Motorcycle spring checklist: after winter storage

Before you start

Work in daylight with the bike on a paddock stand or its center stand. You need a battery charger suited to your battery, a multimeter, a tire pressure gauge, chain cleaner and lube, rags and your owner’s manual. Most manuals have a section on returning the bike to service after storage; follow it where it differs from anything here. Allow an afternoon, not a spare half hour before a group ride.

In the Northern Hemisphere this is a February-to-April job. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same window is August to October.

Order matters: battery and fuel before the starter

The most common spring damage is done in the first minute: cranking a weak battery until it gives up, or pumping stale fuel through the engine.

Start with the battery. Measure it at rest before you press the starter. A 12 V lead-acid battery that reads around 12.4 V or less is no longer fully charged, and a starter motor will pull it down further. Charge it fully with a charger that matches its chemistry - lead-acid, AGM and lithium batteries charge differently - then measure again after it has rested. A battery that will not hold a full charge after a few hours off the charger is due for replacement.

Then look at the fuel. If you stored the bike with a full tank and stabilizer, it is likely fine. If not, smell it and look at a sample in a clear container: a varnish smell, a dark color, or a separate layer at the bottom means it should come out before the engine sees it. Ethanol-blended fuel can take on water in storage, which is another reason to check rather than assume.

Tires and brakes: the grip items

Tires lose pressure while the bike stands. Set them cold, before any riding, to the figures in your manual or on the label on the bike. The tire pressure tool gives cold-pressure starting points for your setup and how you ride; where your manual gives a figure, the manual wins.

While you are down there, look at the sidewalls for cracks and at the tread for flat spots from standing in one position. Read the DOT date code: its last four digits are the week and year the tire was made. An old tire with plenty of tread still loses grip as the rubber hardens. If anything about a tire looks wrong, have a tire shop or qualified mechanic look at it.

Pump both brakes before the first roll. Calipers can stick after storage, and the lever or pedal should feel firm, not spongy. Look at the fluid through the reservoir window: fresh fluid is clear to amber, old fluid is dark. Many manufacturers replace brake fluid every 2 years regardless of distance; your manual has the interval for your bike. A spongy lever or a dragging brake is a job for a qualified mechanic.

Chain, oil and controls

A chain stored in a damp garage picks up surface rust and stiff links. Clean and lube it, turn the wheel to check every link moves freely, then set the slack to the figure in your manual.

If the oil was not changed before storage, change it now. Check the level either way, and check the coolant with the engine cold.

Finally, work every control through its full travel. The throttle must snap shut on its own at full left and full right lock. The clutch should pull smoothly. The side stand should spring back firmly. Test every light, the brake light from both the lever and the pedal, and the horn.

By bike type

• Enduro and MX: premix fuel for a two-stroke goes stale like any other fuel; mix fresh. Check the foam air filter, which can dry out or crumble in storage, and log the season’s first engine hours so hour-based intervals stay accurate.
• Chain, belt or shaft: a chain gets cleaned, lubed and adjusted. A belt gets a look for cracks and a tension check per the manual. A shaft drive gets a look for final-drive oil leaks.
• Electric: follow the manufacturer’s storage-exit procedure. Many specify a storage charge level below full, so bring the traction battery up as the manual says, and if the bike has a separate 12 V battery, test that too.
• Scooters: a CVT belt can harden in storage. If the scooter shudders or slips pulling away, have the belt checked before riding in traffic.

When to call a mechanic

Stop and get help if you find fuel leaking anywhere, a brake that drags or feels soft, cracked tires, a throttle that does not return, or an engine that will not idle after fresh fuel and a charged battery. A carbureted bike that stood with fuel in the carburetors may need them cleaned, and that is workshop work if you have not done it before.

The first ride and every ride after

Make the first ride short and close to home. Tires are cold and grip less until warm, and light surface rust on the discs needs a few gentle stops to clear. Test the brakes at low speed before you need them at high speed.

From then on, Garagely’s pre-ride checklist covers tire pressure, spokes, fasteners and controls in under a minute, shows any part that is due first, and lets you add your own items, such as chain slack. For model-specific intervals after the winter, look up your bike in the motorcycle catalog.