Adventures in ATV Winterizing [9-Point Guide]

Summer vacations, football season, an unexpected dip in gas prices—all good things must come to an end. That includes your warm-weather ATV adventures.

But before you park your ATV and forget about it for the winter, there are some key maintenance tasks you’ll want to do to make sure it will be ready to go next spring.

Fortunately, The ROP Shop is here to help with this guide to winterizing an ATV. We also have a printable ATV winterization checklist you may find handy (also available at the bottom of the page).

Do you have to winterize your ATV?

First things first: is any of this necessary?

We all know there are things we’re supposed to do but can get away with skipping. And if you’re busy or just not the type to stress over every detail of your equipment’s care, it’s easy to let those winterizing tasks fall by the wayside.

But is that worth it in the long run?

Think of winterizing your ATV as another form of maintenance, albeit a little more in-depth. Maintenance Plus, let’s call it.

We all know that without proper maintenance, equipment tends to fail—and usually at the most inconvenient moment. For you and your ATV, that means less time spent enjoying it and more time and money spent either fixing it yourself or waiting for someone else to do it for you.

If you want to spend more time using your ATV, you’ll want to spend more time taking care of it. It’s that simple, and the choice is up to you.

Thoroughly wash your ATV

If you’re already consistent about periodically cleaning your ATV, this step may not take terribly long.

If you were more relaxed about it throughout the year…let’s just say this might be a learning experience. But it has to be done.

Mud, dust, other strange substances you don’t want to know the origin of—all must go.

Clean, rinse, and dry as much of your ATV as you can. However, be sure you don’t get wet any parts that aren’t meant to stand up to a soaking.

Once you’re done, you might be able to convince yourself that you’re looking at a brand-new machine. (Hey, you can dream, right?)

Lubricate your ATV’s parts

It’s time to become really good friends with grease.

Where you grease and how much you use depends on your ATV, but you should be thinking about parts like your chain, control cables, grease zerk fittings, and your various pivot points (foot peg, kick start, lever, etc.).¹

Feel like going the extra mile? Wipe down all metal surfaces with some WD-40 and spray a bit into the exhaust pipe to protect against rust.²

Clean out filthy filters

Your oil, fuel, and air filters have been vigilantly guarding your ATV’s internal components from gunk and debris all year. That’s great…except for the part where they collect so much debris that it starts hurting your ATV’s performance.

This means that now’s a great time to clean those filters so that you’re ready to go when spring rolls around again.

Of course, if they look a little worse for the wear, go ahead and replace them.

Check, change, and fill fluids

It’s time to check the spill-ables. Do a quick “liquid inventory” and make sure that those components are ready for the winter.

This includes changing your engine oil so contaminants don’t have a chance to hurt the engine as well as topping off your transmission, coolant, brake, and hydraulic clutch fluid (or draining and replacing, if needed).^1,3

If you have a liquid-cooled machine requiring coolant, don’t forget to rinse down the radiator prior to refilling the coolant, and be sure to use a coolant that’s antifreeze-based.³

“What about fuel?” you might be wondering. Don’t worry: we’ll discuss winterizing your ATV’s fuel system next.

Prepare your ATV’s fuel system for winter

Although it’s definitely a spill-able item, fuel gets its own special section in this article. Not because we like it more, but because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all way to handle your ATV’s fuel system come wintertime.

Here are the general guidelines you’ll want to follow according to the specifics of your ATV, according to Motosport.

• If your ATV has a plastic fuel tank, drain it for the winter. (Unused gas will go bad over time and can form a sticky varnish that damages your equipment if left to sit.)
• If your ATV has a metal fuel tank, you’ll need to be wary of condensation forming in empty spaces and rusting your tank. Therefore, it’s best to fill the fuel tank completely plus add a fuel stabilizer. Once the stabilizer is in there, you’ll want to run your ATV so that the stabilized fuel can circulate around the system.

Check your spark plugs

An extra step for those living in coastal areas is to apply a fogging oil while the spark plug is out. Give a few sprays of oil through the spark plug hole, then hold the kill start button while turning over the motor a couple of times.¹

Add air to tires

Since air pressure is affected by temperature, you can expect to see the PSI of your ATV's tires drop as the weather cools down. And losing pressure in your tires won’t just deflate your spirits (sorry, we couldn't resist), but it also isn’t great for your ATV, especially if you’re storing it on the ground instead of suspended on blocks.

With that in mind, top off your tires before sending your ATV into winter storage.

Remove the battery

Protect your battery from the cold by removing it from your ATV and keeping it in a warm, dry spot indoors.

Additionally, you can hook it up to a trickle charger to keep it from losing charge while it’s not in use.

Come springtime, you can put it back in without playing a round of I Really Hope This Battery Still Works.

Store your ATV properly

You’ve made it to the final step of winterizing your ATV. Now that it’s all prepped, it’s time for it to get settled in its winter home.

Here are a few key points to ATV storage over the winter.

• Deter animal nesting by blocking spots where critters might be tempted to make a home.
  • Leave yourself a note detailing all the places you covered so you can remove those obstructions next spring. Put it somewhere you can’t possibly miss.
• Storing your ATV off the ground will help to prevent the tires from developing what’s known as flat spots. It’s also better for the suspension. If that’s simply not an option, at least park it on top of plywood to avoid dry rot.¹
• Cover your ATV to protect it from getting dusty, but use a breathable fabric that won’t trap moisture and encourage rusting.

Conclusion

It may be a lot of work, but winterizing your ATV will help prolong its life, allowing you to continue enjoying it for a long time to come.

If you notice some parts on your ATV during the winterizing process that might need replacing, go ahead and check out our selection of ATV replacement parts. We’re ready to help you get back to the outdoors.

Below you'll find a printable checklist with the items we discussed throughout this article. If it doesn't display properly, you can also get it here: printable ATV winterizing checklist.