my duc in the rain...

[yellowjacket]

okay, i know that bikes don't melt in the rain and my commute to work in the rain has been mildly fun but should i be concerned about leaving my bike all day exposed to rain (i live in western wa)? specifically, im concerned about the ignition slot (and odometer), since parking my bike out in the rain, the key gets stuck mid way into the ignition slot and i have to sort of jam it in to be able to turn.  is this normal? any suggestions? would getting a bike cover help in this matter? thanks in advance.

[lemond]

spray WD40 into the key slot to push any moisture out, or try spray for electric devices. You should get a decent bike cover and try to park it under a shed or something.

[Duc Fever]

My bike has enjoyed many a rainy day without any ill effect 

[Rufus120]

I had a similar experience with my bike in portland and I just put a sandwich bag over the ignition.  Worked for me until I found some shelter.  A shopping bag would work for the gauges.  I would defiantly invest in a cover long term.

[jsanford]

I had to buy a Nelson Rigg cover for my BMW when my garage door broke last night (the Monster went to a sitter).  It downpoured six of the ten days it took for my garage door to get repaired.

That cover kept the BMW dry, including the leather Corbin, and it folds up to the size of a hooded sweatshirt and stores in the bag that comes with it.  

Easily bungeed to the passenger seat.

I'd use TriFlow on the ignition myself.

[yellowjacket]

I had to buy a Nelson Rigg cover for my BMW when my garage door broke last night (the Monster went to a sitter).  It downpoured six of the ten days it took for my garage door to get repaired.

That cover kept the BMW dry, including the leather Corbin, and it folds up to the size of a hooded sweatshirt and stores in the bag that comes with it.  

Easily bungeed to the passenger seat.

I'd use TriFlow on the ignition myself.

thanks, what type of TriFlow do u you use on the ignition?

[psycledelic]

www.triflowlubricants.com/Superior_Drip/superior_drip.html
Most bicycle shops carry the spray and drops in stock.  Works really well.
+1 on the Nelson Riggs cover also. I work at night and my bikes sits outside from 7pm to 7am rain or shine (uh dark).  I use the Nelson Riggs 1/2 cover.  It wasn't but $30 bucks, is small and easy to carry, and works really well. 

[yellowjacket]

is it safe to place the cover over the bike right away? or do you have to wait for it to cool down? does the heat resistive lowered half really work?

[Mac_48]

the best thing to use for the ignition slot is graphite spray......it should work like a charm

[sbrguy]

is it safe to place the cover over the bike right away? or do you have to wait for it to cool down? does the heat resistive lowered half really work?

if you get one of the higher quality covers, the heat resistant sheilding on the inside does work, however the problem is that when you put the cover on, sometimes the outside will touch the pipes and partially make some small holes in teh lower portion of the cover, its not really a big deal but you do hve to be diligent with puttin on the cover to make sure the outside does not touch hot parts of the bike.

[zooom]

or you can go very low tech and free...next time you drink a 1 liter big mouthed bottle of something or other (Gatorate,Soda,Aquafina,etc.) take the cap and just put it over the ignition and a plastic shopping bag over the cluster IF your cluster is cracked or damaged or anything like that...otherwise I wouldn't worry about it

like what has been said...use some WD-40 to displace any moisture in it...then I'd use some compressed air to blow the remainder of the WD-40 out and then put some graphite in and follow it with the key and turn it through it's whole turning ability a dozen times and then put the key and wipe off the remainder and call it a day!