How to protect my scooter over winter?

[EmilyJEG]

If the battery went completely dead, then what would happen? Can you use another battery to get it started like you can with a car?

[you you]

If the battery went completely dead, then what would happen? Can you use another battery to get it started like you can with a car?

You can just take it out and charge it but letting it run absolutely flat doesn't do it any good at all

[trigg123]

as i said....£40 spent on a optimate will be money well spent............

[JGC]

as i said....£40 spent on a optimate will be money well spent............

Yes this is OK if you have access to mains, but being parked in a carpark negates this option, however, I've heard that solar chargers like those in Maplins are OK http://www.maplin.co.uk/search?criteria ... y+chargers Even the cheaper one would help I would imagine.
The only issue really is how to stop it being nicked off the bike!

[trigg123]

if your not going to ride it,remove battery and leave on an optimate indoors,fairly quick to remove a battery from the pcx....

[WhiteNoise]

yes, then hook it up to an optimate or Deltran battery tender junior. I have used both very successfully, Always starts right up because it maintains a full charge

[philvb]

Well, after a few days of debate (read whining and begging), my wife is allowing me to bring the scooter inside the house for the winter. It'll have a nice warm home in the laundry room. I'm still going to pick up an optimate 3 or 4, and hook it up once a week or so just to make sure the battery is up to par.

[Urbanian]

^ ^ ^

She loves you

a LOT

[Taz]

Yes and she can sit down on the PCX whilst doing the laundry so you are really making her life easier

[gn2]

If you were any kind of a decent chap while the PCX is inevitably getting fettled over winter you would also change the drive belt and pulleys on her washing machine, fit higher rated heating elements, an aftermarket control unit and a bigger pump so that she can do the laundry a few seconds faster...

[maddiedog]

If the battery went completely dead, then what would happen? Can you use another battery to get it started like you can with a car?

Yes, you can. If the battery is dead from lack of use though, there is no guarantee it will hold a charge again though, so you'd have to get it jumped every time you rode...


To jump your PCX, turn OFF the car you're jumping from first. If it's on, the alternator can overload your PCX's battery. Make sure the bike's on the centerstand when you jump it, for stability.

Hook the red clamp to the red terminal on the scooter battery, and the other red clamp on the red terminal of the car battery. Hook the black clamp to the black terminal of the car battery, then the other black clamp to the black terminal of the scooter battery. Start the scooter. While the scooter's running, disconnect the jumper cables in reverse order.

[maddiedog]

I will be storing my scooter in our shed this winter. Since Idaho winters are nasty, there really is no chance for me to take it out for a spin at any time. If I start it up once a week and let it idle for 10 minutes, will that do?

This is insufficient to keep the battery charged, so I would not advise it. I saw that you're storing it inside, it's usually a bit humid in laundry rooms, so make sure you fill up your tank all the way and put in fuel stabilizer to make sure water doesn't condense in your tank.

[you you]

Don't want to get too hung up about this as storing your bike for six months is no big deal. You don't need fuel stabilisers especially if you are running FI and starting it up once a month is OK.

What you refer to as a battery is a lead acid accumulator and one of its properties is that it doesn't function well below 70% charge and it loses ~1% per day. So in a month.....

Don't listen to, or perpetuate old wives tales, don't worry and just run you bike occasionally. Come the better weather it will be raring to go.

[TC3]

If you were any kind of a decent chap while the PCX is inevitably getting fettled over winter you would also change the drive belt and pulleys on her washing machine, fit higher rated heating elements, an aftermarket control unit and a bigger pump so that she can do the laundry a few seconds faster...

[Theboybilly]

Emily, reading your posts makes me feel that you need a little extra training to boost your confidence in your riding ability. Check the phonebook for schemes running in your area (I'm sure the Police do a good scheme that won't break the bank) you won't regret it and you'll get free security tips thrown in. Winter weather shouldn't be a reason to not ride your PCX for the complete season, at least in the UK. There will be days when it would be plainly stupid to even think about riding (snow & ice mainly) but, apart from road salt causing corrosion (an after-ride wash down will sort that) a ride on a crisp sunny morning can be a treat.
So, in essence, get some training, keep riding as much as you can and if the PCX gets coated in road salt hose it down using cold water and decent bike shampoo and use Gn2's spray to keep the worst of corrosion at bay. Not riding will do more harm to your PCX than good. I'd also seriously reconsider your parking arrangements.

Bill

[figurehead71]

I concur with what Bill says, very good advice.

After only recently passing my CBT my confidence is not exactly brimming and it is with some hesitation that I want to take a ride out over the winter months, but know for gaining experience it really is necessary...obviously snow and ice is a no, but we do have at least some dry weather over winter here.

Bikesafe.co.uk should guide you in the right direction for Police assisted training courses.

[EmilyJEG]

I've looked for courses, but they all seem to be for people who have already passed their test. If I do find any available, I'm not embarrassed about going on them. I'd rather be safe than sorry!

I live in a flat right in the centre of Leeds, and I really wish we could park closer. I tried to get permission to park in our yard, but it turns out that it's not actually part of the flats, and the people who manage it didn't seem that interested - they said they'd "check, but it's not really in their interests to have scooters in there". Apparently bins and dead rats will suffice Where we park, it's difficult to get the scooters cleaned as we'd have to take a tub of water and make sure we didn't waste it, or bring them up to near the flat - even then, there are a lot of cars around and we couldn't guarantee we'd be able to park by the flat. It's really difficult and I hope we can move at some point in the next couple of years - preferably to a house with a yard at the very least! (I could then get a small shelter for them or bring them in, as others have suggested).

[gn2]

You should just have parked in the yard without asking.
If you don't ask you can't be told no

[EmilyJEG]

You're probably right, I doubt they check it very often. I know someone used to park their motorbike in there but Subway complained about the fumes from their exhaust - I reckon we could easily push the scooters round the back though. Someone had a scooter stolen from there in the past which puts me off a bit, but it was really old and I reckon he didn't have it locked up, otherwise it probably wouldn't have been worth the effort.