My "new" Tiger

[D-Fuzz]

As far as storing my Tiger goes, it will be kept over the winter in an insulated but not heated garage.  During the coldest temps of the winter, it will get down to -20C in the garage or so.  Do I need to take any extra precautions with the plastics on the bike, namely the tank, to make sure nothing gets damaged?  Would it be better to have fuel in the tank or keep it empty?  Should I loosen off the fasteners attaching the bottom fairings to the tank?

[Mustang]

During the coldest temps of the winter, it will get down to -20C in the garage or so.  Do I need to take any extra precautions with the plastics on the bike, namely the tank, to make sure nothing gets damaged?  Would it be better to have fuel in the tank or keep it empty?  Should I loosen off the fasteners attaching the bottom fairings to the tank?

fill the tank and leave the plastics in place they will shrink too much in the cold otherwise

you need one of these


they work really well and won't break the bank, then you can have a man castle you can use all winter

[D-Fuzz]

That is on my wishlist for sure.  I have 14ft ceilings in my garage, so lots of room to put it, just need to find the time.

[D-Fuzz]

Despite having over 3 feet of snow in my yard still, I decided Spring is close enough, so today was start up day for the 2011 season.  I was tired of just staring at my Tiger parked in the corner of the garage.  

A week ago, I decided to start installing some of the parts I had collected, so I installed a SW Motech centrestand, a set of Oxford heated grips and strung some extra wires so I don't have to  tear the entire bike apart again if I want to hook up a GPS.  I bought a fuse block and relay to hook up as well, just haven't decided if I want to do that or not.  I don't know if I want a bunch of gadgets hooked up or not.  I was thinking a 12V outlet to run a mini compressor off in case of a flat, but we will see.

Anyway, yesterday I hooked up my battery charger and left it charging overnight.  I started it up this afternoon.  It took a bit of persuasion to get it going.  I think the gas in the tank is likely stale, as it was popping a bit and it didn't want to idle without the choke.  I will drain the tank tomorrow and go get some fresh gas to see if it helps.

I still need to buy some new rubber and likely a new battery before I start riding but it sure was nice to hear it running again. :D

[Mustang]

Anyway, yesterday I hooked up my battery charger and left it charging overnight.  I started it up this afternoon.  It took a bit of persuasion to get it going.  I think the gas in the tank is likely stale, as it was popping a bit and it didn't want to idle without the choke.  I will drain the tank tomorrow and go get some fresh gas to see if it helps.

 :D

thats just typical steamer start up after being laid up for a few months
fill the tank (don't bother draining it ) and go wring it out for about ten miles and it will be good to go .

[D-Fuzz]

Good to know.  It will be a bit before it sees the road, likely the beginning of April.  I can hardly wait to get it out though.

[MIMbox]

Totally agree with Mustang. I use my Tigger very occasionally, and everytime I leave it for more than a week or two it does the same. Worse  case last year took just under 30miles to settle,
 you would think a valve is stuck, or ignitor is faulty or something expensive, but no, its just sulking!!

[Colonel Nikolai]

My 96 tigger starts right up but does need to stay choked for 2-3 minutes before it will idle. My Sprint starts like "bang!" and hardly needs choking after the first 10-15 seconds. I think the previous owner did a lot of mucking with the carbs, ie non-standard jets, et al, the thing runs like the clappers.

[Colonel Nikolai]

At the end of the season I put non-oxygenated, non-ethanol aviation-grade gas in it that clocks at 100 octane. I switch to that in late September. It can start snowing here as early as first week of October. It then goes into storage running that stuff. I think it helps keep the carbs and top of the engine clean. My plugs do turn a little yellow with it though.