Keeping my bike outside all year.

[Colinzor]

Hi all. i know this topic has been talked to death and there is alot of advice online but the consensus seems to be if you leave a bike outside its done in a couple of years? so i thought id ask directly.

So i have just bought my new Kawasaki Z750 04 model off a friend of mine, after my last bike this is like new to me, kept really well and looked after bar some minor servicing and a few bits here and there. I love it so much im trying to look after this as best i can, im really afraid of it getting ruined by me leaving it outside.

As it stands at the minute i live at home and i do have room for a shed but currently selling the house in 6 months and i may be moving out on my own to a flat so i wont have anywhere for a shed to go, at the moment the bike is kept under a basic bike cover i bought off amazon, does the job to keep it dry enough i think. i ride all year but it is not my main transport i also have a car, i rinse the bike with a hose after every outing once cool and a soap wash once a week with some cheap supermarket shower gel (im told fairy liquid has salt or corrosive chemicals in it?) then i leave it and try to dry i with a towel when i can espeically around the metal then back under the cover.

i borrowed some ACF50 from a friend to put on the metal, i havnt had a chance to do this yet but im hopign this should keep it good until summer ? any more advice would be appreciated as i genuinely love this bike and im trying to keep it as best i can.

Thank you!
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CBR 125R 05 (Sold) | GSX 750F 1996 (Sold) | Kawasaki z750 2004

[M.C]

It's not done within a couple of years but you do definitely see the start of rust. ACF50 + a cover helps.

[Beehive Bedlam]

If you 'love' it so much don't ride it through the shit. That is what winter hacks are for.

[Poundshop Dave]

You can look at products like the portable bike barn. Does not take up much room and maybe the best bet for a bike kept outside.

Ebay item number 302167385481.
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Proud to be from Birmingham

[pepperami]

Wash your bike and then get all the water out of those hard to get to places with one of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2800W-Electric-Garden-Leaf-Vacuum-Blower-/122294483606?hash=item1c7951ba96:g:H4cAAOSwA3dYaVUi

It`s what I do
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Colinzor]

Thanks for the suggestions, saying dont ride your bike in winter but i bought it to ride i usually go out for a couple of hours once a week or so, would like to continue to do so, i try to dry around the engine as much as i can, do these bike shelters really work as suggested above?

i always thought they wouldnt heat up much being exposed to the cold ground underneath, basically a fancy bike cover, am i wrong about this?

so far

1. rinse after a run and dry off what i can
2.wash with soapy cold water once a week and left to dry or hand dried with towel
3. some acf 50 around the metal (not brakes)

am i doing the best i can? as said lack of funds and lack of room stop me from having a shed atm

thanks !
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CBR 125R 05 (Sold) | GSX 750F 1996 (Sold) | Kawasaki z750 2004

[NJD]

Sounds like your making things more complicated than they need to be.

Accept the fact it's kept outside and that's that one sorted. Ensure your cover has a clip that goes underneath so it doesn't blow away in the wind and that's as good as it gets, some covers perform better than others.

What's with all this washing nonsense? Balls to standing out in the cold, the pre-ride routine's long enough without adding cleaning it down after a run to the list. Only time I bother is when I've ridden on gritted roads and even then it's only a quick wipe of the downpipes or, when needed, some brake cleaner on the discs. Only other one to keep on top of is lubing the chain.

Go make your bike spotless and then coat the thing in ACF-50 and leave it for approx. 24 hours and then don't worry about washing it, unless ridden on gritted roads, until post winter. It's common sense, not on the tyres, rubber parts or near the brake discs + calipers and you'll be fine. Give the parts at the underside of the bike, the ones that will get the most abuse, some attention and then work your way up.

result = shiny bike:

https://s28.postimg.org/frf7kanot/IMG_4083.jpg
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The do it all, T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶l̶u̶m̶p̶,̶ ̶C̶h̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶N̶o̶o̶d̶l̶e̶

[Robby]

Salt makes it rust. Rain won't have much effect.

It might rust a bit more from being outside, but only surface rust on the bits that usually go a bit rusty. It isn't going to dissolve, and the surface rust isn't going to affect anything important.

[Suntan Sid]

Before taking my 2006 FZ1-N to warmer climes, it was kept outside for three years. The only protection it had was a "Stormex" cover, no magic sprays were applied, it got washed and waxed 3 times a year, if it was lucky, the bike was 8 years old when I got it.
The only sign of corrosion, after 3 years, is a very, very, small bit of rust on the gear pedal.
I will say that the cover was held on to the bike via a strap underneath, but was quite a loose fit which allowed the wind to circulate around the bike and, IMO, kept the moisture at bay!
Bear in mind this was in the Peak District, probably one the wettest, miserable, sunless, parts of the UK!
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[thx1138]

All of my bikes have been kept outside since I started riding bikes in the 80s, they didn't die, sure my bikes are not always super shiny, but they never fell to bits.

Longest I've ever kept a bike was my Fazer thousand which I had for 4 and a half years.

[M.C]

[Dave70]

[pepperami]

[recman]

[stevo as b4]

I had a few zinc plated fasteners start to fur up and rust on the KMX after last winter in the shed. Its condensation that's the evil bastard IMO. I've since either painted over the plating, or got new bolts or where needed.

Keeping your bike under an open lean to or under a canopy or gazebo etc with the tyres on blocks or on a surface like a grate drain mesh where the water runs away is probably better than locking it in a shed that isn't well vented and has wide temperature variations like most wooden or glass buildings do.

I like the thought of keeping a bike out of torrential rain as much as possible, but anything in between say under a canopy or cover and keeping it at room temperature in a dry moisture free environment is doing it more harm than good IMO.

I might put heating and an extractor fan in my shed this year if I can be bothered to go that far with extra wiring and complication?

[chickenstrip]

[Falco]

[Freddyfruitba...]

[Colinzor]

[recman]

[Suntan Sid]

So, JivebunnyMilfHunterBodyGuard929FirebladeGod.iSocketBikeDoctor007AloysiusParker, or whatever, moronic, name you're hiding behind now, what, exactly do you disagree with in my post, or am I just a liar?
Or is it just one of you're usual, tedious, random down ratings?

While we're here, here's some previous words from you, lest we forget what an utter bellend you really are:-

[pepperami]

[Colinzor]

[recman]