laying up a bike

Can't ride much at present and winter (well we call it that) is on the horizon so might just take down and lay up the bike and play with exhaust, rust etc.

I used to drain then put kero in engines to over-winter them but have been told it isn't a good idea. I left my 4-stroke water pump just drained and as clean as possible but the sludge dissolved parts of the carburettor, needing a replacement, actually ate into the metal in places. So, I sometimes use fuel additives such as Stabil in fuel for chainsaws and petrol tools and that seems OK but it is quite expensive.

What do you folk who live in places with real winters do? I am tempted to go back to using kero as it worked before, you just put a litre in the tank and turn the crank, ignition off, every now and again.

When I store my cars for the winter, I throw some Stabil in the gas tank and run the engine to make sure it gets all the way through the system. It doesn't take much, I forget what the ratio is, but generally just an oz or two per 5 gallons or something. In the spring the cars have always started right up, although they run much better once the first tank of gas has been cleaned out and they have a fresh one.

When I lived in the US, I had about 5 months of storage every year. Fill the tank full, add some STA-BIL, run for 5 minutes, change the oil, pull the battery and put it on a trickle charge.

http://www.i4at.org/surv/sta-bil.htm

What Happens to Fuel When it is Stored?
Any fuel, be it gasoline, diesel, or heating fuel, is made up of many different organic compounds. These organic compounds are constantly changing over time becoming new compounds that change the characteristics of fuel. The same molecules that make up the best parts of gasoline can react with oxygen and other elements in the environment and form new molecules that build up to form gummy residues or varnish-like films that can clog up passages in fuel lines, carburetors, and injectors.
Some fuels are treated with oxidation inhibitors to allow them to be stored for up to 3 months without generating excessive deposits. Other fuels have no inhibitors at all. In any case, storage of equipment requires some special consideration for the fuel system.

Why Can't These Problems be Avoided by Draining Fuel?
One way to avoid most of these deposits is to completely drain the fuel tank and fuel lines. This procedure poses a number of problems. First, it is virtually impossible to get every drop of fuel out of the system by simply draining. In order to remove all fuel, lines must be blown out and dried, or enough fuel will remain to cause problems. Second, draining the fuel exposes the bare metal in the tank and fuel system to air and moisture which, together, can result in the formation of rust and corrosion and which can allow gaskets to dry out, crack and shrink, leading to fuel leaks when the system is refilled. Third, drained fuel is a fire and safety hazard and represents an environmental problem. Properly disposing of this fuel is difficult. For these reasons, draining is not the solution.

Does Fuel Stored in a Tank or Can Cause Problems?
Fuel stored in cans or tanks will also oxidize with many of the "bad acting" unstable molecules remaining in the solution. Using this fuel next season, greatly increases the likelihood that deposits will form in fuel systems while the equipment is used. In other words, stored fuel needs treatment too.

What Does STA-BIL Do?
STA-BIL is a blend of scientific additives all of which act together to prevent fuel from undergoing degradation and oxidation during prolonged storage. STA-BIL acts as a protective wrapper around fuel molecules so they cannot combine with oxygen or other molecules to form new "bad actor" molecules. The "sweetened" fuel will perform its job thereafter as though it had just been freshly pumped into the fuel tank straight from the refinery pipeline.

How Well Does STA-BIL Work?
Better than you can imagine. On average, STA-BIL improves gasoline life 5 times. The average gasoline is extended from 3 months oxidation life without STA-BIL to 15 months with STA-BIL. Compared to any other products pretending to extend fuel life, STA-BIL is 4 to 9 times more effective according to accepted standard fuel stability tests IASTM D5251.

What Kind of Engines Need STA-BIL?
Any engine stored for 90 days or more needs STA-BIL. This includes all 2-cycle or 4-cycle engines used in lawnmowers, marine engines (inboard and outboard, snow-throwers, motorcycles, chain saws, recreation vehicles, snowmobiles, generators, pumps, golf carts, automobiles, trucks, garden tillers, lawn edgers, garden tractors, farm equipment, mini- bikes, motorscooters, you name it. If it has an engine and is stored for a season or more, it needs STA-BIL.

Is STA-BIL Hard to Use?
It's simple. Just add STA-BIL to the fuel according to the recommended dosage on the package. (Measuring is easy based on the number of squeezes through the measuring cap. Agitate the fuel tank if possible, then start and run the engine for 5 minutes or more. After that, simply shut off the engine and store the equipment away. Next season, the engine will start easily and run smoothly.

Cheers!
ChinaV

Hi folks, thanks! I use Stabil in my smaller engines like genset/pump/3 chainsaws/brush-cutter/lawnmower that get laid-up off-season and I always recommend it to others but just that it is getting bloody expensive if you add it in the quantities they say, especially for a car tank and a bike as well as all my tools. Starts to add up with that lot. So I thought kero would be cheaper. Oh well not worth being cheap when it comes to engines I guess.

Run the bike until the tank is almost empty, add a little STA-BIL and run for 5 minutes, fill the tank to the very top and a little more STA-BIL. From what I have heard, STA-BIL basically forms a micro membrane over the gas to keep the fuel from combining with the air. If the theory is correct, you will have stabilized fuel in carb and would only need a small amount in a full tank to get the benefits. YMMV

Cheers!
ChinaV

Sounds great - I will be sure to do it at the end of next season! Well, that's my plan at this point.

Now, for the idiots like me who did not do anything this last season layover (albeit only a few months), are there any suggested additives that may help remove the gum, varnish & gunk that might be lurking in our lines & carbs?

Part 2 of the question would be ... is anything available in China from a reliable source? (i.e., not a fancy cleaner additive bottle refilled with old gas, resealed & then sold as "jen-u-whine" STP)

Did someone say Sea Foam? :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by euphonius

Did someone say Sea Foam? :thumbsup:

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Sometimes Sea Foam works but a take apart and soak in carb cleaner and compressed air blow out might be required.

StaBil says to use one ounce per ten gallons of gas if you use it all the time so what I do is keep gas in cans in my shop with Stabil added all the time for my bikes, chain saws, lawn mowers, etc so I don't forget.