Cold climate oil grades

Being a lifelong Swede and inhabitant of the frozen north myself,
I concur with the herring-scoffer.

Stay away from slippery oils which _will_ ruin the clutch, use an
oil recommended by Yamaha and on cold mornings, preheat the engine
with whatever is to hand before running it to help it to start and
reduce the chance of lubrication failure.

Another possibility, if it's a dry sump engine, is to siphon/drain
out as much oil as you can and heat it up in a tin over the stove,
which might seem too fiddly but beats hell out of having your bike
catch fire from overenthusiastic application of the Primus.

 

<fx: contemplates Ducati cuddling oil-filled radiator in garage>

Er, me too....

 

So that's three old gimmers who remember them, anyway.

 

That'll be one of Bonwick's matchstick-thin roll-ups, then.

 

snip>

The Yams and the Armstrong are oil in frame design so not ideal for
warming the engine with a stove plus mine has a full length sump guard
which would suck any heat away before it got to where it'd do any
good.

I'll just tie an old blanket over the bike when I park it then cover
it with a tarpaulin to keep the wind off and that'll do it.

 

We used to hook the motors up to a power point that ran a block heater
when I was working in Kazakstan and never had one fail to start even
when it went down to -30c or lower.

 

randed oil just to make sure they can't argue if it gets to

This.
IME all machinery operated in those temps must be warmed prior to use.
If you can be arsed, a swift brush(1) down of slush( you should be so
lucky) on exposed gaiters etc will help prevent ice damage to suspension
parts etc when you set off the following morning.
At the risk of being even more boring, one presumes you will have a full
flask of hot drink per person when you leave in the morning. Just a
thought.

(1) Sorry if this is a granny/egg thing, but a brush(medium strength
bristle) for removing snow from footwear etc prior to bedding down helps
keep the damp down as I'm sure you know.

 

How about carrying one of those chemical hand warmer things in case it
gets really difficult for the motor to turn over. Activate it, then
stuff it under the cover as close to the sump as you can while packing
up other gear.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

(snip)

Below -37°C, desperate souls might even make use of the pint-ish volume
of 37°C fluid usually wasted by making yellow cones in the snow. Fill up
plastic bag, place on engine block/oil reservoir. Every little helps

 

I always made a flask up as the last job before setting out when I was
doing a lot of climbing/camping out in mountains. It doesn't take long
and can make a big difference.

When I sat waiting in a snowy laybye in Germany last year the only
drink I had was a can of lager so I made do with that.

I'll rely on kicking inanimate objects.

 

That's just taking the piss.

 

I can remember, as a child, trying to thaw the water suppy to a trough
for the cattle (with my father and brother) by using the same method.

 

You can still get'em as greenhouse heaters.

 

We just drain as much water as possible water out of Danny's every
autumn

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

My brother, who runs a Ski buisiness in the French Alps used to do
just that......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/speedgazebo/5360258819/

 

LOL

Oh dear, oh dear.

 

(The Older Gentleman) wrote in

I don't think they can have been that uncommon. My father had a paraffin
heater to put under the engine of our Minor Traveller when I was a kid in
the '60s in the Yorkshire dales.

 

Which?

 

snip>

I can't get a higher CCA battery to fit the Tenere because it's got a
welded frame brace stopping me fitting a taller battery even though
I'd be happy to cut a piece out of the seat bottom. This is a bastard.

I'm running 10W40 fully synthetic for much the same reasons you state
above.

I've got fork gaiters fitted and the entire bike is coated with ACF50
so it might survive in reasonably good shape. Apart from crash damage.

I'm using tyres designed for low temperature use so they should remain
as soft as they started out but that's not actually very soft..

The antifreeze is new stuff rated down to -35c by Yamaha.

I've got a Scottoiler fitted with 'something different' in the
reservoir because normal Scottoil stops flowing at about -2c according
to Scottoil.

I'll be warming the bike on the stand because it's a good excuse for
another smoke if nothing else.

It's made me pretty confident I've covered everything.

 

No, that's a magazine.