FSTZ1
Well-Known Member
Has anyone ever drained the carbs on an older FZ1 in preparation for winter storage? Any tips would be helpful since this is my first year owning an '03.
Draining carbs
- Thread starter FSTZ1
- Start date
va_rider
Wizard
it's best not to drain them. This dries out the seals and gaskets and will have the bike spewing petrol all over the place when you let the gas come back. The better thing to do would be to add some Stabil to the tank and run the bike for a little while to ensure that the Stabil makes it to the carbs. After that, make sure the bike is fully topped off. Any part of the tank that's empty will be vulnerable to rust. Starting it every once in a while wouldn't be a bad idea, and a battery tender is a must. If you do this, after winter is over, you should be able to pull the bike back out, fire it up, and ride with no problems.
racerbruce
Member
Warm or cold storage?
I personally have no use whatsoever for stabil, but VA rider is dead on the money with his post. I live in Chicago, and our winters are probably comparable to yours, I suggest if you got the bike on a Tender ( I swear by them for all winter storage), I always start mine every couple of weeks just to run 'em up and then shut it off. Besides the dryness factor, draining is a pretty work intensive project. When I had my '04, I once went thru a dry run to see how long it would take to get at the drains, I stopped after an hour and said,"F#ck this noise" and have lived without draining ever since, and never had a problem with the carbs. Dry, and as warm of storage as you can afford is really the most important thing in winter storage, using stabil is up to you, alot of people swear by it, but then again, alot of people think that genius in the White House has done a heck of a job for the past 8 years. And you know what they say about opinions.....:scared:
I personally have no use whatsoever for stabil, but VA rider is dead on the money with his post. I live in Chicago, and our winters are probably comparable to yours, I suggest if you got the bike on a Tender ( I swear by them for all winter storage), I always start mine every couple of weeks just to run 'em up and then shut it off. Besides the dryness factor, draining is a pretty work intensive project. When I had my '04, I once went thru a dry run to see how long it would take to get at the drains, I stopped after an hour and said,"F#ck this noise" and have lived without draining ever since, and never had a problem with the carbs. Dry, and as warm of storage as you can afford is really the most important thing in winter storage, using stabil is up to you, alot of people swear by it, but then again, alot of people think that genius in the White House has done a heck of a job for the past 8 years. And you know what they say about opinions.....:scared: