I need some humble KR wisdom about bike covers

[Dexter]

Today is 30 C outside (or 86 F for those of you south of the border). I need some wisdom/opinion here... At work I park my bike outside my office window and it's in the full hot sun all day. I have noticed my fresh red paint is very hot to the touch and the seat is even worse.

Would I be wise to invest in a motorcycle cover to protect the paint, controls, seat, etc from the harmful effects of the sun, or are bike covers useless for that?

[Ridin Dirty]

115* index here today. I WISH it was 86*


Anyways...over time UV damage can occur to paint. Id do a cover if it will be out in the sun often and for very long.

[zleviticus]

Today is 30 C outside (or 86 F for those of you south of the border). I need some wisdom/opinion here... At work I park my bike outside my office window and it's in the full hot sun all day. I have noticed my fresh red paint is very hot to the touch and the seat is even worse.

Would I be wise to invest in a motorcycle cover to protect the paint, controls, seat, etc from the harmful effects of the sun, or are bike covers useless for that?

Too me that is just an excuse to have it repainted once in a while... do you have a cover for your car?

[squiggy]

I found using a cover still caused components of the bike, seat, grips to heat up just because the cover trapping the heat in.

What I'm doing now is just putting a cover over the seat so I don't have hot buns. I don't like hot buns, at least mine. haha. The rest I don't even bother with. I wear gloves anyways so the warm to hot grips typically are a none issue.

[JokerZwild]

A white towel over the saddle may not look too Kewl but your buns will thank you a ton!

[40something]

A white towel over the saddle may not look too Kewl but your buns will thank you a ton!

I agree

If you keep a good coat of wax on the paint this will help on the fading.

+1 on the gloves

[Dexter]

Too me that is just an excuse to have it repainted once in a while... do you have a cover for your car?

I just repainted it... I hope I don't have to do that again for a long time. As for my van, I don't cover it. It's a turd - my cage for point A to point B.

If you keep a good coat of wax on the paint this will help on the fading.

I'm worried about the controls and other little bits that don't get waxed - like the inside faces of the clocks.

[woobie]

No comment on a cover but.....

It's that time of year, head to Home Depot/Rona etc and pick up a round metal electrical box cover. Place it under your kickstand so you don't come out to a bike that punched through the asphalt. It's small enough you can throw a few under your seat and cheap enough that if you forget it it's no big deal.

[zleviticus]

You will have to get over the tone in the message if this comes off the wrong way: a couple stupid users can't RTFM and have put me in a bad mood.

With that said.. Dude it is a bike. it is supposed to be out in the elements. Now if it is a show bike then why are you even riding it???? My truck has been out in the sun for 8 years now with very little wax.. very little washing and zero fading. Since you are up north with about 4 months (maybe) of good riding weather i really do no think it would be an issue.

i rode to work once and it rained and people asked me if i was going to cover my bike.. i was like hello the kitty needed a bath ok?

to woobies comment: yeppers.. when in doubt i use my center stand. Anyone remember the first KR rally and the fresh pavement? Was not pretty.

[Katana1100]

No comment on a cover but.....

It's that time of year, head to Home Depot/Rona etc and pick up a round metal electrical box cover. Place it under your kickstand so you don't come out to a bike that punched through the asphalt. It's small enough you can throw a few under your seat and cheap enough that if you forget it it's no big deal.

+1 but get a plastic one,it fits under my seat and wont short anything out if it slides around,

[40something]

I'm worried about the controls and other little bits that don't get waxed - like the inside faces of the clocks.

Never had a problem with the controls but then again I replace my grips about every 2 years anyway. Clock is digital and again never had an issue.

One suggestion is find a shady spot for it when the sun hits it in the afternoon. You can usually find one in most parking lots and park it there in the morning.

[rexazz2]

I park behind a tree , by the time I leave work it is in the shade so the seat is not smoking hot

[hardlydangerous]

don't cover it in the sun

[IndyGunner]

Today is 30 C outside (or 86 F for those of you south of the border). I need some wisdom/opinion here... At work I park my bike outside my office window and it's in the full hot sun all day. I have noticed my fresh red paint is very hot to the touch and the seat is even worse.

Would I be wise to invest in a motorcycle cover to protect the paint, controls, seat, etc from the harmful effects of the sun, or are bike covers useless for that?

i dont know if i can give you a humble answer, but no sh*t its a good idea... kidding



but for real yeah its a good idea. not only does it keep your bike out of paint/plastic fading uv rays, but it also helps keep wandering eyes off your bike... Not saying your fellow employees will steal your bike, but if your in working a hard 9-5 and someone passes by, you probably wont realize its gone until its time to go home.

With that said.. Dude it is a bike. it is supposed to be out in the elements. Now if it is a show bike then why are you even riding it???? My truck has been out in the sun for 8 years now with very little wax.. very little washing and zero fading.

first off you should realize the paint on a car part is different than the paint on a motorcycle. Simply because your painting abs instead of steel/aluminum. It might not be chemically different, but because its on a different medium of material it can fade in different ways.

Second, i have a 99 kat. had it since 07. When i got it the stupid previous owners failed to remove the warning stickers on the tank and left and right fenders. After i removed the stickers it was very obvious that the paint faded. Not only was it much less glossy (thats how u say that right?) but it was a much brighter ferrari looking red over the oem's warmer darker red.

Now i agree, its a bike, ride it and dont cry over something you probably wouldnt notice unless your bike was parked next to the same year of a garage kept one... but that doesnt mean you should neglect your baby. Im not sure if you have an expendable income or whatever, but id like the stuff i spend a lot of money on to stay lookin purrrrrdy. Like i said above, it keeps the paint from fading, parts from weathering (hoses, plastic, etc.) and a minor theft deturant. I say get one if u want one, otherwise dont. Its YOUR bike and YOUR opinion/responsibility so do what u want.

<3

[scottynoface]

I'm sure there's something you can lay over the dash and all that. Mine stays out in the sun a lot, but it doesn't do it for long periods of time every day.