Winterizing

@Peter_IND I use the triumph cover but there are loads out there. Tickle chargers the same again i use the Oxford optimiser. my fuel i drop in a stabilizer or even a cap of two stroke.

 

An independent dealer told me just to use a cotton sheet, so that's what I do. Indoors of course.

I now fill the tank with E5 petrol rather than E10, but don't use any other additives. Never had a problem.

My battery tender is a Dr.Bike badged one which looks exactly like an Oxford unit. Used it for years despite being a "budget" unit.

Other than that it gets a good clean, polish, lube and spray significant parts with ACF50.

 

Loads of covers available but choose one that is both water proof (if stored outside) and breathable.
If it is stored outdoors then ACF50 treatment (or something similar) is a must IMO.

I use a CTek charger but there are some other good makes. Prior to that I used a cheap unknown branded one which didn’t last a year.

Putoline stabiliser for me, simply because it’s available locally and E5 fuel which is 5% ethanol here in the UK.

 

Where are you storing it, unheated garage for example and what's the weather like over the winter, cold, damp etc?

 

I've just put my bike away for the winter.

I drained the tank and put the petrol in my car, come spring I'll just get some fresh fuel and put it in. Fuel stabiliser here in the UK is not far off the cost of a tank of fuel so seems a waste of money unless you have no other option. If you are going to leave fuel in it the handbook for my bike says to fill the tank to the brim before laying up.

As has been said previous if you're just covering the bike use cotton sheets which allows the bike to breath, rather than trap any condensation.

I spray my bike with a rust inhibitor after making sure it's clean. Because I don't ride in winter I use a product called FS365, which is an emulsified oil. You simply spray in on using the spray bottle it comes in, the water suspension evaporates off, leaving a thin coat of oil behind to protect the bike. Others use stuff like ACF50 or XCP but I prefer FS365 as it comes off with just a normal wash in the spring.

Here in the UK we get very varied weather through the winter almost on a daily basis ranging from below zero temperatures when there's a high pressure, through low pressure systems off the Atlantic giving us snow which normally only lasts a few days at most or relatively mild spells with rain when the air has a lot of moisture depending on the temperature. This means the bike will often get wet from condensation as the weather changes when warmer moist air comes into contact with a cold bike, so I put my bike in a sealed vac bag with a small 12v dehumidifier inside running off a timer to keep the bike dry no matter what the weather is doing.

For the battery I use a proper motorcycle battery tender which monitors the battery and tops it up as necessary and leave it plugged in all the time. Mine's an Optimate 4 and I have a SAE fused lead connected direct to the battery that came with it. The leads for both the Optimate and dehumidifier just feed through the open end of the vac bag, which I then seal up using a budgie chord. She'll stay here until spring.

 

What AJC said, I use cotton valanced bed sheets, super king size. Always use E5 fuel.
Oxford oximiser 900. This applies to both bikes, Bonnie and Aragon 900.
Both bikes ready to use, salt and weather permitting.