Wet bike under a cover - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

Nick Mystic · 12-15-2008, 10:24 PM

I park my bike in an open carport and cover it with a full breathable cover. However, lately here in western NC we have had some strange weather where it will be very cold at night, but then rain and become much warmer during the daytime. As a result, on two occasions lately my motorcycle has gotten dripping wet with condensation under my cover. It's the same effect you get in the summer on the outside of a glass of ice tea on a humid summer day.

Of course, I couldn't stand the idea of my bike sitting there drenched for hours on end, so I took off the cover and threw it in the clothes dryer while I chamoised down my bike to get it dry. Since the condensation reformed as fast as I could wipe it off I also started it up and let it idle with the occasional rev to get the engine and pipes warmed up.

This did the trick in finally getting the bike warmer than the ambient air temperature so that I could dry it off. When I put the cover back on the remaining heat kept the bike warm enough that the moisture did not reform.

I'm wondering if there is a downside to idling the engine for ten minutes or so like this without taking it for a ride to really heat it up good? I know it's not good to just start an engine and then shut it down before it can heat up enough to eliminate water vapor in the muffler, but once it heats up beyond that point is there any other downside? And if so, would the downside be greater than having a completely wet bike for 24 hours or more?