Coastal Riding
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Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 598
Likes: 19
From: Northeast Missouri
Coastal Riding
Curious, Do those of you that travel along coast lines take a cover to help keep salt off the bike when parked? Do you really worry about salt on your bike or just clean it well when you get home?
Never used a cover before in my travels...Any recommendations on a good one that doesn't take up lots of space??
Thanks!!
Never used a cover before in my travels...Any recommendations on a good one that doesn't take up lots of space??
Thanks!!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 8,196
Likes: 2,432
From: San Francisco
I ride the Pacific Coast Highway all the time. I have never carried with me a bike cover. I might rinse off the bike when I get home but that is rare. I'm much more interested in keeping my bike in super excellent running condition then about how it looks. So I don't mind if it is not the shiniest bike on the block.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,064
Likes: 405
From: Cedar BC
Not really a concern when travelling unless you are parking your bike on the beach for weeks on end,or storing it outside for the winter.Enjoy your time on the coast,btw I do live on an island in the Pacific,nobody around here is ever too worried about it...
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 9,568
Likes: 7,936
From: Long Island, New York
I bring a cover on all road trips, but no for salt water. I would imagine if right on the beach it would get under the cover anyway. You will get a film, saw it when parked over night in San Simeon 100 yards from the water. It will be worse depending on the color of the bike.
Once riding to Key West we caught high winds and were getting a bit of spray going over the bridges. That night when we got to our rental, we hosed the bikes down. Only time I did it intentionally for the reason you are concerned about.
Once riding to Key West we caught high winds and were getting a bit of spray going over the bridges. That night when we got to our rental, we hosed the bikes down. Only time I did it intentionally for the reason you are concerned about.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 187
From: Florida
I ride A1A, which runs pretty close to the Atlantic quite a bit, with no problems. I wash the bike about every 2 weeks or so, which is usually around 500 to 1000 miles. Friends that live right on the ocean do have some rust issues. Mostly with accessories. Other than the mirrors, the bikes with the stock items seem okay.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,960
Likes: 1,991
From: CA
After I get home from a coast ride I'll usually wash the bike to get the salt off.
It's not just for cosmetic purposes, it's also a good time to check for loose bolts, cracks, leaks and anything else that might affect reliability and/or safety.
That's something I learned from washing airplanes in the navy. It wasn't just to make them look good, it was to find small problems before they became big problems.
It depends on where we are going and staying along the way, but I sometimes carry a cover on multi-day rides. It helps to keep the morning dew off and as a deterrent to thieves. I use a cheap, generic cover that doesn't say Harley.
It's not just for cosmetic purposes, it's also a good time to check for loose bolts, cracks, leaks and anything else that might affect reliability and/or safety.
That's something I learned from washing airplanes in the navy. It wasn't just to make them look good, it was to find small problems before they became big problems.
It depends on where we are going and staying along the way, but I sometimes carry a cover on multi-day rides. It helps to keep the morning dew off and as a deterrent to thieves. I use a cheap, generic cover that doesn't say Harley.
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