I sincerely apologize if this has been asked before, but I did a search on the forums and found nothing on it. Perhaps my query was stated wrong, but anywhoo;

For you northerners/those with icky weather: what does ice do to a bike, that's sitting? The bike I'm purchasing is from a guy in a crappy complex like mine, with no overhead parking, and he's been riding her regularly, but fortunately not in any of the ice/snow that has hit the DFW area in the last week. I'm wondering if there are any concerns to be had about her sitting in the ice/sleet/snow, uncovered. Is there anything I should look out for/extra maintenance?

[align=right]~Leena
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I can't think of anything in particular, but in general as stuff heats up and cools down it expands and contracts. In the case of ice, if it is freezing and thawing and refreezing for many cycles, then the main thing I'd be concerned with is that it would tend to creep into cracks and crevises when thawing and then when refreezing it expands and makes those larger so that the next time is thaws more seeps in and the cycle repeats. Most everything is sealed up good on a bike but check things like around the instrument cluster - check for trapped moisture inside such as foggy displays and that kind of thing. Any opening such as the exhaust will get water in it as the ice freezes and thaws. I don't think that'd do any long term damage if the bike is run occasionally to vaporize any water. Check electrical connections - maybe disconnect connections and spray with a good electrical contact cleaner to displace any water that got in. Anyway, I don't have a lot of direct experience with that situation, but that's the kind of thing I'd be looking for.

 

Condensation in the fuel system can occur also

 

Hypothermia? Lol Leena did you ever paint that demon o' yours?

 

^What Dragone said, thats what happened to my 250 after this winter. And I rode it as much as possible. Just wash out the tank with some stuff. Other than that, check for brake rust and other areas that would corode from the winter weather.