Hi Guys

Hit me with knowledge please!

First off, ive started riding to work now cause its so much easier to park, but the bike sits outside at the mercy of the elements all day everyday! Do people do this to nice sports bikes or am i abusing the poor fella!?
Gonna buy a cover sheet...is that enough?

Second, the rear breaks already squeak a little, is this common and is there a standard way for me to clear this problem up?

Third and final!...ive already given it a little drop on it right hand side, (gutted) damage is minimal but it dumped some green liquid from a brown rubber tube on the left hand side right near the kick stand. Anyone know what this liquid is? and do i need to top something up?

Any advice would be great!

Many thanks

Matt

Matt, don't whatever you do leave your bike out in the elements cos they will knacker it in double quick time. Don't ride in rain as everything will rust, don't leave it out in the sun as the UV rays will damage the paint and if you leave it out in the rain and then the sun comes out... well just don't. Or maybe not. Yes keep it relatively clean, yes make sure things like your chain are lubed regularly, yes at this time of the year wash to salt off when you get home but otherwise just ride the thing and enjoy.

Squeaky brakes, bit of copper grease on the back of the pads (don't whatever you do get it on the front or on the disk).

Green fluid is coolant which will have come from the overflow pipe when the bike went over. Just check the level in the reservoir (check your owner's manual for its location) and top up if necessary, though unlikely unless it was a huge puddle.

What rubbish, bikes are meant to be ridden and enjoyed, not kept warm and dry. Ride it, and if it gets wet or dirty clean it. There are lots of products on the market to clean and protect it if you really want to, but I find that a bit of polish on the paintwork, and a thin film of WD40 or similar on the metal bits works wonders. Years ago we simply sprayed the bike with Duck oil at the end of summer and left them unwashed all winter, then in the spring wash all the muck off with a hose pipe. The duck oil totally protected the bike and once the muck was removed the bike was just as clean as when it was coated with the oil.

I think the 1st part of Ians reply was tongue-in-cheek.
ride it , stop worrying about it, make sure its locked securely when you do park it up. if you fanny about with cleaning stuff then it will hold its value longer, me-i prefer riding them to fannying about with autosol & the like, i wash my bike once a month wether it needs it or not!
to some people the cleaning & looking after the cosmetics are as good as the ride, not for me, as long as the thing is mechanically sound i'm happy.

some makes are better at resisting the winter months, just wash it regularly & you should be ok.

Whatever gave you that impression

okdokey then

Well, thanks for the input there guys!
...most of you anyway ha

ill chill about the whole thing a little bit!
not sure about the duck fat thing though! haha

cheers again!!



Ian you ever thought about doing stand up comedy!?

Try ACF 50 'kin brilliant. Sort of similar to WD 40 but lasts all winter.

If you get a cover don't put it on if your bike is already wet as any grit and the cover blowing will make a mess of your shiny bits.

Ancient. I remember the Duck Oil days well...................................
...........................we're getting old

Yep, isn't it amazing, all the good stuff that stops your bike rotting away gets taken off the market or replaced by chemicals that don't do the job half as well.

okay... I like my bike to look good, with nice clean fairings, no crud covering the wheels etc, it just makes me appreciate the riding of the bike more, so.... what good stuff can I purchase to keep it looking that way longer, I have seen other bikes that have obviously been open to the weather, and there are rust blebs, and they look absolutely naff... and if you are gonna splurge a chunk of your hard-earned on a nice bike, then you would probably take care of the thing, that is my view anyhow...

As well as cosmetics, how about mechanics?, what oil should I buy for the chain ? and anywhere else ?

cheers for the knowledge...

John.

well ,,, pretty much any chain lube is good..

Ride Mag did a test a while back and as alwasy fould some betters that others..

for the bike,, again I think any oil that has the specifications recommended is ok... just change it at the right time etc....

I leave my bike outside all year round. i ride it everyday in whatever weatther and i hardly ever clean it and you know what?













































It looks like a shabby pile of dog sh!t!!!!

Ok not strictly true. it does get cleaned but it does suffer. i dont stress too much but i just hose it down if its been out in the salt and i pay a guy to valet it every now and then. i use a scotoiler and am pleased to report that it is looking after the chain brilliantly. I dont use anything special i just use good old fashioned soapy water and a bit of polish. i spray the vulnerable bits with wd or duck oil and generally givemn the high miles my bikes end up looking pretty good .

I think the best advice is to make sure you hose it down after getting shit all over it and keep things lubed and greasy so they dont seize.

What's this 'Duck oil' you speak of? Link?

DuckOil from Screwfix
seems it's a bit more like WD40 these days

squeaky brake? - push the bike backwards - if there's a bit of grit caught it will release it, otherwise the answer is ^ up there somewhere

Another vote for ACF-50