Parking in the sun

[Copes]

I usually ride my bike to work where I park it on the street. Especially now during the summer the bike is exposed to the Sydney-sun throughout the whole day.
My question is, should I be worried about that? Should I bring the cover to protect it?

My thoughts are that it might bleach the colour, but other than that I'm mostly concerned about the tires..
Anybody has any experience with this?

 

[Wolfman]

I usually ride my bike to work where I park it on the street. Especially now during the summer the bike is exposed to the Sydney-sun throughout the whole day.
My question is, should I be worried about that? Should I bring the cover to protect it?

My thoughts are that it might bleach the colour, but other than that I'm mostly concerned about the tires..
Anybody has any experience with this?

Hmmm, have thought about this myself, especially on those days when the temp is clibing up into the mid to high 30's.

My thoughts are that the cover would be a good idea...have you ever seen a Car after a sticker has been removed from the paint work after being there for a few years...the paint is the original colour where the sticker was, and faded everywhere else.

Same theory re rubber, and plastics, heat tends to make them go hard & brittle, and eventually crack.

IMHO, i reckon, either try and find some shade, or take your cover, cant hurt...might also discourage would be tamperers from stuffing with your pride & joy.

By the way, nice profile photo of your bike.

:thumbup:

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Not to worry unless you have carbon fiber pipes. I live here in Las Vegas where the average summer temps are in the 40'sC and I have been parking my bike outside at work for almost two years. About the carbon fiber pipes, here why. Posted from a member who happens to know a lot about the subject.


http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-mods/5293-why-my-carbon-fiber-pipes-turning-yellow.html

 

[OZXJR]

I had a cbr 600 with CF pipe and I parked it in the sun a lot and the pipe went yellow and the clear on the tail where the sticker was lost all the clear coat and peeled ,look for shade mate .

 

[SANGER_A2]

I had a cbr 600 with CF pipe and I parked it in the sun a lot and the pipe went yellow and the clear on the tail where the sticker was lost all the clear coat and peeled ,look for shade mate .

Different bits of the bike and different bikes/brands are affected in different ways but you're better off covering if it's not a huge amount of hassle. I keep my bike in a garage at night and have a cover stashed at work for during the day. I had a friend who didn't do this and worked at the same place and he found that quite a few of his non-painted bits of plastic faded loads over the space of 6 months.

An additional bit of wierdness for you: with my GPZ500S (with carbs unlike my fuel-injected FZ6) after it being left in the sun all day it would be really lumpy with poor performance on the way home. After putting a cover on in instead this completely went away!

 

[keira]

I have never been too concerned about it. In my experience it takes years (like more than 10) for the paint to fade if you keep up with waxing it. Then again, we have a lot of trees here, so it isn't hard to find shade to park under....

 

[Hellgate]

The Texas sun ate one inexpensive cover this year. The top portion of the cover faded from a dark blue to a blueish white over about three months. Then in month five it ripped down the middle as I was covering the bike one day. I bought a second and much heavier cover and it too is beginning to fade.

I'm not so worried about the paint but the plastics and rubber dry rotting and fading. Granted dry rot is caused by ozone but keeping the sun off can't hurt.

 

[Humperdinkel]

If you cant find some shade , take it with you in the form of a bike cover .... She'll love you for it later :thumbup:

 

[Fz6Sa]

I usually ride my bike to work where I park it on the street. Especially now during the summer the bike is exposed to the Sydney-sun throughout the whole day.
My question is, should I be worried about that? Should I bring the cover to protect it?

My thoughts are that it might bleach the colour, but other than that I'm mostly concerned about the tires..
Anybody has any experience with this?

There are (at least) two advantages to covering your bike up in the streets ..... ; First of all you protect it from UV rays, - they will fade any paint over time, its just a matter of how long. Second and not least, a covered bike attracts less attention, hence you lover the risk of it being stolen!

 

[Hellgate]

Second and not least, a covered bike attracts less attention, hence you lover the risk of it being stolen!

Excellent point. I'd think a thief would target a shiny brightly colored, and uncovered SS bike before they messed with a covered bike. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

[CdnMedic]

I live on a military base in the single quarters, and as such I don't have a covered location to keep my bike. 2 summers ago my dirt bike spent a summer outside and it faded quick like that. It's now in an enclosed trailer so it's secure. My trailer isn't big enough for the 2 bikes, so I'll be building a small shelter for the fz with 2x4 and a tarp just to keep it out of the weather. I'll be carrying a cover around for it everywhere I go since the spot we park the bikes at work is never in the shade.
even after a season out in the sun you will be able to notice a difference fairly easily.

 

[Smittyboy]

Keep 'er covered... Can't hurt and takes less time than brushing your teeth... Same principle, little time now= happier later.

 

[steveindenmark]

I usually ride my bike to work where I park it on the street. Especially now during the summer the bike is exposed to the Sydney-sun throughout the whole day.
My question is, should I be worried about that? Should I bring the cover to protect it?

My thoughts are that it might bleach the colour, but other than that I'm mostly concerned about the tires..
Anybody has any experience with this?

:spank::spank::spank:

Its the bloody Ozzies again.

Before you launch into your sad story you should explain what SUN means.

Us at the top of the world are al ÆØÅking freezing and I am full of flu as well. Outside it is snowing and as icy as hell.

What was your problem `??????

Steve

 

[steveindenmark]

Yes keep it covered if you can. It is all to do with Ultra Violet.

We put UV protection on some of our yacht sails. If you don`t they fade very quickly.

Steve

 

[Humperdinkel]

:spank::spank::spank:

Its the bloody Ozzies again.

Before you launch into your sad story you should explain what [COLOR=\"Red\"]SUN[/COLOR] means.

Us at the top of the world are al ÆØÅking freezing and I am full of flu as well. Outside it is snowing and as icy as hell.

[COLOR=\"Blue\"][SIZE=\"5\"]What was your problem `??????[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Steve

LOL , its a nice 30 Degrees celcius here in Brisbane today :thumbup:.... Oh and yes us Aussies LOVE to rub it into you northern hemispherians ..... We think its GREAT that we can ride ALL YEAR ROUND :rof: :Flip:

 

[necrotimus]

Things to be extra careful of is the windshield and the instrument panel. Make sure there is no oily residue on the windshield. It is rare but it could do a little magnifying glass action . Also its never a bad idea to throw a rag over the instrument cluster to protect it.

 

[mstewar1]

There are (at least) two advantages to covering your bike up in the streets ..... ; First of all you protect it from UV rays, - they will fade any paint over time, its just a matter of how long. Second and not least, a covered bike attracts less attention, hence you lover the risk of it being stolen!

+1 on this.

I carry a cheapo, lightweight cover -- the kind Pete talks about. I spray them down with some waterproofing/uv stuff when they're new. I cover my bike always. Keeps it much cleaner. I don't mind if a bird poops on my cheapo cover. And on colder mornings it's nice not to have to sit on a wet saddle. The covers are about $30 and generally last me about a year. Small price to pay for what they offer.

And the "out of sight, out of mind" factor is a good thing, too. I figure thieves want an easy target, not something that they have to appear to be fiddling with.

It only takes a few seconds to put a cover one. And the real cheap, light ones can pack down to a real small size. The one I have is the "trackside" brand sold at Cyclegear.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Things to be extra careful of is the windshield and the instrument panel. Make sure there is no oily residue on the windshield. It is rare but it could do a little magnifying glass action . Also its never a bad idea to throw a rag over the instrument cluster to protect it.

I usually place my gloves over the intrument cluster to protect them from direct sunlight. Especially since I have a PUIG windscreen, which warns that this might happen. Ironically, I have a black tailbag and that thing faded big time in just six months. But I don't really care about the tail bag.

 

[sfcali86]

i parked in the sun alot after a while dust starts collecting so i cleaned my bike alot it wears your paint also was like 80 in the summer unless u dnt mind your ass to burn cover it oh big thing dnt park under trees without a cover sap is nasty