Motorbike covers are made to protect your bike from the elements, especially the heat from the sun and its damaging ultraviolet rays. Many people consider that like any other vehicles they are totally weatherproof and that is true, they are made to withstand all types of weather, but prolonged exposure will eventually cause them to deteriorate.
What is the effect of constant sunlight on your motorbike?
Constant sun exposure will impact your motorbike by slowly wearing down the clear coat that is used to protect all the paintwork on your bike, especially on the petrol tank. Although at first, it doesn’t seem to have any effect, soon the heat and the UV rays will cause the protective clear coat to chip exposing the paint beneath. This will cause it to dry out and shrink as well as fade.
The only cure when this happens is to sand it down and repaint it and apply a new clear coat.
Other problems caused by heat and UV rays
There is a quite lot of rubber and plastic on the average motorbike such as tyres, foot pegs and hand grips as well as lights and some guards. When rubber gets heated it contracts and tends to break down quickly when constantly exposed to UV rays.
If you use a motorbike cover to protect your bike you can significantly increase the working life of your hand grips, foot pegs and tyres.
Your Fuel
Having your fuel tank exposed in the sun means your petrol will also heat up and cause it to expand as well as evaporate much quicker and then escape into the environment than it would if kept cool by having a high quality motorbike cover to protect it. This is why often motorbikes seem to get better fuel economy in the cooler months, than they do in the hot summer.
If you use your motorbike in sunny conditions and have to leave it uncovered, you can purchase a shield for your motorbike gas tank. This is a type of cover that is designed to reflect the heat away from your fuel tank, slow down the evaporative process and deflect the damaging UV rays away from your tanks paint work.
Your motorbike seat
Many motorbikes have a genuine leather seat. This seat needs to be protected with special leather motorbike seat conditioners that have UV protectors incorporated in them. The most effective thing to do is use a motorbike cover or motorbike seat cover to protect your seat.
Imitation leather and synthetic seats are likely to suffer the same fate, but this often happens much quicker and with shorter sun exposure, so they require more care and protection that genuine leather seats.
Before placing on your motorbike cover, it’s important to ensure your bike is clean and dry to avoid any build of mould or condensation that can start the rusting process. A good application of motorbike polish will also help protect your bike from the heat and weather.
The best way to protect your motorbike from the heat of the sun is to always find a shady place to park it and if leaving it for any length of time, use a tight fitting breathable, but weather proof, quality, motorbike covers for protection.