Winterizing FJ - Fill Tank with fuel or drain it?

[86FJNJ]

Here in NJ it's basically not riding weather from Thanksgiving to Easter. I will pull the carbs and drain and clean them but what is best for the tank, drain it completely or fill to the top with fuel and add stabilizer to avoid air and condensation in the tank?

In the past I always used to fill tanks with fuel and stabilizer but looking for the groups thoughts.

[RPM - Robert]

With the junk fuel here in California we add k100 https://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=k100large  to the tank run the bike til the bowls are empty and then spray through the airbleed jet with tri flow without removing the carbs. It'll smoke a bit on the intial startup but they don't get clogged with the ethanol additives that cause the problem this way.

Another thing you could do is run the tank dry and add an actual non ethanol gas to the tank and top it up. Non ethanol keeps for a year or more with no issues of clogging stuff up and it will still be good in the spring when you fire it back off.

[86FJNJ]

Thanks Robert, getting some hands on ethanol free fuel would be nice, maybe a local airport would sell me some from what I know airport fuel doesn't have ethanol

[Pat Conlon]

Nationwide: https://www.pure-gas.org/

I see only 5 stations in the Garden State.
https://www.pure-gas.org/NJ

You can always order a pail (5 gallons) of VP ethanol free fuel from your local bike shop or hardware store. Use only 1 or 2 gallons in your tank. That stuff lasts 2 years in the tank and 5 years in the sealed can.

I have found that fuel additives do stabilize the fuel, good for the cold, prevents separation, etc *but* fuel additives do not neutralize or remove the ethanol in the fuel. It's the ethanol that's the boogeyman..

[86FJNJ]

Pat for the win!!!

[Warp84]

Nationwide: https://www.pure-gas.org/

I see only 5 stations in the garden state
https://www.pure-gas.org/NJ

You can always order a pail (5 gallons) of VP ethanol free fuel from your local bike shop or hardware store.
That stuff lasts 2 years in the tank and 5 years in the sealed can.

Thanks for the resource. Good to know the mom-and-pop gas station in my little town has actual Ethanol free

[Dads_FJ]

I was taught to fill the tank to displace the air.  Non oxy is preferred but if it's not available you can separate ethanol from gasoline using water. Shake gas with water, let it settle, and drain off the water and ethanol layer leaving pure gasoline.

[Ted Schefelbein]

Maybe I'm the outlier, but, I always figured if the gas isn't in the tank for half a year, it can't cause you any problems. I run the bike out of fuel, toggling the enricher until it won't run anymore, remove the tank, dump about two cups of motor oil in the tank, and rotate it all around, to coat the inside of the tank.

Just like the service manual tells you to do.

In the spring, a half quart or so of fuel gets sloshed around, drained from the line in front of the of the fuel filter, and filled with fresh 91 octane alcohol free fuel, available at most stations here in Minnesota.

No problems to report.

Ted

[Sparky84]

Seems a lot of trouble, never "winterised" the bike before but I do usually leave the tank full when in the garage.
Do you only winterise it due not going to be ridden for a few months or for the cold weather affecting it ?

[86FJNJ]

I winterize it because it will basically sit unused for 5-6 months so a little extra care before that storage helps avoid problems later. In NJ it will basically be 20 to 30 degrees F for that period with rain and ice so it's just not really ridable.

[Billy Bananahead]

This topic is getting me a bit on edge now 
I once ran my old XS1100 with the taps shut before a winter lay up and come spring some of the jets had furred up so never bothered again.
What i do now is to fire my bikes up every couple of months or so and not had a problem with that method.  

[giantkiller]

I winterize it because it will basically sit unused for 5-6 months so a little extra care before that storage helps avoid problems later. In NJ it will basically be 20 to 30 degrees F for that period with rain and ice so it's just not really ridable.

Here in wisconsin it's -20s to 30s f. Seems like forever. At least Minnesota is worse.
This is the tank of a bike I bought in Wisconsin. And this was before alcoholic gas.
This is the top of the tank the bottom was completely rotted through.

[Waiex191]

I find there are always a few days spread throughout the cold winter where I can pull the bike out for a short ride, maybe just around the neighborhood.  Or at least run it.  That's always been my winterization plan.

[giantkiller]

One year back when I was young.
1987. I rode my 87fzr1000. Every month. As long as it got above freezing.
Then a couple of years later I was going to therapy. For the crash that I was dead at the scene. And my car had a flat tire. So I checked the temperature. And it had just hit 40f. So I jumped on my superpile500. And was heading onto highway 41. The on ramp was done at the edge of the shade line of the bridge. I was on the ground before I knew what happened. Didn't even feel it start to slide. Ice in the  shadow of the bridge. Ambulance driver recognized me from the first accident.

[RPM - Robert]

We winterize ours because they sit for 4-5 months at a time. In California we have up to 15% ethanol and it sitting will clog the jets. If the bikes weren't in a storage unit over winter we could just fire them up but if that gets forgotten then it is a carb rebuild in the spring.