Jump to content

Is there any easy way to get to the spark plugs?


trokarr

Recommended Posts

I searched the How-to section but I couldn't find an answer.  Basically, I am getting ready to store my new (week old) FJ-09 for the winter.  For my previous bikes, I typically put some oil in each cylinder and turned it over to lube the cylinders for storage.  Is this needed for the FJ-09?  If so, how do you access the spark plugs?  Do I need to take off the gas tank or is there access from the front radiator?  Any info or How-to with pics would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
The manual states to do this if storing for several months. Several is subjective. For me, in the UK, the longest I have ever gone without riding is about 2 months when we had a very harsh winter with lots of snow, ice and then flooding in the melt. Most winters I am riding each week.
 
My interpretation of several in this context would be over 6 months, but only if I am going away for that period as I am more likely to spin up the engine and run the bike in gear on the centre stand to stir up the oil to coat the gears and bearings. I'd also actuate the brakes and rotate the front wheel to give the wheel bearing grease a stir. I might do this once a month and also hook up the Optimate for 24 hours to top up the AGM battery (my Optimate is a mk1 and I don't trust it to be left running every day as it gets upset if you have a power outage and then drains the battery, mk3 onwards do not do this)
This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in Winnipeg, Canada and we usually have snow on the ground for 4-5 months. Generally, it gets too cold to ride from October 31 to March 30, so it will be stored for 5 months and sometimes up to 6 months. Wintertime riding does not happen here as we typically get many feet of snow and the roads are a skating rink. I have a battery minder (Ctek) on the bike and wonder if starting it during the winter (temp can reach -45C at night with daytime highs of only -20C) would be worse than just putting oil in the spark plug holes and turning the engine a few times.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Starting periodically in that environment is about the worst thing you can do. I grew up just outside of Winnipeg, but had the good sense to leave. When you start a bike up when it's very cold and let it run even for quite a while, you're never going to get it fully up to temperature. This will cause condensation to form on all the metal parts that will get cold as soon as you turn it off, introducing rust and all kinds of nasty things into your equation. Lube the cylinders and let it sit. I always took my battery inside too. The excessive cold can't do anything good to it. Fill the gas tank as full as possible and put in Stabil. If you have access to ethanol free fuel, using that is better for storage. I don't know if you have any around Winterpeg.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I tried to move to BC (Kelowna) but the housing market there sucks (demand >>> supply). I appreciate all the suggestions. I have already topped the tank and put in stabilizer and put on a battery minder. I like Piotrek's idea of putting a shop cloth in the oil filler hole and will do that also. I am still curious about my original question about access to the spark plus though. I took a good look at their location and seems that you would have to take the front radiator off in order to take the spark plugs out. Can anyone confirm that this is indeed the case?
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe removal of the tank and airbox gives you the best access.  The tank doesn't have to be disconnected if you carefully turn it facing backwards and set it on the rear subframe on a cushioned surface so that it doesn't shift.  Remove the airbox and then you have access to the plugs.  
 
 
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply. I checked into the tank removal in this thread: http://fj-09.org/thread/1239/removing-fj-09-ecu . This is much more effort than I would like at this point so I think I will just follow piotrek's suggestions and see how it starts in the spring. Thanks again all.
 
Edit: I found a video for the spark plug removal after the tank and air box are removed:  
Way too much of a PITA for putting some oil in there for winter storage.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×