dormant period. as reference i refer to my 5 buells, 12 other assorted bikes, and approx. 10 other vehicles i store in my building every winter. all come to life every spring without a hiccup. nothing MAGICAL about iridium plugs....to find magical parts and accessories you'll have to scroll the latest version of J.C. Whitney catalog. lastly i'll repeat what i've mentioned on here 100X or more...there is no margin for error on these bikes when handling the plugs, the plug wires, plug installation. minimal amount of working room, plug wires and coil connections must be pristine, repeated cold starts and stops a huge no-no.
Is there a particular type of plug boot puller that works especially well on the XB's?
^ yeah - your index finger and thumb with the motor turned down! Then connect to the coil once you bolt it back up. Otherwise - don't touch it with bare metal anything. Use dielectric grease and go SLOW.
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