Just picked up a beautiful RKC and am preparing to put it away for the winter. I am concerned about the chrome on it because my sportster always has condensation when it comes out of storage in the spring.

Right now the bike is in an enclosed shed that has a rock base. it is covered with Plywood, carpet, and cardboard on the ground. Is there anything else I can do to make sure its protected over the winter?

Looked into a Harley storage bubble and the S100 protectant spray but I am not sure which direction to go in.

 

If you have electricity where you have it stored, put a cheap box fan in there and run it on low. It'll stop it from sweating. Set it up to where it will blow on the bike.

 

Venting up high, like your attic (if you have one). The fan idea is good or use a dehumidifier.

 

Detail it just before you store it, with a good wax/sealer (paint), and good chrome polish.

A vent, a fan, and/or a small heat source (goldenrod heater/100watt light) can't hurt...

 

Warm air can contain more water below the saturation point than cold air. So, when warm air that is close to the saturation point is cooled, or comes in contact with a cold surface, the saturation point is exceeded, the air can no longer keep the water in suspension and it is released onto the cold surface as dew.

So, when you close the doors on your shed, in warm weather, you trap warm saturated air in it. Then when the temperature drops and your bike chills, saturated air will contact the cold surface of your bike and dissipate moisture on it. As well, if the ambient temperature increases, the interior air will draw moister air in from the outside, and be ready to water your bike when the temperature drops.

To reduce the susceptibility of this phenomena, keep the interior air RH well below the saturation point. Do this by either or both heat and forced ventilation. Install a powered roof vent, and some sort of vent near the bottom to let fresh air in.

Edit: As such, if you trap nearly saturated air in the "Harley Bubble", you will still get moisture on your bike when the temperature drops below the "dew" point. The "bubble" will keep,your bike clean, but unless it is well heated to prevent the interior air from dropping below the dew point, you can still get condensation on the bike.

 

Last year I sprayed fogging oil on motor and primary. Washed it before starting it and you could still smell it for a couple rides but it did well and didn't hurt the black parts, actually made it look good. I spray it on my sled motors too but just let it burn off. This I'm going to ride it threw the winter instead, on nice days

 

The chrome on my 2003 FLHTCUI is fine. I use Mother's chrome polish, or Original Bike Spirits Cleaner and Polish. I have owned it since 2011. I store in an unheated garage, with a Harley cover on it. The only year I had a problem was a brutal winter, in an unheated storage shed. I had read on here not to cover it, which was big mistake. I had a 1/4" of ice on it. I had to defrost it with a hair dryer. Then I covered it. No problems. I used this the first few years but now I don't bother.

 

Put some wax on the chrome or some other polish, and leave it there, don't wipe it off.

 

Back in high school, a buddy drove his dad's Bonneville whenever he got a chance .
His dad drove it year round and the chrome looked like new . He always put a coat of grease on it for winter driving , and wiped it clean in the spring . Never saw a spot of rust on that car . You did have to be careful walking around it however , or you would stain your jeans pretty quick .
Scott

 

100 watt light bulb laying on concrete floor and i use to wipe the chrome down with gear oil. in the spring just give it a good soapy bath. grease would work very well too.