I have never used heated storage but here in alabama I can ride year round maybe two weeks at the most without riding.One issue that I have is if it has been cold over night but warms up fast in the morning, when I open the door to the shop where the bike is and where it hasn't warmed up yet the bike will in about a minute get dew all over it.If I can't fire up and go right then,I put a fan blowing on it,but riding gets it off faster.

 

Really? People really pay for that bubble?

 

Not necessary at all, but I would also recommend elevating the bike on a jack & lay down some dry-all cans to maintain moisture. I have the durable HD cover, change fluids/add sta-bil, elevate, plug-in tender & she's good from Nov to Mar in NE.

 

my bike sits in my garage the way i left it wating till the next time i take it out.. i have been riding for over 20 years and wrenched on them for 13years, have never winterized a bike unless a customer paid me to make them feel warm and fuzzy inside, a battry tender is a must and a sheet keeps the dust and dings off. plastic sheet is the worst thing to put on your bike, it is like parking it with a sprinkler under neath

 

You mean that would allow moisture to evaporate. Unlike plastic. Which will hold it in...

 

When most places advertise 'Heated Storage', all they`re doing is warming the existing air, along with the existing damp air. If you can find storage with 'Climate Control' that also controls the humidity AND is heated, that is much better. My wife manages a business complex that also includes a 60,000 sq. ft. indoor storage facility which maintains a constant 68 degrees and 48% humidity year round. No moisture accumulation, corrosion or anything caused by a high humidity environment. Moisture control is more important than temp. control in my opinion, for what that`s worth.....

 

Metal cannot freeze (turn into a solid) or condensate (turn into a liquid).
I know this because I live in a cold climate & read in the winter.

 

One or the other. In a sometimes heated garage condensation is a warm and cool cycle. Freezing temps won't hurt your bike. Mice will! Keep them at bay, the damage can be devastating. I have mine on a table lift, King size sheet, battery tender, some moth ***** and duct tape over the pipes.

 

Different climates required different stuff. If a guy lives in Florida, his answer might differ from a guy who lives in Alaska.

My experience (near Chicago) was not pretty. Once in a shed and once in a buddies uninsulated garage (he had a floor that seemed to bleed humidity). Both scenario's had me seeing moisture all over the bike when I went to check on it. Eventually I had pits and rust on a few parts.

Here is the culprit. Temperature swings. Not necessarily the temperature that it is stored in, but the swings that occurred as the sun shined hard.
The metal on your bike stays cold while the air around it gets warm.
The "beer can" effect.

Now with an insulated garage, the garage stays cool most of the day and the swings are not as dramatic.

Don't even think about using a shed in a cold climate. No moisture seal to the ground and the biggest temperature swings during the sunny days.

Heat is expensive, but you don't need a lot of it. Just enough to keep if from getting super cold. A light cover such as a bed sheet and a light bulb underneath are plenty.

I currently have an attached garage and I stole off some vents on the other side of the wall to supplement the garage. I do not have a cold air return, so it effects my heating bill little. It stays above freezing even on the worst of the cold days.



So to summarize: No, you don't need heat (but ya gotta avoid the temperature "swings"). I'd rather refrigerate the bike than to leave it in a shed.

Also, keep the cover light. You do NOT want a cover that holds the moisture under the cover.

A slow moving fan may do well for you.

And on the battery subject: Leave it in the bike and throw a tender on it. They draw darn near zero electricity and only charge your battery when it's down.
Plug it in and forget about it. (Give the bike a nice hug before walking away).

Do NOT even think about going out there once a month to start it - you will hurt it more than help. You will create more condensation inside the motor. If you can't spend a half hour riding it to full temperature, leave the ignition off.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but was is ballpark cost of storing the bike in a heated facility?

I only have a shed and would prefer if my bike was in a climate controlled storage unit.