I am planning on trailering my bike from Minnesota to Daytona for bike week. I was talking to the Harley dealer and the parts guy advised against it because he said all the salt down there is going to cause rust and corrosion to the wiring and the chrome. How bad is it going to be or is this something that I should not worry about? He claims that I will need to pull the bike apart and clean everything when I get home or before I leave. I looked into renting but I just don't have the extra grand to rent a bike when I am down there. Has anyone had any experience with this type of thing?

 

It's not THAT bad.....wash the bike at least once during the week.....wash the bike before you leave to get back to MN.....you will be fine......stupid thing to say by the HD folks.....don't we have bikes and aren't dealers down here......jeez.

 

Seriously? Are you planning on driving it into the Atlantic Ocean?

 

Not an issue at all, as has been said just a regular wash or two. There is more salt on the roads in your area than you would ever have to worry about in Daytona unless riding on the beach

 

Hmmm. Tell your dealer that those of us that live down here year round said he don't know WTF he's talking about. If you plan on riding on the beach through the surf yeah you're going to get salt on the bike so wash it. If you're worried about the salt air just hose it down real good before you leave.

 

You might notice a problem after leaving it in Daytona for oh, maybe 4 or 5 years (as long as you park it outside.) This dealer ever even been to Daytona, or just spouting off something that he heard (once? )

You should see the $50,000 plus customs running around down there.

 

I thought the same. My buddy rode down the beach. Pitted a good portion of his aluminum. But he never washed his bike.

So, with that said, I sprayed my bike down every other day or so while I was down there. Just to be safe. Can't see any long term effects. Leaving to go down again.

No worries.

 

I camped on Assateague Island several years ago with my Sportster for a week. The bike had a lot of aluminum parts on it and I didn't get a chance to wash it until about a week after I was home. The salty air definitely did a number on the aluminum parts (pitted them) and a few nuts and bolts got some rust on them. But it really wasn't anything terribly bad, a little polish had my aluminum looking new again and I replaced the rusty bolts. Had I washed the bike a time or two it probably wouldn't have been a problem at all.

Edited for typos.

 

Thanks for the replies!

 

If anything being cooped up in that trailer will cause more rust issues than riding around in Daytona for a few days!