Can I Put a Motorcycle in Storage?

When winter comes you probably won’t find yourself hankering for a ride around on your motorcycle. Unfortunately your bike might disagree, as keeping it still in the freezing cold for several months isn’t really what the machine was built for. The most sensible thing is to store it indoors, where foremost it is going to be kept safe, but also in conditions that keep it in pristine shape. The best thing to do would be to speak to your motorbike dealer and see if they have any advice about the best place to store it, and also discuss the manner of preparation for the vehicle, since it is a more complicated and delicate process than getting a car ready for storage for example. Many storage companies will accept motorcycles in their storage units, but they will very likely attach various conditions and assurances from you to ensure that oil doesn’t leak all over the floor.

A lot can go wrong if you don’t prepare the motorcycle correctly for long term storage – in essence it will not start up and will need to go off to the local garage to be fixed – but helpfully there are instructions in abundance on the internet on what you should do. As a motorbike owner who has got his or her hands dirty a good plenty of times, a lot of this will be common sense to you, but there may be more interesting nuggets of advice and opinion – so read widely on the matter to expand your knowledge. Plus it is pretty clear that you will need a lot of time to plan, purchase essentials, and do the relevant bits of mechanical work before taking it into storage – also a valedictory ride (a good excuse to warm the engine up)! Maintenance may be required whilst it is in storage, and a bit of tuning up required before heading out on the road again, but with a good readup on the web, some sage advice from your motorbike dealer, and a reliable storage company near you to store it in, there should be no reason why not to store your bike in self storage over the winter period.

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