Looks as though winter is arriving next week, and I am considering laying up the bike, for the winter period. Now the question ! The bike is kept in a brick garage, attached to the house, the garage has no heating, but I do have a tumble dryer (vented) and a freezer in the garage. Should I keep the bike covered or uncovered?. My thoughts are, if I keep the bike covered, any moisture in the air will be absorbed, by the cover, if I leave it uncovered any moisture will evaporate. Hope this makes sense
I ahve a unheated garage and I don't cover mine up. None of my bikes have corrosion on. Start them up now and again and wipe them down. keep the battery topped up and all should be fine
Winter pretty much started to take hold up here about 3 weeks ago! Anyway, tbh I find condensation gathers on a bike in a cold garage wither its covered or not due to the amount of metal involved, most noticeable on the frame as the temps outside go from the minus figures to the positive through the day! I still tend to cover the bike during storage to help keep dust from gathering on the bike. I cover the bikes metal bits in scottoilers 365 after its final wash n service work to help with any corrosion that may try and take hold tho.
Mine is also in a brick garage which is unheated but has a ply floor overlaid with carpet .I have only ever had one issue with condensation and that was one of them rare days where it gets super damp the bike had a cover over which was unusual for me so it must have been a present at Xmas .Anyway I went into the garage and for no great reason had a peep under the cover to find the bike soaked through and the chain was orange WFT ..so took it outside dried it run it until hot and then let it cool outside cleaned the chain and put it back in the garage without the cover and the next day cut a couple of bricks out and installed two air bricks thus venting the garage and never any issues since .Currently the bike is plugged into a battery charger ? ( maybe that's an old fashion term) and I have a couple of old thin cotton bed sheets just slung over loose and I have a regular peep under .I never put the bike away proper as the first non frost non salty day I will at least try to get a run ( They are not made of chocolate you know).
mine will be in a garage, no cover and also with a tumble dryer. no issues, although being the weirdo i am, will pull it out now and again for a start up and a wash. Never any issues, you'll be ok dude.
mines in a part brick part timber garage but on a timber carpeted floor. always covered up and has a vent thru the wall to keep air flow and never any probs here in past 10 years!
The main issue here is good ventilation, if u have a back door to the garage n on them days someone is at home, leave the back door open all day n let the air circulate, you'll never see condensation again. Or even leave the garage door open a little to let the air flow. I do keep fleece throw overs on my baby, but more to do with keeping the dust off n abit of protection just incase summat small drops on her, the cover may, just may stop a scratch. Never had any problems in 10 years
I think.... Just me and my bike.. Has hit the nail on the head, Air circulation is the key. If the air is moving The temp can go up and down like a brides nighty and you will be fine. Air bricks, the solution to the worlds ill's. I have a draft prone, detached brick garage, my old BMW has been in there the last 15 years, no cover, no sprays, and not a spot of rust on her.
Mine sits in the garage that's attached to the house. My winter ritual is always the same. Bike goes up on front and rear paddock stands, the battery comes out and is taken into the house. I warm the engine up a bit (obviously before you take the battery out ) and then tape a thick plaggy bag over the end of the exhaust and then throw a breathable fitted cover over the top of it. It's really just to keep the thick of the dust off it.
Yeah same here brick garage no cover just park her on some thick wooden planks with a misting of ACF50 battery out never had a problem
That's a nice photo of Cheryl Cole you have there Davy boy .Just tapped the small print next to the Suzuki photo .Crafty old dog you are .
I tend to do things a bit different, i have an unheated concrete garage separate from the house, it is vented but only in the fact it has one of those corrugated roofs with gaps all over the place and the up and over garage door is also not very snug. I do cover the bike with a breathable cover for dust purposes, but where things differ is that i have a small tube heater on a plank of wood, which i place on a timer and put this under the cover just below the exhaust headers, i then have it coming on during the night which gently releases heat up, under the cover. The cover keeps this heat in enough to keep any condensation away. I used to get some condensation on the days where the ambient temp outside is higher than inside the garage, but since using this method, the garage can be a bit wet but the inside of my cover and the bikes metalwork is just fine.
