Leaving bike & wet gear parked up

[rtw1day]

Any tips for parking up ones bike & gear for weeks at a time straight after giving everything a wash? Currently I ride a sports bike 4 hours to where I fly to work from, I park the bike for 2 weeks & go to work, after that I fly back & collect my bike & return ride home, super easy. I’m purchasing a “adventure” bike now to ride dirt & beach to the same location, so I’ll be pulling into a car wash & washing the bike & my gear, quick spraying of wd40 & chain lube & off to the storage facility, any tips on gear storage straight after a wash? It will be Mx boots & riding gear like jacket ect. Putting all the gear in panniers will be a mess when I return

Cheers guys!

[Tomkat]

Wet gear will dry out OK if hung up to air, depends how dry your storage facility is though.

Maybe don't jet wash your riding gear until you get home?

[markharf]

I'd avoid cramming wet riding and camping gear into panniers or duffel bags when it's wet, but you already knew that. So what's the question? The answer is either don't get it wet, or dry it out before storing it....but you already knew that, too.

In a pinch, anything designed for riding a motorbike in foul weather is going to survive a couple of weeks just fine. It might not smell very good and it might develop some mildew, but it might have done this even if you were wearing it at the time....or is that just me? Not a big deal. It's "adventure" gear; it's not supposed to look perfectly pristine.

I'd say the same about the bike itself. My last major trip lasted a year, and I washed the bike completely just once, and that was after it had spent a week in the open on a saltwater sailboat. I never washed it after riding on beaches, which I did on occasion, on salty roads around giant salt flats in Bolivia and Argentina, in deep mud or fine silt, or in various wet seasons and rain forests. I didn't take good care of my chains, but they lasted 15-20k miles apiece regardless. The bike always started, always ran, and eventually made 100k miles away from home. I'm a bit puzzled about your plan to clean everything after a four-hour commute to the airport.

Even at worst, I'll assume you're not shrink-wrapping the bike. With even a bit of space in your storage facility, just drape your gear on and around the bike, shut the door and don't think about it. In almost any climate it'll be fine when you return.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

[rtw1day]

It’s the salt from the beach that I’m concerned about, riding day after day is ok but leaving bike & gear for weeks after beach work will allow everything to rust very bad, I’m thinking I will just have to leave everything spread out on top of my bike & gamble that noting goes missing, the facility I use is a vehicle storage facility & the airport, so it’s a big shed full of cars & motorcycles

I mite even wear my wet weather pants over my pants so I can just wash them & the bike when I get there