Motorcycles are a great way to get around during the warmer months, but once ice and snow start to accumulate on the roads, it's time to put the bike away until next year. If you aren't able or willing to part with some of your valuable garage space for the duration of the winter season, you may want to consider renting out a storage unit for your motorcycle. However, before you put your bike into a unit for several months, there are a few simple maintenance tasks that you should complete to ensure that your motorcycle stays in good condition for when you take it out again.

Cleaning

The first thing that you should do to prepare your motorcycle for storage is to clean the entirety of the exterior of the bike. Dust and grime can hold onto moisture, which in turn can allow for rust to begin to set into your motorcycle over the winter months. Washing and waxing all exposed metal will leave your bike looking great and will also protect against potential corrosion.

Fill the Tank

The next thing that you should do, while simple, is also extremely important. You need to fill the gas tank all the way up before you place your bike into a storage unit. This is because any empty space within the tank can allow for moisture to condense and then rust the gas tank out from the inside. If you are storing your bike for a period of longer than a month, you'll want to add in a fuel stabilizer, available at most hardware and auto supply stores, to ensure that the gas in your tank still works when you take your bike out again.

Change the Fluids

In a similar vein, changing the engine oil, coolant, and the rest of the fluids in your bike before placing it in storage are a good idea as well, to remove dirty and contaminated fluids and replace them with new ones. Oil in particular can help protect your engine from rust. It's a good idea after replacing the oil to turn your bike on for a few minutes to move the fresh oil throughout the engine.

Tire Pressure and Storage

Finally, the last thing that you should do is check the tire pressure and adjust as necessary. Most tires will have their ideal pressure printed on the sidewall. Finally, when putting your bike into storage, it's not a good idea to leave the tires flat on the ground. This can allow for bald spots to develop over the winter. Instead, use stands to lift the bike off of the floor – just make sure that everything is stable, and the stand is not at risk of falling over.