Motorcycle Winter Storage Checklist: Battery, Petrol and Tyres Before the Cold

Laying up a motorcycle for winter comes down to six jobs: brim the tank, add an ethanol-compatible stabiliser and run the engine 5 to 10 minutes; change the oil before storage; disconnect the battery and leave a smart charger on it; add 0.3 to 0.5 bar to the tyres or get the bike on paddock stands; lubricate the chain, pivots and cables; and use a breathable cover, never plastic sheeting. L'Atelier reckons on about two hours. Below, each step with the reasoning and figures from L'Atelier's workshop guides.

Ride through or lay up?

Before reaching for the stabiliser, settle the question. L'Atelier's guide on riding or winterising suggests three tests: is the bike your daily transport, how harsh is your winter (salt, black ice, long sub-zero spells), and do you have a garage and the kit for it? Gritted roads are the decisive factor for many riders: salt is corrosive, so a bike that keeps working needs rinsing after every salted-road ride. A popular compromise is to ride on crisp dry days and lay up during salt and ice episodes, with the battery on a maintainer between outings.

The six-point lay-up list

Petrol: E10, stabiliser and the full-tank rule

At UK pumps, L'Atelier's E10 guide notes, E10 contains up to 10% ethanol and even E5 “super” contains up to 5%: there is no ethanol-free option at the forecourt. Ethanol is hygroscopic, and L'Atelier's fuel storage guide says ethanol petrol degrades in 1 to 3 months. On a bike that sits, that means gum and varnish in carburettor jets, fouled injectors, condensation corrosion and, in the worst case, phase separation, with water and ethanol settling at the bottom of the tank.

1. Brim the tank. An empty tank lets condensation form on bare walls and rust them, and the fuel pump seals dry out. A full tank leaves little air.
2. Add a stabiliser compatible with ethanol, at the dose on the can. On its own a full tank still degrades; with stabiliser it stays stable for several months.
3. Run the engine 5 to 10 minutes. L'Atelier calls this crucial: the treated fuel has to reach the carburettor or injectors.
4. Carburettor bike stored long-term: drain the float bowl (petcock off, drain screw) so fuel can't evaporate there and leave varnish. Not needed on fuel injection.
5. Two-stroke: don't leave premix sitting all winter in the tank or can; it degrades faster and ethanol speeds up water absorption.

Then change the oil and filter, engine warm. L'Atelier's checklist is explicit that it should be done before storage, not after: used oil is acidic.

The battery: optimiser on, negative off

The battery is the first thing to die over winter. L'Atelier's battery guide gives a self-discharge of about 1% a day at 20°C, faster below 5°C. Three weeks or more without a maintenance charger is enough to cause trouble, and a battery left discharged can sulphate irreversibly within weeks.

1. Measure resting voltage with everything off: 12.6 V and above is healthy, 12.4 V is half charged, 12.0 V or less is deeply discharged. LiFePO4 reads higher: 13.0 V full, 12.8 V half.
2. Disconnect the negative terminal first, to avoid a short and stop the alarm and clock draining it.
3. Fit a smart charger (L'Atelier mentions CTEK and Optimate types) and leave it connected all winter: it drops into float mode and won't overcharge.
4. No socket in the shed or lock-up? Disconnect the negative terminal and give the battery 4 to 6 hours on a standard charger once a month, or bring it indoors somewhere warmer and recharge every month or two.
5. Clean the terminals (white deposits) with a wire brush and smear on dielectric grease.

Tyres, floor and cover

A tyre loaded on the same patch for months takes a set. Add 0.3 to 0.5 bar, and if you have them, use paddock stands so neither tyre carries weight; the centre stand at least unloads one wheel. Put cardboard or a board under each tyre on a cold concrete floor: it insulates from the cold ground, which is a source of condensation, and helps against flat spots.

Then the cover. L'Atelier's point is counter-intuitive but important: a bike under a waterproof plastic sheet can rust faster than one left uncovered, because condensation forms underneath and stays on the metal. Choose by where the bike lives:

• Garage: a soft, breathable indoor cover against dust.
• Outdoors all winter: a cover that is both waterproof and breathable, properly fitted and strapped down, or the wind will have it off.
• Plastic sheeting: short-term emergency only.
• Before covering: a final wash, then let the bike dry; never cover an engine that is still hot or damp.
• Air it: a ventilated garage beats a sealed damp one; add moisture absorbers in a small enclosed space.
• Protect bare metal (exhaust, fasteners, clean fork stanchions) with a protectant or wax, keeping it well away from brake discs and tyres.
• Lubricate the chain, pivot points and cables.

Back on the road in spring

L'Atelier's spring recommissioning list: tyre pressures (they drop over winter) and a look for flat spots or cracks; brake fluid level and condition, pad bite and any rust on the discs (old fluid should be bled out); battery voltage; a look for oil or coolant leaks. If the petrol wasn't stabilised, watch for stale fuel blocking the idle circuit. Change the oil if you didn't in autumn, lube the chain and take the first few miles gently. And if the bike is three years old or more, the E10 guide reminds you to plan the annual MOT into your spring preparation.

If the battery spent the winter without a charger, resting voltage alone doesn't tell you everything. L'Atelier's battery guide adds a cranking test: measure the voltage while pressing the starter. Above 9.5 V the battery is healthy; below 9.5 V it is weakening and a replacement should be planned; below 8 V it is at the end of its life and will let you down soon. A battery that reads well at rest but collapses on cranking is the classic spring surprise, and it is far better discovered in the garage than in a car park on your first ride of the year. If it went flat and sat that way for weeks, remember the warning about sulphation: a recharge may bring the voltage back without bringing the capacity back.

For a lay-up list tuned to your machine (carburettor or injection, battery type, model quirks), put the question to the L'Atelier motorcycle mechanics base. It answers from these guides and shows its source, whether you ask about winter storage or “Can I still use motorcycle tyres that look fine but are 6 years old?”