Does Cold Weather Hurt Motorcycles?

Winter is around the corner, so you must be extra careful, especially if you’re storing the motorbike. Now the question arises, does cold weather hurt motorcycles? 

Indeed, winter can hurt your motorcycle if you ever fail to store your bike in the garage. Winter can harm your motorbike battery, tires, wires, and chains, and even it can hurt your motorbike gas tank if left untreated with a stabilizer. 

Let’s consider what it means and what you can do about it. 

While writing this post, I leave no stone unturned so you can know everything about the motorcycle in cold weather. 

Does Cold Weather Hurt Motorcycles? 

Winter is around the corner, and experts recommend being extra careful, especially when storing the motorbike, and you don’t have any plans to ride the motorbike anytime soon. Now the question arises, does cold weather hurt motorcycles? 

Indeed, winter can hurt your motorcycle if you ever fail to store your bike in the garage. Winter can harm your motorbike battery, tires, wires, and chains, and even it can hurt your motorbike gas tank if left untreated with a stabilizer. 

And that’s why you need to be extra careful when storing the motorbike in the winter. 

How Does Winter Hurt Motorcycle Parts? 

How Does Winter Hurt Motorbikes:	Details:
Motorbike Battery	Winter can hurt your motorcycle batteries only when you’re storing the motorcycle without connecting with the motorbike maintainer.
Motorbike gas tank	Winter can be cruel for your motorbike gas tank as the freezing temperatures start to form minute ice crystals of ethanol and moisture present in the motorbike gas tank. These minute ice crystals would start to block the gas pipes even if it starts to damage the motorbike fuel lines.
Motorbike tires	Storing the motorbike on the same tires would start to press the motorbike tires from the area where it touches the ground.
Motorbike wires and chains	Often because of moist air, the chain and wires catch the moisture, which makes gunk when combined with dust.

Motorbike Battery: 

Indeed cold weather can hurt your motorbike; now the question arises, how does winter damage motorcycle batteries? 

Winter can hurt your motorcycle battery only when you’re storing the motorcycle without connecting with the motorbike maintainer. If connected to the motorbike maintainer appropriately, you can save your battery from the parasitic drain stage and protect the motorbike’s health from decreasing. 

The parasitic drain stage is when your motorbike battery starts discharging itself automatically, even without initiating any electrical device. After several parasitic discharges, your motorbike battery health would decrease significantly. 

And that’s why experts recommend connecting the motorbike battery with the motorbike maintainer. 

Motorbike Gas Tank: 

So far, you understand how cold can hurt the motorbike battery and how you can protect your motorbike battery from any damage. Now the question arises, how does winter hurt motorcycle gas tanks? 

Winter can be cruel for your motorbike gas tank as the freezing temperatures start to form minute ice crystals of ethanol and moisture present in the motorbike gas tank. These minute ice crystals would cause gas pipes blockage even in the worst case; it starts to damage the motorbike fuel lines. 

And that’s why experts recommend adding antifreeze fluid to the motorbike gas tank. 

Even if you’re planning to store your motorbike for more than six months, you should use the fuel stabilizer. The fuel stabilizer would prevent your motorcycle gas from degrading and maintain gas efficiency for a longer time. 

Refrain from believing in bro science which concludes that emptying your motorbike gas tank would prevent it from several damages. Even emptying the motorbike gas tank would cause more damage to the tank itself. 

Motorbike Tires: 

Indeed motorbike gas tanks would be safe if you remember to add antifreeze or stabilizer in the motorbike gas tank. Now the question arises, how does winter hurt motorcycle tires? 

Winter doesn’t hurt your motorbike tires significantly, but storing the motorbike in the winter on the motorbike tires would cause flat tires. For example, keeping the motorbike on the same tires would start to press the motorbike tires from the area where it touches the ground. 

And to protect motorbike tires, it’s advisable to make some adjustments to avoid direct contact between the surface and the tires. You can even find an external stand to connect the motorbike with it so you can’t face flat tire problems. 

If you don’t have an external stand, then you can remove the motorbike tires and find some adjustments to stand your motorbike up straight. 

Motorbike Wires and Chain: 

Just like the motorbike tires, the motorbike wires and chains don’t cause any problems in winter if you store the motorbike properly. Often because of moist air, the chain and wires catch the moisture, which makes gunk when combined with dust. 

Fortunately, with good cleaning and roller lubrication, you can also avoid this problem and boost the motorbike chain and wires’ health. 

Can Motorbike Winterization Protect Motorbike Battery? 

So far, you understand some motorbike parts which can be harmed by the winter and appropriate storage. Now the question arises, does motorbike winterization protect the motorbike battery? 

Winterizing motorbikes during the extreme cold can only reduce the risk of motorbike problems in the cold. With the proper winterization technique and checksheet, you can reduce the motorbike problem during the cold to nil. However, not following the checksheet properly won’t protect your motorbike’s health. 

And that’s why experts recommend following the checksheet properly and storing the motorbike in the garage only. 

Can a Motorcycle Stay Outside in the Winter? 

Winter is around the corner, and it can be a game-changing moment for you and your motorbike. And that’s why the question arises, can a motorcycle stay outside in the winter? 

The timing is crucial while leaving the motorbike outside because the longer you store the motorbike in the winter, the more your motorbike will have to suffer from problems. However, keeping the motorbike under the shade can delay some issues. 

Store the motorbike inside the garage to protect your motorbike from all problems. 

Why Store the Motorbike Under Shade? 

Indeed it would be best if you stored the motorbike under shade to minimize the side effects of winter. Now the question arises, why keep the motorbike under shade? 

Experts always recommend storing motorbikes under the shade because of the harmful UV rays. The rays start destroying the motorbike paint, and the highly humid air around the motorbike enters between the paint peels. 

Your motorbike paint will destroy further if rusting starts to occur. And that’s why experts always recommend storing the motorbike under the shade. 

Storing the motorbike is indeed a complicated topic with several checklist points, and that’s why you need to read my previous post where I discussed whether you should store the motorbike in an unheated garage or not. CLICK HERE to read.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Final Verdict: 

Does cold weather hurt motorcycles? Indeed, winter can hurt your bike if you ever fail to store your bike in the garage. Winter can harm your motorbike battery, tires, wires, and chains, and even it can hurt your motorbike gas tank if left untreated or without a stabilizer. 

With the proper winterization period and following the abovementioned solutions, you can protect your motorbike battery from several damage during the cold.