Advice on getting a bike back on the road after a long break

[Mattdavies1982]

Hi everyone,

Likely a very straight forward answer, a friend has a (practically) brand new DL1000 from last year. Unfortunately due to personal circumstances he was only able to put 160 miles on it.  Since it has laid dormant in his garage for around 8 months. The battery is now flat and he is buying a charger so he can start the bike up again.

My question is, is there anything else he needs to consider from a maintenance/ safety point of view before getting back on the road, given the limited amount of time the bike has actually been used?

Many thanks in advance.

[MartinW]

It will probably be 99% OK.

Check the tyres if the bike has been stood on the same patch for all 8 months without rotating a wheel.

[Mr Nick]

He might well have lost the battery if it's been sat discharged for that length of time. A smart charger will refuse to see a battery that's below a certain voltage so won't charge it at all. A good old 'dumb as a box of rocks' one might do something, but chances are it wouldn't hold any charge he did get into it anyway.
As Martin said, tyres sat too long in one place might be a bit lumpy for a while but should be new & soft enough to come back again once they've had a bit of a run. As all the fluids are only a year old you don't have to think about changing any of those that would be a consideration on an older one.

[Barbel Mick]

I might be tempted to drain the petrol and put new in it. Then as above plus make sure the brakes and chain are OK, they should be, but worth a check.

[kwackboy]

Sitting for 8 months should be fine after a new battery has been fitted, Fuel injected bikes these days can sit for a lot longer than that if stored properly.
Fit the battery , turn on ignition and wait for the fuel pump to prime then fire her up without touching the throttle.
The fuel should be fine but some fresh fuel will make it run cleaner.
Once she's running check the electrics, brakes and tyre pressures and away you go . 

[Mattdavies1982]

Thanks for the replies, helpful to know

Cheers

[bsaboy]

What kwackboy said 

[Jonnyh]

I’d be tempted to also give it a good visual inspection for any rodent damage