DATE: 27/01/2026

Why You Shouldn’t Start Your Stored Motorcycle Over Winter

It’s cold. The bike’s tucked away in the garage. You walk past it, feel a bit guilty, and think:

“I’ll just fire it up for a couple of minutes… keep everything moving.”

Sounds sensible, right?

It’s not. In fact, regularly starting your bike during winter storage — without actually riding it — can do more harm than good.

Let’s break down why.

“But I Just Want to Keep Things Moving…”

It’s a common thought — that starting the bike occasionally is “better than letting it sit.”

The reality?

An engine that:

• heats up briefly

• expands

• then cools back down

…without ever reaching full operating temperature is going through stress cycles while also building up moisture inside.

That’s worse than simply leaving it alone in stable storage.

The Same Rule Applies to Any Bike

This isn’t just about one type of engine or one model. Whether it’s:

• A big air-cooled twin

• A liquid-cooled four

• Your pride and joy or the commuter hack
  
  

Short, stationary winter startups do more harm than good.

If the bike can’t be ridden properly for at least 20–30 minutes to fully heat the oil, exhaust, and engine internals, it’s better not to start it at all.

So What Should You Do Over Winter?

If your bike is stored up for the season:

✅ Keep the battery on a maintainer or smart charger
✅ Store it somewhere as dry and stable in temperature as possible
✅ Use fuel stabiliser if it’s sitting for months
✅ Leave it alone mechanically

❌ Don’t start it “just for a few minutes”
❌ Don’t rev it in the garage thinking you’re helping

The first start of the year should be followed by a proper ride, not a driveway idle.

The Golden Rule of Winter Storage

If you can’t ride it — don’t start it.

It might feel like you’re neglecting the bike, but you’re actually protecting the engine from moisture, corrosion, and unnecessary wear.

Let it hibernate properly… then wake it up the right way on a decent riding day, with a real run that gets everything hot, flowing, and happy again.

Your engine will thank you for it.

Don’t Forget Fuel Stabiliser

Modern petrol doesn’t like sitting around for months — especially the ethanol-blended fuel most of us are using now.

As fuel ages, it starts to break down. Lighter elements evaporate, and what’s left behind becomes less combustible and more sticky. In bad cases, it can form varnish-like deposits in fuel systems and carbs, making spring startups harder than they need to be.

That’s where fuel stabiliser comes in.

Fuel stabiliser is an additive designed to slow down fuel degradation and help prevent deposits forming while the bike is laid up. It’s cheap, easy to use, and can save a lot of hassle later.

How to Use It Properly

1. Add stabiliser to the tank following the dosage instructions on the bottle

2. Fill the tank — a full tank reduces the air space where moisture can form

3. Run the engine briefly (just long enough to get treated fuel into the fuel lines and carbs/injectors)
   
   

That short run is different from regular winter startups — you’re only doing it once, specifically to circulate treated fuel through the system before storage.

For carburetted bikes, this works perfectly alongside running the carbs dry afterwards, so treated fuel protects the tank and lines, but stale fuel isn’t left sitting in the carb bowls all winter.