Motorcycle care and stora ge
10-2
10 chemicals such as, solvents,
g
asoline, rust removers, b rake
flui d, or antifreeze, etc.
Before washin g
1. Park the vehicle out of direct sun- light and allow it to cool. This will
help avoid water spots.
2. Make sure all caps, covers, elec- trical couplers and connectors are
tightly installed.
3. Cover the muffler end with a plas- tic bag and a strong rubber band.
4. Pre-soak stubborn stains like in- sects or bird droppings with a wet
towel for a few minutes.
5. Remove road grime and oil stains with a quality degreasing agent
and a plastic-bristle brush or
sponge. NOTICE: Do not use
d eg reasin g a gent on areas re-
quirin g lu brication such as
seals, gaskets, an d wheel axles.
Follow prod uct instructions.
[ECA26290]
Washing
1. Rinse off any degreaser and spray down the vehicle with a garden
hose. Use only enough pressure
to do the job. Avoid spraying wa-
ter directly into the muffler, instru-
ment panel, air inlet, or other inner
areas such as underseat storage
compartments.
2. Wash the vehicle with a quality au- tomotive-type detergent mixed
with cool water and a soft, clean
towel or sponge. Use an old tooth-
brush or plastic-bristle brush for
hard-to-reach places. NOTICE:
Use col d water if the vehicle has
b een exposed to salt. Warm wa-
ter will increase salt’s corrosive
properties.
[ECA26301]
3. For windshield-equipped vehicles: Clean the windshield with a soft
towel or sponge dampened with
water and a pH neutral detergent.
If necessary, use a high-quality
windshield cleaner or polish for
motorcycles. NOTICE: Never use
any stron g chemicals to clean
the win dshiel d. A dditionally,
some cleanin g compoun ds for plastic may scratch the win
d-
shiel d, so b e sure to test all
cleanin g prod ucts before gen-
eral application.
[ECA26310]
4. Rinse off thoroughly with clean water. Be sure to remove all deter-
gent residues, as they can be
harmful to plastic parts.
After washin g
1. Dry the vehicle with a chamois or absorbent towel, preferably mi-
crofiber terrycloth.
2. For drive chain-equipped models: Dry and then lubricate the drive
chain to prevent rust.
3. Use a chrome polish to shine chrome, aluminum, and stainless
steel parts. Often the thermally in-
duced discoloring of stainless
steel exhaust systems can be re-
moved through polishing.
4. Apply a corrosion protection spray on all metal parts including
chrome or nickel-plated surfaces.
WARNING! Do not apply sili-
cone or oil spray to seats, han d
g rips, ru bber foot peg s or tire
trea ds. Otherwise these parts
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Motorcycle care and stora ge
10-4
10 1. Make all necessary repairs and
perform any outstanding mainte-
nance.
2. Follow all instructions in the Care section of this chapter.
3. Fill up the fuel tank, adding fuel stabilizer according to product in-
structions. Run the engine for 5
minutes to distribute treated fuel
through the fuel system.
4. For vehicles equipped with a fuel cock: Turn the fuel cock lever to
the off position.
5. For vehicles with a carburetor: To prevent fuel deposits from build-
ing up, drain the fuel in the carbu-
retor float chamber into a clean
container. Retighten the drain bolt
and pour the fuel back into the fuel
tank.
6. Use a quality engine fogging oil according to product instructions
to protect internal engine compo-
nents from corrosion. If engine
fogging oil is not available, per-
form the following steps for each
cylinder:a. Remove the spark plug cap and spark plug. b. Pour a teaspoonful of engine
oil into the spark plug bore.
c. Install the spark plug cap onto the spark plug, and then place
the spark plug on the cylinder
head so that the electrodes are
grounded. (This will limit spark-
ing during the next step.)
d. Turn the engine over several times with the starter. (This will
coat the cylinder wall with oil.)
WARNING! To prevent d am-
a g e or injury from sparkin g,
make sure to groun d the
spark plu g electro des while
turnin g the en gine over.
[EWA10952]
e. Remove the spark plug cap
from the spark plug, and then
install the spark plug and the
spark plug cap.
7. Lubricate all control cables, piv- ots, levers and pedals, as well as
the sidestand and centerstand (if
equipped).
8. Check and correct the tire air pressure, and then lift the vehicle
so that all wheels are off the
ground. Otherwise, turn the wheels a little once a month in or-
der to prevent the tires from be-
coming degraded in one spot.
9. Cover the muffler outlet with a plastic bag to prevent moisture
from entering it.
10. Remove the battery and fully charge it, or attach a maintenance
charger to keep the battery opti-
mally charged. NOTICE: Confirm
that the battery an d its char ger
are compati ble. Do not char ge a
VRLA battery with a convention-
al char ger.
[ECA26330]
TIP If the battery will be removed,
charge it once a month and store
it in a temperate location between
0-30 °C (32-90 °F).
See page 9-28 for more informa-
tion on charging and storing the
battery.
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