I just bought a new rincon a month ago and I love it. Now that winter is here I will ride it less because I like to snowmobile. I will probably only ride it onec a month putting on only a hundred miles over winter. I was wondering if i should put fuel sabilizer in it to prevent the gas from going bad. I have fuel stabilizer but it is for 2 or 4 cylinder cars. Is this safe for my machine. what should I do to semi -store it over winter? I will still ride it. juust not very much. any information would be great.

jebrider

 

I don't think you would have to use fuel stabilizer. Gasoline lasts quite awhile in plastic tanks. And since you say your going to ride it every once in awhile, you may just put some moe gas in it after you ride to keep it all fresh.

 

What does the owners manual recommend????

 

Gas WILL go bad no matter what it's stored in....and stabilizer won't hurt....honda (i think) actually recommends stabilizer if the gas will be in the machine 60 days or more...most people use a lower number than this....i use stabilizer if i think that the gas will sit even a couple of weeks.

 

ok but do you run the gas with the stabilizer in it or do you drain it and put in fresh gas?

 

stabil and a trickle charger will be a life saver for you atv. You can remove the battery if youwant, but I bought a charger that actually has little plugs that attach to the battery for easy connect.

STABIL do not let any one talk you out of using this stuff. gas will tarnish and that will get into you jets, choke and every other place you dont want it. And no you do not have to drain it. it will burn just fine. it does have a unique smell. There is not a shop in the world that wont tell you this. ALMOST ALL THERE AFTER WINTER BUISNESS IS FUEL AND BATTERY RELATED!!! Check out stabils web site. they are not a joke, my grandfather used it, my dad used it , now I use it , mowers, weedeaters, bikes, atvs, old wood hauling trucks that sit. chain saws. etc...

Put extra air in your tires to prevent flat spots, an extra 3 pounds will do. And never cover with plain ol tarp. Yes you can if you want, but why not get a bike cover that is breathable. trust me on this. moisture is a killer. and the last thing you want is to help moisture. Bike covers and car covers are cheap and designed for this purpose. tarps are for wood piles, not 6,000 dollar machines. And you can even cover it if you have a garage, stops dust collection.

Air box- if you any holes in your air box, plug them. Mice are attracted to that area.
Seat - take seat in or tie it up in a good bag. same reason, cold weather and mice are not a good combo for a machine that may not move for 2 months.

And this is the best time to lube all cables.

 

that's some GOOD info. THANKS. I have had first hand dealings with those mice. I have seen where a mouse chewed through a wiring harness and did over a $1000.00 worth of damage to a van in a few weeks.

 

thank you for all your information, I really appreciate it. I will use stabil.
thanks again
jebrider

 

That's some great advice TIC.
Sickmojave...yes i run it with the stabilizer. And i also have a float charger that cost only $20. I leave this connected to my battery any time i park my bike. In any machine i have ever owned, snowblower, lawnmower, quads, i have always used stabilizer and have never had any carb problems that could be caused by bad gas. It's worth the few cents. I don't use it in the summer cause i ride my bike just about every second day or so. But in the winter, i add stabilizer to every tank of gas.

 

I keep my Rubicon and Rancher stored for 10 months each year at my cabin in Alaska. I put stabilizer in the fuel tank, turn the fuel valve off and run all the gas out of the carburator. I remove the batteries and store them in my cabin. So far, all I have had to do is put the battery back in and both ATVs have fired right back up. The batteries still had enough charge to crank the engines over.