Leaving '83 GS450L out in elements 24\7? - Cover?

[Guest]

I don't have the luxury of having a garage anymore as I'm away at college and subletting a room with roommates and we all have to leave our vehicles outside of the house. I'm in Florida (Tallahassee to be more exact) and the weather here is worse than anywhere else I've been in Florida as we're just north of the Gulf of Mexico so the weather changes here like a $2 hooker changes her underwear.

It can sunny and HOT outside and then an hour later, POURING down rain in buckets.

My question is, what kind of cover can I get for my motorcycle?

Also, how does rain and sun affect my motorcycle? Both long and short term?

[pete]

A $2 hooker has underwear? Kidding, sorry, don't wanna know the answer!

Anyway, mine's outside in the sun/rain/whatever at work every day which is not the same as 24/7 but generally speaking it's fine. No cover.

There's a couple of guys at work use covers, but strong winds can be an issue with that. Rip the cover off or worst case the cover will act as a sail and knock the bike over.

The sun will make plastics and paint fade though... I try to keep my paintwork polished and waxed, but my plastic hand guards have definitely started to fade a bit.

[incarceration]

Yeah mine has been in the elements since I got it a couple years ago but just recently the cover someone gave me has gotten pretty beaten up and is unusable now. It just started pouring down buckets when I originally wrote this and was wondering if it just sitting out there was bad for it and how to prevent it (if it is bad for it)

[xxBenJamminxx]

Sun will fade and weaken your seat cover, fade the paint, crack your tires and any other rubber/vinyl over times. Also, rain will pool into areas where it can and WILL rust anything that will possibly rust, from hose clamps to the bolts/nuts that hold everything together. Might seem like a big deal now, but will be a pain in the butt once the time to take stuff apart comes along. Frozen/stuck or broken bolts are not fun.

For a cover there is a lot of options out there. I have one I got at Walmart in the automotive section for $20 that fits full dressed bikes up to 750cc it says. It fits my 550 with a vetter style fairing on it and even fit over the obnoxious sissy bar that was on there before I removed it.

Its def not the best cover on the market but it protects the bike from UV rays and also keeps it dry during the rain.

[pete]

I have K&N pods on mine also rather than the stock airbox, and that doesn't make a difference either... the only issue I've ever had in wet weather with them was after riding literally all day in the rain, the wettest I'd ever been on a bike. She started running a little rich and popping at the end of the ride but that's it...

As long as your electrical connections are cleaned and maintained, you should have no dramas.

[incarceration]

All of mine are hidden behind the side pieces and under the seat