The International CBX Owners Association

What is the proper way to store my CBX in the winter? Some people recommend to drain the carbs, while some recommend to add a gas additive and top up the gas tank without draining the carbs.

Thanks

I do all the above but run my carbs dry Devon...Not saying it's the correct way but has held me in good stead over the years....

I think you can go either way, but the chance that some gas residue will clog up the small jets and passages in the carbs is higher if you drain the carbs without using fuel treatment and run the bike a little BEFORE you do this. Any gas left in the tank should receive some form of stabilizing treatment, otherwise it may be useless in the spring. In my CBXes, I have added fuel stabilizer to the gas in the tank, let the bike run a while so that terated fuel reaches all places in the carbs and then drianed the tank, before I store the bikes. They sit in a temperature controlled room, so the chance of condensation and rust in the tanks is less, but I still spray some fogging oil into the filler neck. I do not drain the carbs but let the treated fuel sit in them. Some claim that drained carbs may cause seals drying out. A lot of it depends also, how long your storage period is.

My method, which never failed me, was to add Stabil to the tank. Take it for a ten minute ride. Shut off the fuel and top off the tank. I did not drain the carbs. In the spring I would syphon the fuel out of the tank and fill the tank with fresh fuel before starting. Put the syphoned fuel in the wife's car.

I never had any carb issues doing it this way. I figured it was better to leave the carbs full and have the rubber bits wet than to have them dry out. My storage was also in an unheated building.

cbx4evr wrote: . In the spring I would syphon the fuel out of the tank and fill the tank with fresh fuel before starting. Put the syphoned fuel in the wife's car.

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Good advice! Although Stabil may prevent gas from gumming up, it may not prevent it from losing some of its combustibility. I found this out with my snow thrower. Although it had Stabil in the tank, it would not start unless I put fresh fuel in it.

I have found that high percentages of Stabil ( that recommended for long term storage) causes a high RPM misfire upon the return of Spring. As for not draining carbs, I do wonder how long it actually takes for the fuel in the bowls to evaporate. Also... Upon evaporation, none volatiles would remain....
That said, the wetted carbs would remain "moist" longer than the drained carbs for sure but remaining water/heavies & resulting sediment is "my" reason for draining..
There is no doubt every regimen seems to work for us all even though they differ slightly...

I like to drain the carbs. Waited too long this year. Only the Hurricane would start. Too cold in my neighborhood.

The X is really cold blooded. It wouldn't go. I'm sure it will still start in the spring though.

They are covered up in the garage on their center stands and waiting for warmer weather.

Removed the batteries and took them into the house also.

Bill

I do not do anything to prepare for the winter stay over here in Pennsylvania other than put my 80 away with a full tank of gas.

From 1980 my X was always hard to start each spring (impossible is a better word), so after a few years of this I tried spraying some fast start/ether on the air cleaner foam and then coasted it down the hill of my driveway.....2nd or 3rd gear......dumped clutch and off we went for yet another riding season. Worked every year

All things being equal.......go with what works and creates the least risk and effort.

Mike

To prevent that huge clunk when I put her in gear, I always place a plastic cable tie around the handlebar & clutch lever. Just a little bit of tension to keep the clutch plates apart, not too much to weaken the springs seems to do the trick....

Mike Barone #123 wrote:From 1980 my X was always hard to start each spring (impossible is a better word), so after a few years of this I tried spraying some fast start/ether on the air cleaner foam and then coasted it down the hill of my driveway.....2nd or 3rd gear......dumped clutch and off we went for yet another riding season. Worked every year
Mike

I have done the ether trick too but am reluctant to pass on that advice because it could be catastrophic.

One thing I did start doing is hooking up a booster battery (removed from vehicle) to the CBX when starting after lay up. Turned it over nice and fast and didn't kill the battery in the CBX.

Yuppppp....I have heard that ether can be an issue, but have not had a single case where anyone has seen it happen first hand.

I guess I should have tried what I said without the ether.......that might have worked also.....buttttttttttttt that would have been wayyyyyyyyyyy 2 easy...... plus I never thought of this approach at the time, I guess the logic was ether with temps in the low 50s.

Too late now.............dont live there any more....... with that long down hill driveway.

Thx


Mike


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cbx4evr wrote:

Mike Barone #123 wrote:From 1980 my X was always hard to start each spring (impossible is a better word), so after a few years of this I tried spraying some fast start/ether on the air cleaner foam and then coasted it down the hill of my driveway.....2nd or 3rd gear......dumped clutch and off we went for yet another riding season. Worked every year
Mike

I have done the ether trick too but am reluctant to pass on that advice because it could be catastrophic.

One thing I did start doing is hooking up a booster battery (removed from vehicle) to the CBX when starting after lay up. Turned it over nice and fast and didn't kill the battery in the CBX.

I'm a big believer in draining the carbs and filling the tank - no stabilizer. 5 gallons of fuel with little air space will not go stale over the winter (5-6 months). It is much better to let the floats hang dry with the needles off their seats. If your o-rings are going to leak, they will leak no matter what and you need a rebuild anyway. My '79 with 45K on it has all the original carb parts and doesn't leak at all even when filling the dry carbs after 6 or 7 months. In any case, I'd rather replace just o-rings than clean gummed-up carb jets any day.

A side benefit is that your bike will fire instantly when you introduce the fresh (relatively) gas in the spring. Mine won't do that after sitting for a week in season with gas in the carbs.

There are some exceptions to the typical hard-starting CBXs however. I seemed to have picked up 2 of them this fall. I've got an 80,000 mile original '80 here and a 40,000 mile '80 I just picked up. The high mile one had sat for more than a year with old gas in the carbs (the carbs are original - never been off the bike) and some in the tank. We charged the old battery that was in it, turned the gas on and within a minute it was running, and pretty well at that. Before I took it apart to restore it, I started it periodically and it fired right up every time. My pampered '79 won't and never would, do that.

The 40K one had been sitting in a warehouse for a year and quite a while in storage before that, with the old gas in the carbs and a pretty full tank. I turned on the key and the battery was still up, turned on the gas and within 5 seconds it was running on 3 and 10 seconds it was running on all six. It warmed up and idled just fine. I have subsequently started it in below-freezing weather and it's running on all six before you can get your thumb off the starter button.

All but one of the other 6 or so CBXs I have owned (an '81 was a great starter, no matter the weather) were the typical hard starters, but I must have lucked out with these last 2. They are being restored, but I hope I don't restore the easy starting out of them!

Dave

Do you know how hard it is to keep from posting my winter storage tips for San Diego?

cbxtacy wrote:Do you know how hard it is to keep from posting my winter storage tips for San Diego?

Yeah, me too...the list is sooooooooooo long. :)

Terry wrote:

cbxtacy wrote:Do you know how hard it is to keep from posting my winter storage tips for San Diego?

Yeah, me too...the list is sooooooooooo long. :)

I don't see it being very long.

1. Push starter button.

2. Ride.

Steve