Well it seems now that the weather has become a bit more nippy that there is less posts on this message board. For those of you in the snow zones I can only say that spring and good riding weather will come soon. Hopefully you will all be able to endure the long hibernation of winter(lol). One can always visit there local shop to see what new chrome(y) just made up that word, that you can put on your bike or maybe a new leather jacket. A quick not: if you decide to buy a jacket that has loose pieces of leather for decorations (fringe) they will beat your face to death unless you trim them. Down here in NC we can ride most of the year with a few winter sytorms to slow us down a bit, but I guess thats what they invented heated garments for? Hopefully now that youve gotten your bikes ready for storage you will all be able to post some messages. Hate to think that everybody forgets about their baby sitting in the garage or shed..... well Ive been ranting enough looking forward to all your responses Howard Z and his new Street Glide07

Thanks Matt I am following your guideline today ! Kenny

Sounds like fun Mikey. I'm glad you had a good time.

Hi Kenny - I just hate to think about putting the bikes away for winter. I need to move south where I can keep riding! But Michigan isn't biker friendly for at least 3-4 months, so under cover they have to go . . . In regards to your questions, I'll tell you what I do with mine. 1. I pull the plugs after I've run/ridden the bike with fuel stabilizer, spray in some fogging oil and replace the plugs. You can pick fogging oil at a local auto store. 2. Again, I put in fuel stabiler, run the bikes and then turn off the pet****s like normal. I haven't had a problem, yet. Actually, my cruiser doesn't have a pet**** 3. Yes! 4. Fuel stabilizer is not dry gas. Buy some Stabil or Seafoam. I see Seafoam recommended on the Vulcan newsgroup I read, but I haven't found it locally. I've used Stabil for the last 5 or 6 years in my bikes and yard equipment and haven't had any problems. 5. Cover it with something that breathes. I use a cotton indoor cover for mine and put sheets over the dirtbikes in the trailer for the winter. Even in my garage, I can see condensation on the bike and floor on those days that it may warm up outside after a real cold streak. You don't want a nylon cover or tarp that will keep the moisture in any longer than necessary. 6. I read somewhere that wax is not good for chrome. So I wash the bike, wax the paint. Use chrome polish on the chrome and then before covering it, I soak a rag in WD-40 and wipe down all the chrome. The chrome should feel oily. Actually, it stands for water displacement formula 40 and was supposedly developed for the Air Force. Some fellows I know park their bikes on pieces of carpet or wood under the tires. I put my cruiser up on a bike lift. Follow your owner manual recommendations for air pressure. I believe they recommend dropping the pressure 10-15 percent. I also take old rags, wet them in fresh motor oil and stuff them in the tail pipes. It helps keep moisture and rodents out of the pipe. If you think there is a problem with rodents, it might be good to put some Decon in your storage unit. Mice can create a lot of havoc - for some stupid reason they love to eat wire insulation. Cost me $500 on a vehicle I didn't drive for a couple of weeks and trashed a friends Gold Wing. 7. Yes. Put the battery on a piece of wood/plastic so it is not in contact with the cement floor. Good luck with the hand surgery! Matt

Just got back from dinner after an incredibly long day. The Multiple Sclerosis Society has a charity bicycle ride from San Antonio to Corpus Christi. Every year, 3500 bicyclists ride the 150 miles over two days; 100 on the first, 50 on the second. The MSS has a bevy of support teams in place. Breakpoints/Rest Stops, SAG Wagons to give rides to those that need transport, Police, EMS, and lastly Motorcycle Safety Marshalls. Since DW worked at a rest stop last year, I was looking for a way to get involved. She mentioned they had moto marshalls, and that piqued my interest. So, I checked it out. Turns out the job is pretty easy. We ride between the bicycles and regular vehicular traffic. We help those that need assistance. Call for EMS or SAG Wagons. Check on the riders, etc. So, I got up this morning at 4:30. Had to be downtown San Antonio, at the AT&T Center parking lot by 6:00AM. We were the first group out, leaving with the early riders. It was a beautiful morning. Overcast, low 70s. There were a few small accidents, but EMS was on top of everything before I rolled on the scene. Our group "leapfroged" around the cyclists, and everything went well. 60 of us came together as a team, and did our little part to help these brave souls pedal 100 miles to the overnight camping stop. This was the first time I've done anything like this, and it was an awesome experience. 13 and a half hours later, 400 miles on the odometer, 4 tanks of fuel, 1 bag lunch, 2 bags of ice, countless bottles of water and gatorade - I'm exhausted and spent, I'll probably be sore in the morning, but inside I feel GREAT! Next year, I'll either have invested in a different bike or, at the very least, gone to an aftermarket seat on my current bike. Just wanted to share my ride today with you guys. GET OUT THERE AND RIDE!!! Time's a wastin'