No room in the garage

[Pudge Ate Me]

So it's down to this.
Buying my bike within a month and I cleaned out the parents garage and no where to store my bike.
There is space however if the parents say there is no space, there is no space, their house so their rules.
I have 2 options:
Store it outside beside the jetski
Store it at my buddies house 20 minutes away.

If the bike has a cover, has shade, and is up against the side of a house do you think it will be fine? Theft is no issue where I live plus I would chain the wheel to jetski trailer.
I live in Winston Salem NC. High temp 100, low temps 30. Rains a good bit here.

[alex.s]

its built to withstand weather. it will be fine wherever you put it. a friend of mine has an 08 250 that has never once been garaged or covered and most of the time sits in a parking lot in the sun. some of the black plastic like around the gauges has started to turn slightly greyish instead of black.

[Lil_Green_Demon]

Having a cover will be a definite plus if you have to park it outside.
I'm curious, though. Are your parents saying there is no room in the garage for a bike because they're opposed to you purchasing one?

[NDspd]

Mine sits out 24/7, but I try to get a cover on it as much as I can. UV rays can really damage the plastics. If it is going to rain alot, just remember to keep your chain lubed up to reduce rust.

[Sailariel]

It would be nice if you could get one of those hoop shelters to put next to the house. Then you can store the bike and the Jet-Ski under cover. They are not terribly expensive.

[saxnbass]

I store mine outside, no cover... should I get a cover? Are they really that big a deal. Just seems a hassle to get it out of the house and put it on every night, and take it off every morning and put the cover back in the house.

[Sailariel]

Originally Posted by saxnbass

I store mine outside, no cover... should I get a cover? Are they really that big a deal. Just seems a hassle to get it out of the house and put it on every night, and take it off every morning and put the cover back in the house.

I agree--cover on and off every day can be a PITA. Of course where you live, you can ride year round. The Threadstarter lives in Winston-Salem NC and they get some winter.

The sun in FL can be somewhat intense--took its toll on our boat when we went down every winter. Some covers are easier than others.

[Pudge Ate Me]

Yes they are against me purchasing a bike. At first they said they would kick me out if i got a bike so i found a new place to live and tried to move out but they wouldnt let me. Kind of funny. Anyway im the smart one in the family 21 and a network engineer for wellsfargo so they just want me to be safe and all that jazz

Anyway sounds like lots of you leave your bikes outside so i guess it should be ok. Anything i should pay extra attention to with leavin it outside aside from the chain?

[choneofakind]

check for small animal nests in it occasionally, especially as winter gets closer. Mice love nesting in our lawnmower in the shed in the winter.

[greg737]

I understand people who have to keep their bikes outside wanting to say it's fine, but when I was looking to buy an EX-250 there was a very noticable difference in quality between the garaged bikes I saw vs. the outdoor bikes.

The garaged bikes ranged from good to outstanding while the best of the outdoor bikes was just okay and some were downright scary.

Of course I ended up buying a garaged bike. It was, and still is very clean and rust/corrosion free.

[klewi]

Cover? Huh, so me building a new shed with ramp and large door just for my Ninja was over kill?

[k24_cm7]

^ LOL that is dedication!! Pics?

I am sort of in the same situation...

2 car garage, I have my honda in one side, and we normally have my moms camry in the other ALONG with a big honda snow blower. Now I have a bike to add to that ...

I was just going to leave my moms car outside for the cold winter and have my bike and the snow blow nice and cozy on the other side of the garage. Then going to add a couch out there with my propane heater and my fooseball table.
Make it a nice chill spot for me and my buddies over the winter

[withoutequal]

I ended up building a small shed just for my bikes. Not sure if that's an option for you. When i bought my first 250 used, it had a good bit of rust on it. The owner left it out all year with no cover for the most part. I cleaned it up nice and started using a cover and shed in the winter. Its never looked as bad as the first time. So it does help a lot.

[kevheads]

tell em your going to move out so you have a place to store your bike indoors, maybe they'll change their mind again.

[KELPHYN]

What about one those little instant sheds? Just framework and tarp. Then you could put both the jetski and your bike under cover. Not much for theft protection but out of sight and you can still lock it to your jetski. They are fairly inexpensive and if there is room, might be an option for you.

[leed]

I have more or less the same weather as you (less snow, that's about it). I left my bike outside every day up until July, I had no issues. The cover I had was worthless, more of a 'hide-me' cover than a 'protect me' cover. So long as you ride it, the bike will be fine, trust me.

I lived in an apartment, and I really didn't have issues with it being out there without a chain. From time to time I would lock it to my car, or to itself with bicycle locks. Only issue I ever had was someone changed the time on my clock. This wasn't exactly the nicest of apartments either; definitely not the cream of the crop.

To be honest though, if I were in Winston, I'd feel worse about my bike getting stolen than here in Raleigh. I frequent Winston (or used to anyways) and depending on where you are, I wouldn't trust it for a second.