Modern Vespa

Hello.

I have a question.

I have a mp3 250 that I bought earlier this year. My question is about winter storage. I live in Michigan, so I am not planning on riding it until at least March/April. I do have a garage, but it is not heated. Is there anything I need to know? Or anything I need to do, such as gasoline additive? Anything needs to be done as far as coolant goes? Any advice would be welcome.

Thank you.

Use Sta-bil in gas, then run it for a few minutes, change oil and filter, Flush Brake Fluid if it's not fresh (Less than six months old). Pull the spark plug and spray some fogging oil in the cylinder and crank it over a few times then spray a little more fogging oil in it and throw a new plug in it. Check Hub Oil, Hydraulic Fluid and Coolant to make sure they are topped off.

Knew I would forget something, clean air filter and re-oil.

Give it a good bath let it dry good and put it away with a sheet or BREATHABLE cover over it.

Can't think of anything else.

Best way to do Fogging oil is to pull air filter and slightly raise RPM and spray fogging oil till engine dies then change plug. This coats the cylinder, valves, intake and exhaust ports.

Wayne B

I'll add to Wayne's list

ensure tire are not resting on concrete, put a barrier down like an old piece of carpet. concrete has a way of sucking the life out of rubber and this causes those cracks you see in the sides of tires.

put scoot on center stand

install battery tender

after cleaning scoot be sure to blow out all the water in all the little hiding places, the best way to do this is with a leaf blower. then a nice coat of wax prior to putting on cover/sheet

I live in NY so it's gonna get really cold...

My 500 will most likely have less than 100 miles on it by the time it's too cold to ride. My road test is in two weeks.

First service will definitely be in the spring. After that, it will be stored outside with a good quality cover on it.
I don't want to change the oil yet because I read somewhere that it's got some kind of "break in' oil in it or something...

Anything special I should do with it being outside in deep freeze for three or four months? I do plan on starting her up at least once a week and letting it run for about 15 minutes or so. Would that be good enough?

Don't know much about battery tenders. Will one fit in that little compartment? Does it need an outlet? I have no electrical source from outside my apartment to where I keep the bike.

Sorry for all the questions... Thanks!

dk

Gee, if I have to go through all those steps for safe winter storage, I am thinking of riding her for short periods, when the roads are dry. That is what I do with my classic Mercedes-Benz...just take it out once and a while to get the coolant warm and enjoy!

I only put it on a battery tender, thats all.
Never had problems with any of my bikes

The battery tender is a must because without it you need a new battery every year

Sorry for the dumb question... Does it need to be plugged into an outlet? I don't get how it works... Instead of a tender, would starting up the bike for a few minutes once or twice a week keep my battery from dying?

I am perplexed about the battery tender myself. Likely I will ride often in the winter but probably not as often as now. So what is a good suggested battery tender that I can use easily? I am not mechanically inclined and would like to avoid creating an outlet. If they have one ready made for me to install - I can do that. I am supposing that by the name "tender" it doesn't overload the battery - has a shut off of some sort?

Dale

it's summer 365 days a year here, but if for any reason i'm forced to store my bike for months, the first thing i'll do is to rest it on a block and keep the tyres off the ground to prevent flat spots.

i'd also start the engine once every few days, let it run for a few minutes just to keep the fluids inside running and the engine lubricated and not let the oil completely drain to the sump.

maybe some preservation oil in the sump might help, the kind manufacturers put in the bikes when they leave the factory.

my 2¢.

last year i just placed it on the center stand and started her up once or twice every 2 weeks. if the ground was dry i rode her around the block a couple of times. i have a battery tender but have not used it yet...good luck.

If you're not going to ride it for at least 20-30 min your doing more harm than good starting it every few weeks. And idling is the worst thing you can do to a engine, you are running it at it's most inefficient RPM, which cause build up of fuel in the oil and engine doesn't get hot enough to burn of condensation in the oil

Get a battery tender that COMPLETELY shuts off when battery is charged or you will over charge the battery.

Wayne B

Here is what I do.

1. When I know its about time for the last ride of the season, I take it out for a ride and run it as close to empty as possible.

2. Park it in the corner of the garage.

3. Wait till Spring.

Not a good idea, water condensates on the surfaces in an empty tank. You want the tank topped off. Plus with the new 10% Ethanol we are going to see lots more trouble doing it your way because the alcohol absorbs any moister in the tank and then that nice water laden fuel is the first thing the engine has to run on in the spring. And the 10% ethanol fuel breaks down much quicker than the old gas with MPTE in it. Have a buddy with lots of classic cars that sit and he has been having all kinds of problems he never use to have with the old gas blend.

Wayne B

Move to florida!

Wayne is right on on the gas tank being full. In classic cars and such low levels will induce rusting from the inside out, this is caused by moisture/condensation.
For long term storage put in enough stabil concentrate for 2 gals and top off the tank, ensure you run the scoot 2-3 miles then shut it off. This will allow enough sta-bil to reach all the gas lines on the bike and throught the injectors so when the gas evaporates it will not leave that nasty varnish crap and cause you headaches later.

here is a link for a battery tender:http://www.motosport.com/street/product/Battery-Tender-Jr-Battery-Charger-12Volt/?catalogId=100572&words=battery+tender&src=s&srchHistoryURL=it2rzo8z||words~battery%20tender^parentCategoryID~category_root^categoryID~3^categoryName~Sport

that is a decent one

elevating the tires is a good idea

Considering I have several classic cars and have since I was in my teens, I know to fill up before storing. But motorcycles can easily be ran dry and when you pull the bike out in the spring, simply fill it up with "new" gas from your lawn mower gas can.

I just don't see why these long drawn out plans are being recommended just for storing over the winter. My bike I run dry and park, thats it. My classic cars I fill up and park thats it. Never had any problems doing either.

I guess whatever makes you sleep better at night.

501 If you take precautions with a classic car why would you not treat the m/c or scooter the same? empty gas tanks will draw condesation that is a know fact and when you fill the gas tank again you are running that moisture thru you fuel system.
I guess the bottom line is it is your scoot and you can do as you please but good practices are to use Sta-bil and fill the tank to help ensure you don't have a problem in 3-4 months.

I fill-up my cars before storage as their tanks can rust. The tank on my bike can't rust, and I would much rather have fresh new fuel in it when I pull it out in the spring.

what causes the rust to form in tanks?

That's what Sta-bil is for, fuel will be as fresh as when you put it in.

Wayne B

Second that but if you can't then:

1. Put on a tall oem, givi or fabbri windscreen.
2. Slap on some winter tires.
3. You probably already have warm winter dress.
4. Ride her anytime the roads are dry or at least not icy or snowy.
5. Smile and wave at all of your 2 wheel friends as you go by.

I am going to ride mine year round, so no winterizing needed. Only time it's coming off the road is for snow and salt on the road. But we don't get much snow that sticks around for more than a week in Northern Va. But of course this year we will get more snow than ever before because I want to ride all year. Thinking about getting a cheap scooter next year for winter riding so the MP3 doesn't ever get salted.

Wayne B

Thank you everybody for your replies!


Very happy mp3 owner here.