Modern Vespa

Each year I have put the Scooter away for winter, something that has been delayed by a warmer than normal November but it is coming. However I only recently heard about oil stabilizer. Does anyone use it and what are your thoughts?

I haven't heard about it also but the first thing I do after the winter hibernation is change the oil and filter and gear box fluid.

Are you thinking about this for the engine oil, the gear oil or both?

Personally I would expect fully synthetic motorcycle oils to be designed for periods where a bike is rested. It's a highly common occurrence for people to park up a bike for a few months.

If you were worried about this, I'd be tempted to just do your yearly oil change when the bike is woken up from its hibernation.

Or or a lower level, park up the bike with the oil midway up the dipstick, and use fresh oil to top it up to the maximum before the first start.

I wouldn't use an oil stabilizer. Most will raise the viscosity of your oil and you don't want that.

Whenever I'm going to store a vehicle for an extended period, I change the oil before I store it. Old oil can be a bit acidic due to its exposure to exhaust gases that get past the piston rings and into the crank case. This can lead to pitting in bearings and other surfaces. I've opened up a lot of old motors that have sat for years with used oil in them and I've seen the results first hand. After changing the oil, run your motor for a minute or two to get the fresh oil circulated throughout.

Agree with Caschnd1 above - change fluids before hibernation.