It is no joke that we who live in Alaska know more about winter than most of us want to. Several questions have to be answered before we can begin to enjoy our winters. One of the questions is, what do I do to make my Harley-Davidson® or Buell® motorcycle able to survive the long winter hibernation? Good question! Here are a couple of options for you.

You could ship your bike to a warmer climate for the winter. You can toss a blue tarp over it in the back yard, or you could take it to a professional storage lot like Classic Motion or Denali Harley-Davidson in Wasilla. Contact the House or call Denali direct at 907-373-3366. There are still two more options available to you. One: take your bike to the House of Harley-Davidson & Buell for a winterization service or, Two: winterize it yourself.

If you want to ship it to a warmer climate for the winter contact Gary at Classic Motion. His number is 907-272-6863. If you want the House to winterize your bike, contact the Service Department at 907-248-5376 and we will give you all of the options available from HOH, including a way you can have us store it for you free.

In the event that you feel the urge to twist a wrench and get your hands on some tools, here are some steps to keep your bike comfy and warm and happy for the long winter’s sleep. First, get the engine good and warm by riding it to the Harley shop to pick up a new oil filter and four quarts of Harley oil and a small bottle of the red stuff. Red stuff is fuel stabilizer. Add enough stabilizer for the size tank you have and then run by the gas station and fill up with premium gas. This mixes the red stuff with the gas properly. When you get home, change the oil and filter while the engine is still on the warm side. It is a good idea to lube and adjust all the cables at this time also. See your owner’s manual or service manual for the "how to." Start the engine and run it just long enough to confirm that there are no oil leaks. Unless you rode home from the gas station with the stabilizer in the gas, the stabilized fuel is being run through the system while you are looking for oil leaks. It only takes a minute or so to circulate the new fuel.

If no leaks are found, shut the fuel off and let the engine quit on its own, unless yours is an injected model, then just shut it off. Inflate the tires to the max pressure listed in your owner’s manual or on the side of the tire. This is for storage purposes. A good wax job is also preferred prior to long-term storage. If you desire, you can remove the plugs and spray fogging oil into the cylinders. (Especially good if storage is outside under the blue tarp.) Turn the engine over for a second, and then thread the plugs back in the heads. If you do not have a Global charger or a Battery Tender Jr., it is best to remove the battery from the bike. Your battery may need special charging during the winter depending on the make and type. If you have one of the two mentioned chargers, plug it into the battery and connect to an outlet and forget about it until spring.

Assuming your bike will be in a weather-proof place like a garage or wood storage building, cover the bike with a breathable cover like a bed sheet (make sure you use one with a design that matches the bikes personality) or a Harley storage cover. Do not cover the bike with anything that cannot breathe. However, a piece of blue tarp on the ground under your bike is recommended. This acts like a ground cloth under a tent. This is IMPORTANT: Do not start the bike until you are ready to ride again in the spring. If you start it, you are putting moisture into the oil as you cannot get the engine hot enough, long enough to evaporate the moisture out of the oil. It will just keep building up each time you start and stop the engine during the winter.