|
|
| *Vultures Knob>>>Bicycle Shop |
Do you store you bike outside????? |
If so how do you do it??? Put a cover on it? Keep it out in the open??? I'm only going to do this for the summertime cuz we already have 5 cars in a 2 car garage family house, so I'd have to park my bike on the side of the house in the backyard. Anyone have any suggestions for how to take care of my bike while it's outside??? I will be putting it into a storage unit for the winter...... (I live in Chicago) There are various ways to protect your bike while it's parked. They make motorcycle covers especially for this purpose. You can find them at places like http://www.denniskirk.com or http://www.jcwhitney.com and other similar sites. You can also just go get a large plastic tarp from Walmart and use that. Either tie it down by the grommets, or put cinder blocks around it to weight it down. (I actually kept a bike under a tarp once all winter when I didn't have room for it in the garage and it was perfect the next spring). And then most bikes will weather normal rainstorms fine in the open. All of my bikes (and my kids bikes too) have been caught out in a rainstorm at one time or another and I've never had any problems other than wet seats from it. I store my bikes outside. I have a 2004 ZX10R and everyone says it still looks new....here is how I do it. I always park next to the house or garage. I put a motorcycle cover on it...nothing special. I "wash" my bike every week but I dont use water with the exception being the rims and tires. I use Honda Pro Spray on the rest of the bike. Clean and lube the chain after rain. From past experience all the nuts and bolts seemed to pit and the chain seemed to get out of control when I would use soap and water. Yeah, my mom won't let me park it in the garage. I just leave it out on the drive way. All the neighbors can see how cool my Ninja looks. nope my choppa is in da livingroom where it belongs!!A.F.F.A. 81 FOREVER!!!! I keep my bikes outside and covered. A good cover will protect your bike from most of the elements, especially if you live by the ocean. It is also good to give it a good wash from time to time (I wash mine once a week). Lock it to something solid and put a cover on it. A cover protects it from the sun when you're not riding itt (UV exposure can damage some plastics) and if you have a bike worth stealing (like Squidboy's Ninja), it keeps the casual bike thief from easily identifying your bike and adding it to his hit list. And even though you didn't ask, since you live in Chicago, you'll probably want to read this before you store your bike for the winter: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/winterize... HTH! I had a honda sport bike when I lived in the caribbean. After years of outdoor parking with no cover in a tropical climate where everything rusts, it had no electrical problems and zero visible rust anywhere except the chain.. and even that was barely visible. Oh, I also had an old cruiser, once. It rusted all over and the engine eventually seized. :) I still park my bike outdoors, and don't use a cover. There's barely any steel on a sport bike that is exposed to rain, besides the chain and sprockets. The engine is pretty much sealed under plastic. Theft is a bigger concern. If it gets stolen, I'll cry. Then I'll buy a new one. But if I felt like I had to cover and uncover it everytime I rode it, or chain it up every night, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place, until I owned a garage. Luckily, in the US, bike theft isn't as common as in other countries. Actually, scooters, mopeds, and bicycles are stolen much more frequently. Knock on wood. Ok, just had to peek, and my bike is still there. :) Owned 4 bikes, and I have never washed any of them. Oh, I have heard that bikes get stolen from storage units quite often. When winter comes, mine will be parked in a friend's garage or my living room. |
| Tags |
| Cycling Bike Race Bike Insurance Bike Repair Bicycle Shop Bike Tours Trail Map Bike Pedals Bike Lock |
Bike Categories--Copyright/IP Policy--Contact Webmaster |