For motorcycle riders, winter is a time of year when we must sadly part with our machine until warm weather returns. Since that season is fast approaching, we thought we’d share these tips on how to make sure your bike survives in storage so that you can fire it up and get riding in the spring.

1) Cleaning
While it may seem like a tedious step, this will save you a headache when it’s time to take the bike out in the spring. If you have bugs, dirt, or other debris, it will be more of a pain to clean them off after they’ve sat all winter. Clean those exterior surfaces.

2) Lubrication
The winter air is very cold and dry, so your chain, cables, controls should be lubricated immediately before closing that garage door for four long months.

3) Gas
If you want to take one more ride (I’m sure you won’t mind), head on over to the gas station and top off your tank, and add some fuel stabilizer. Then, (again, I’m sure you won’t mind) take her around the block a few times to make sure that stabilizer mixes into the fuel system.

4) Oil Change
Change the oil and the filter. Old oil can do damage to your engine components if it sits for long periods of time. And nobody wants that. Make sure you top off the antifreeze if your bike uses it.

5) Battery Maintenance
You should disconnect the battery and hook it up to a trickle charger or battery tender for the winter. Some people forget to do this and have to do a full recharge or, worse, buy a new battery when it comes time to ride again.

And there you go. Follow these rules and your bike should be ready to ride come April (March, maybe.) These are the main steps, but you may also want to consider taking some weight off the tires, stuffing your air intakes and exhaust pipes with muffler plugs, and waxing your bike.