5 Steps to Prepare Your Electric Motorcycle for Winter Storage 

In the immortal words of Ned Stark (RIP), “Winter is coming.” For the unlucky ones, this means riding season is over until the spring. 

The experienced riders among you may already know how to prepare a motorcycle for winter storage. Or at least, how to store a gas motorcycle during the winter.  

But what about electric motorcycles? If you’re looking to power down your electric motorbike for the season, there’s very little guidance currently available online. 

That’s why we’ve put together these 5 steps to prepare your electric motorcycle for winter storage. 

1. Go for a Spin! 

First things first, you’ve got to hit the open road one last time.  

If you’re unable to ride year-round, you’ve got to make the most of the time you actually can ride and get some long distance motorcycle riding under your belt. 

Therefore, we highly recommend – before it gets too cold out or you do any kind of winterizing to your bike – to hit the road, Jack! 

2. Clean Your Electric Motorcycle 

Next up, it’s time to clean your bike. And we mean really clean it. 

Start off by washing your bike and then thoroughly drying it. Ensuring that your bike is bone dry before winter storage is very important. Any leftover water can create moisture, which can lead to corrosion, mold, and a nasty surprise come springtime. 

On the other hand, if you want to avoid the risk or you’ve already put the hose away for winter, you can also use a no-rinse cleaning spray to clean your bike. This will easily get any unwanted grime off your electric motorbike.  

Now, focus on the metal. You should wipe down the brakes and the chain – if your electric motorcycle has a chain drive – with our old friend WD-40 (Specialist Motorcycle Chain Cleaner). 

Finally, wax all the painted parts of your bike. You can either buff this out before you leave the garage or leave it on over winter and do it in the spring. We recommend the latter. This will not only give your bike’s paint job a protective layer throughout winter, but it will look almost brand-spanking new when you buff it off next year! 

3. Consult Your EV’s Manual for Battery and Charging Practices 

This is where it gets a little tricky.  

There’s a lot of conflicting information online about how to store an EV for winter as requirements differ depending on the manufacturer. This is especially true with battery care and charging. For example, while Tesla recommends you leave their vehicles plugged in during long-term storage, others – like Nissan – recommend you leave your vehicle unplugged. 

This disparity is not solely limited to electric cars. It’s the same for electric motorcycles, too. 

Here at Damon, we recommend you store our bikes in a clean and dry place at a 50-60% SOC (State of Charge). In addition, while you won’t need to leave your Damon motorcycle plugged in during the winter, we do recommend turning your bike on to recharge the 12V battery and recharge the main battery pack every four to six months, or as needed. 

Therefore, our advice for keeping your battery in tip-top shape over winter and adhering to the best charging advice is simple – you gotta’ read and follow the manual.

4. Elevate or Rotate Your Tires 

It is WHEELIE important that you look after your tires. (Sorry, not sorry.) 

If you leave your tires unattended over winter, they could get flat spots and become damaged. However, there are a couple of ways you can keep your wheels turning: 

1. Elevate your tires – If they aren’t on the ground, you don’t need to worry about flat spots. If you have a good motorcycle stand, you can keep your tires elevated throughout the non-riding season. However, be sure to reduce the tire pressure by 20% PSI if you choose this route. 

2. Rotate them once a month – Don’t have a bike stand? No problem! Come visit your bike once a month and rotate the tires. That way, the weight of the bike is not always pressing down on one area. If you choose this method, you need to pump them up to the maximum PSI. This is so they can withstand the weight of your electric motorcycle in between rotations.  

5. Find and Prep the Best Motorcycle Winter Storage Location 

Finally, you have to choose a location where your two-wheeled companion will be the most comfortable. 

If you’re using your own garage, you have to prep it. Ensure there are no leaks and cracks that any moisture can get into. Furthermore, give it a good clean from top to bottom. Otherwise, your bike may end up sharing the space with some unwanted critters.  

If possible, a consistent temperature in your garage is an added bonus. Therefore, if you haven’t already, we recommend getting your HVAC system to operate in your garage, too. That being said, it’s not the be-all and end-all. For example, Damon motorcycles will have no problem being stored in cold temperatures. 

You can even store an electric motorcycle outside in the winter. However, you will need a motorcycle cover that can resist extreme weather – and this should really be the last resort. Ideally, during the winter, your electric motorcycle should be in a dry, clean, and enclosed space and covered by a high-quality motorcycle cover (and we don’t mean an old duvet, an XXXL flannel, or a toga costume – we mean the real deal). 

What’s Different About Preparing an Electric Motorcycle for Winter? 

“That’s it?” We hear you ask. Yes, that really is it.  

Prepping a gas motorcycle for winter is a long and arduous process. It involves changing engine oil, topping up the tank, emptying carburetors, prepping the exhaust, and so on. 

Electric motorcycle maintenance – or lack of – makes prepping an electric motorcycle for winter straightforward, and another reason why electric motorcycles vs gas is not even up for debate. 

Yes, winter is coming, but there’s no need to fear it. 

Simply follow these steps and your electric motorcycle will be raring to go when riding season comes around again!