To Ride -or- Not To Ride

[DOOS]

To ride or not to ride - I got an 05 deuce for Christmas this year and while the weather in late December/early January was in the 50-60° range I put 150 miles on the break-in of the engine. Now that the weather is hovering around 20° I'd like to store it for the remainder of the winter. This could be till late March early April. I now realize that since I started to break the engine in, that the oil in the tank is now slightly contaminated with engine deposits that can damage an engine over time. What do I do now? Just let it sit or see the dealership and purchase some new breakin oil to put in till spring? I don't want to damage my new toy. Please give some advice.

[chucker]

Not to worry...your "new toy" will be just fine...If it would make you feel better just do an oil & filter change, run it up to operating temperature & put her to bed... Just don't stress & obsess; trust me, it's a tough machine!

[wyodude]

I agree with chucker. Change the oil if it gives you peace of mind.

Get yourself a battery tender jr (a trickle charger) to keep your battery in good shape.

wyo

[petelogan]

I agree. Don't worry about the oil, but a battery tender is a good buy. I have one for each bike, and permanent wiring on the bikes. It's just automatic to plug in whenever I park at home, summer or winter.

There will be very little contamination in the oil, but whatever there is will do no harm at all standing still.

If it bothers you, do the oil change just before you start riding again next year. Personally, I just stick to service intervals, and don't worry about it standing still.

Pete

[csoday]

Stick to the service intervals. Harleys don't use "break in" oil