Park bike in the rain?

[caineroad]

Is it ok to park the ninja 250 in the rain? I parked it in school today but it happened to rain, looks like it will rain for 5-6 hours. What should I look for when I get back to my bike, and does the water get in the battery under the seat or storage area under the rear seat??

What problem is it going to have when I leave in the rain like this?

Thanks

[Whiskey]

5-6 hours, it'll be grand.

Wipe the water off the tank, black plastics & seat, hop on & ride it. (neglect to dry it & you'll end up with soggy bollocks, that's no fun.)

My bike has lived outdoors for years, starts first time, every time, every day & the only thing I've noticed is that when it's cold out it needs to be warmed up a bit more or the revs drop off & it can cut out, but I think that's a common issue with the EFI 250s and nothing to do with water ingress to the electrics.

[tc.young]

it has now had flood damage and should be sold to me for scrap for 200 of your Canadian funny money

[csmith12]

lol @ Funny Money

The only thing you have to worry with is gas tank fill cap drainage. If it doesn't drain, it will just end up in your gas. From there, you will know if that is happening because it will run like crap and be hard to start.

Otherwise, no worries.

[akima]

Some bikes don't like the rain. I've heard the Hyosung GT250s rust pretty easily. The ninja 250s are fine though!

I'd be far more concerned about leaving my ninjette out in 6 hours of bright sunshine than I would 6 hours of rain. Faded paintwork!

The road salt that gets put out over winter is the thing that will really ruin your bike.

[caineroad]

how would you prevent road salt deteriorating the bike if I were to ride it in winter months when the roads are clear?

[akima]

Originally Posted by caineroad

how would you prevent road salt deteriorating the bike if I were to ride it in winter months when the roads are clear?

I try and spray my bike down with water after a ride to spray off the road salt. I didn't have a convenient way of doing it so I bought myself one of these:


It's a battery operated washer. Quite convenient!

I used my bike regularly in the salt last year though and even with regular washing it still got damaged by road salt. I hates salt!!! It gets in your brakes and ruins them, it jumps down into awkward places (like where the suspension linkage is) and rusts places that you can barely get your hands into to clean.

This winter when the salt comes out my bike is staying inside. If I had a crappy winter bike then I'd happily ride in the salt and then just deal with the rust damage as it happens. My ninjette is too nice though!

Just to be clear. Rain alone is not that big of a deal. You bike can get dirty in the rain, but it's nothing you can't wash off returning your bike to its former glory.

[caineroad]

oh... what damage did you get on the bike? rust?? which part was most prone to get damge?? I like the battery operated washer, I dont have an accessible washer as well!

[akima]

Originally Posted by caineroad

oh... what damage did you get on the bike? rust?? which part was most prone to get damge?? I like the battery operated washer, I dont have an accessible washer as well!

I edited my post to write that it was the brakes that needed lots of servicing. Also all the metal parts around where the rear suspension is. The rear swing arm stopped moving because the linkage back their seized up.

The washer is awesome! I use it on my bicycles too. Very handy. Lots of people don't have easy access to hose pipes.

[JohnnyBravo]

My bike has lived outside since march with no real issue... I wouldn't personally take mine out in the salt, but it won't blow up, just have about the same wear as any car or truck would ( aren't as many rusty vehicles where they don't salt the roads ).

[Asspire]

Originally Posted by caineroad

oh... what damage did you get on the bike? rust?? which part was most prone to get damge?? I like the battery operated washer, I dont have an accessible washer as well!

rear shock, links, tie rod, front of engine, exhaust, chain

ride this piss outta it, park it in winter, riding in toronto in winter is a very bad idea





R6's are impervious to rain and salt.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Asspire

R6's are impervious to rain and salt.

truff! lol

[headshrink]

I break out the leaf-blower after riding in the rain.

[salcuta88]

Originally Posted by headshrink

I break out the leaf-blower after riding in the rain.

So I guess 1 hour in the rain won't hurt it?

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by salcuta88

So I guess 1 hour in the rain won't hurt it?

It depends. Temp and humidity also play a role as well as the amount of rainfall.
If your gas tank already has a tiny amount of water in the fuel, rain can exacerbate the problem. Avoid the rain if possible. If you can't, get a fuel additive to help combat water in gas issues or get 87 octane ethanol free gas.

[akima]

Originally Posted by salcuta88

So I guess 1 hour in the rain won't hurt it?

My bike has spent hours in the rain on plenty of occasions. Can't be helped over here. I avoid it where possible, but if it can't be avoided I don't worry about it.

[Ninjinsky]

Originally Posted by csmith12

lol @ Funny Money

The only thing you have to worry with is gas tank fill cap drainage. If it doesn't drain, it will just end up in your gas. From there, you will know if that is happening because it will run like crap and be hard to start.

Otherwise, no worries.

+1
The filler cap it the weak link. If everything is not kept moving smooth and sealing (both the main sprung tank seal and the little seal in the key cap which must be kept clean) you will have to do what I did which is take off a rusty tank and put on an ebay replacement in a different color
On the other hand mine has been outside for 20 years and that is the only place water has ever got, the instrument panel remains pristine and water never gets under the seat

[CZroe]

I rarely covered my bike in San Diego because I rode it every day, rain or shine. Granted, it doesn't rain often there, but it was good and weathered by year 4!

It's been covered almost all the time since it's been parked (almost 2 years) but it still looks like the elements are taking a toll (condensation, pill bugs, slugs, etc). Heck, I washed everything meticulously before covering it and yet almost every inch is caked in mud, dust, webs, egg sacks, and slug slime. No, it's not parked in dirt or grass either. It's lifted on stands and parked on a big flat rigid plastic or linoleum sheet on gravel but the rain makes mud flow across and then more rain splashes that up, not to mention the dirt daubers building nests in the battery box! Yep: water attracts bugs, bugs attract spiders, spiders attract dirt daubers, dirt daubers bring dirt to encrust hundreds of spiders in. Even so, there are still spiders running everywhere! It's a thriving ecosystem of its own.

Where was I? Oh yeah: being rained on is no worse for your bike than riding in the rain, which it was designed to be able to do (obviously). Parking your bike outdoors with a cover can be almost as bad. I wouldn't worry about covering it for a freak rainstorm the same way I wouldn't pull over to cover it should I get caught riding in the rain (pulling over for my own good is something else entirely). If you care so much, get one bike to baby and another to RIDE!

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by Ninjinsky

+1
The filler cap it the weak link. If everything is not kept moving smooth and sealing (both the main sprung tank seal and the little seal in the key cap which must be kept clean) you will have to do what I did which is take off a rusty tank and put on an ebay replacement in a different color
On the other hand mine has been outside for 20 years and that is the only place water has ever got, the instrument panel remains pristine and water never gets under the seat

Kawasaki used a lot of crappy rubber in 2008/2009. Not only were the rubber wellnuts rotted all over, but even the shift lever, clutch cable boot, and trip meter reset button rotted within a year. I replaced the trip meter reset button because water kept getting in my gauges and condensing. Just a heads up since yohr experience hasn't always been the case.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by salcuta88

So I guess 1 hour in the rain won't hurt it?

considering that I rode through the rain for several hours between today and yesterday. Yea, one hour sitting in the rain isn't a problem. Bikes are designed to be able to function after being caught in the rain, just clean/lube the chain and dry it off and you're good to go.

[akima]

Originally Posted by CZroe

It's been covered almost all the time since it's been parked (almost 2 years) but it still looks like the elements are taking a toll (condensation, pill bugs, slugs, etc). Heck, I washed everything meticulously before covering it and yet almost every inch is caked in mud, dust, webs, egg sacks, and slug slime. No, it's not parked in dirt either. It's lifted on stands and parked on a big flat rigid plastic or linoleum sheet on gravel but the rain makes mud flow across and then more rain splashes that up, not to mention the dirt daubers building nests in the battery box! Yep: water attracts bugs, bugs attract spiders, spiders attract dirt daubers, dirt daubers bring dirt to encrust hundreds of spiders in. Even so, there are still spiders running everywhere! It's a thriving ecosystem of its own.

ha ha ha! Love it. Ninjette ecosystem. I've never heard of dirt daubers before now. Wikipedia has a page on them. Apparently the little bastards took down a 757 jet plane . I don't think they live in England; I hope they don't come here. Cute name though: dirt dauber.

[CZroe]

They used to terrify me as a kid because they would get inside more often than most bees and wasps. They'd buzz circles around you like any angry/aggressive wasp but, in the end, I have been stung by nearly every kind of local insect EXCEPT dirt daubers. No matter what you do to them, they just don't seem to care about stinging people. That thread connecting their thorax and abdomen looks absolutely menacing and they bob their abdoment up and down like they are constantly stinging. Now it just looks hypnotic!

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by akima

ha ha ha! Love it. Ninjette ecosystem. I've never heard of dirt daubers before now. Wikipedia has a page on them. Apparently the little bastards took down a 757 jet plane . I don't think they live in England; I hope they don't come here. Cute name though: dirt dauber.

I know of one lad who had a mouse take up residence in his classic bike's airbox...

Chewed clean through the wiring loom too

N11 EXPRESS

spent the last couple of days getting me rvf sorted to be put back on the road as it has been stored up in a well insulated garage at my parents for just under seven years.
gave it a full service but did not bother to even open airbox as i had only put a new filter in before parking her up
anyway threw in a new battery and turned the key got nothing. so checked fuses etc all fine
so only thing to do was strip the fugger down again
lifted the lid of the air box as i was lifting it away hundreds of little bits of nuts started to fall out:bag:
and just as the airbox came off i noticed my fugging wire loom had been cut in half:mad1:
a little bastid mouse ate me wire loom clean through it
the bits of nuts are from the bird food me father throws out every day for the birds
im gonna find the little poxbottle and squash the fugger:mad1:

is it ok to repair the loom or should i replace it:wassat:

heres a pic taken just before i parked her up and a few of yis will be glad to know i changed the seat unit back to original:biggrin_old:

[capt_bugaloo]

I have no place to park my bike except on the street. I keep a decent Dow Canvas cover to throw over the bike when it's parked at home. That keeps the bulk of the elements off of the bike when not in use.

When I'm away from home I don't bother carting a cover around. It's completely fine to park your bike without a cover in the rain for a day or night, but if it's a regular occurrence you may want to find some place to park it out of the rain, more to prevent minor corrosion over time.

[krapzed]

Originally Posted by akima

I try and spray my bike down with water after a ride to spray off the road salt. I didn't have a convenient way of doing it so I bought myself one of these:


It's a battery operated washer. Quite convenient!

I used my bike regularly in the salt last year though and even with regular washing it still got damaged by road salt. I hates salt!!! It gets in your brakes and ruins them, it jumps down into awkward places (like where the suspension linkage is) and rusts places that you can barely get your hands into to clean.

This winter when the salt comes out my bike is staying inside. If I had a crappy winter bike then I'd happily ride in the salt and then just deal with the rust damage as it happens. My ninjette is too nice though!

Just to be clear. Rain alone is not that big of a deal. You bike can get dirty in the rain, but it's nothing you can't wash off returning your bike to its former glory.

What brand of washer is this?

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by krapzed

What brand of washer is this?

Looks like "Mobi Washer" and there seem to be hits on Google calling it a pressure washer. Be careful: the manual warns against directly spraying with a pressure washer.

If there's nothing special about it (didn't research yet), there are tons of no-name pressure washers available.

[akima]

Originally Posted by krapzed

What brand of washer is this?

Originally Posted by CZroe

Looks like "Mobi Washer" and there seem to be hits on Google calling it a pressure washer. Be careful: the manual warns against directly spraying with a pressure washer.

If there's nothing special about it (didn't research yet), there are tons of no-name pressure washers available.

Yep, it's a Mobi Washer. I researched it quite a bit before buying. A lot of them are expensive or they leak. I've been pleased with this one.

This thing really doesn't generate a lot of pressure if you don't want it to. You can twist the nozzle on the end of the handle you use to aim the water; this lets you adjust whether you want a more powerful, very thin beam of water (which does have a bit of force behind it and could probably get through seals) or a weaker, spread out, spray of water; which isn't powerful at all. You can adjust it to whatever task you're doing.

I use it on my mountain bike too. My boss at work has one and she uses it on her horses

[cbinker]

seriously this is from last year, but park in rain!!!??? ETWErSF get aa haortuelry aharly

[DaltonSR20DET]

I've had to park mine out in the rain and just generally outdoors a lot. I've never had anything bad happen to it but the only thing I started having issues with parking outdoors (rain may or may not be a factor) is that my gas tank started to get stuck. Like I couldn't open the filler cap because the lock started to seize. I have even slightly twisted the key a very little bit because the lock wouldn't turn. I have used some graphite powder and fixed it right up.

[curiousrat]

Yesterday, after I parked the bike to go into work, a hail storm moved in. Twelve hours later, the bike was hard to start. I had no problem starting the bike before coming into work. I know the battery and spark plugs were good. The starter kept cranking but the engine would not turn over even with the choke. I kept cranking it over and over with about 5-6 seconds of rest in between. The engine finally turned over after about the 10th time.

I went and got gas since I need to fill it up anyways. I switched the petcock to reserve until I got home to cycle out the fuel at the bottom just in case.

The only thing you have to worry with is gas tank fill cap drainage. If it doesn't drain, it will just end up in your gas. From there, you will know if that is happening because it will run like crap and be hard to start.

Could this be my problem? What could I do to prevent this problem?