Trailering through rain and worried about rust

[henwil]

Hi Folks,

This Thursday I am planning to trailer my FJR down to Santa Cruz CA, stopping in Redding for a new Laam seat. Unfortunately it looks like it is going to be raining from my home way into CA. So I am a little worried about rust, etc. I only got the bike last month but I don't think it has ever been in the rain.

I have no idea how much of an issue it is for these bikes to get wet. It should dry fairly quickly once I get to Santa Cruz.

Should I cover it on the trailer to keep the rain out? I did not think it is a good idea due to all the flapping of the cover in the wind. Could always tape and strap it down good.

Any areas that I should make sure I dry well when I get there?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Ignacio]

Let's see....I've ridden my motorcycle for 160,000 miles including three Iron Butt Rallies and LOTS of rain.....no rust to speak of on my bike. Some of those miles have even been over winter passes (Snoqualmie two weekends ago) and sand covered winter roads....still no rust. I wouldn't put a cover on it when trailering in the open myself.

Ride more, wash it once in a while, and stress less.

 

[Old Guy]

Covering it on a trailer can be very bad. Road grit gets under the cover, the wind buffets it around, and it's not pretty what it can do to the paint.

I can't see how it could be worse to tow in the rain that ride in the rain, and I have the privilege of doing that quite often

 

[El Toro Joe]

Let's see....I've ridden my motorcycle for 160,000 miles including three Iron Butt Rallies and LOTS of rain.....no rust to speak of on my bike. Some of those miles have even been over winter passes (Snoqualmie two weekends ago) and sand covered winter roads....still no rust. I wouldn't put a cover on it when trailering in the open myself.
Ride more, wash it once in a while, and stress less.

I don't think sand causes rust...come and ride in Cleveland in the winter. I would gaurantee some rust...with all of the salt and brine th at tthey use on the roads around here...I know I have some rust...but my bike aint no show bike. As far as trailering the the bike on the west coast...just ride it.

 

[henwil]

Thanks! It sounds like I don't have anything to worry about.

That was my guess, but I did want to check.

Don't want any harm to come to my new baby

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I agree with Old Guy about not covering the bike. Road grime will get under the cover and then the cover will turn into sandpaper against the paint. As the cover flaps in the wind, you have effectively installed a belt sander against your bike.

I think that trailering in the rain is worse than riding the bike in some ways. The bike is actually following closer to the vehicle than most of us would ride in slippery, wet conditions. The grunge that is thrown up by the vehicle is that much closer. Yuck.

I HOPE that you are not just a troll because my first response was to tell you that we don't trailer FJRs. If Yamaha had designed these bikes to be trailered they would have installed good tie down points on the bike. Kind of like Harley Davidson...

 

[Canadian FJR]

Not sure about down there but I can rent a fully enclosed trailer from U-Haul for $19.99/day.

I would not worry about rust but it may bother you to have it all dirty when it arrives.

Canadian FJR

 

[garyahouse]

Why not throw a little spray wax on the areas you're concerned about? It'll make ya feel better.

Gary

 

[henwil]

I knew I might get some comment about trailering the FJR

I will be there for the best part of a month and will need a car as well. If I could trailer the car behind the bike I would have done it!

 

[bikerskier]

Well, some folks may not trailer their FJR's but I do and quite happy doing so. We' ll be trailering the bike to AZ in April for a 21/2 week visit and I can take my wife and dog and golf clubs and do day rides or over nighters on demand. Also stopping in Shasta Lake on the way down to custom up a new Russell seat for a 60 day ride this fall. I've been riding since the mid 60's, both dirt and street and have had many bikes and put on a boat load of miles on all of them. So to those who mock trailering, go fuck yourself.

 

[El Toro Joe]

To each his own.

 

[escapefjrtist]

No worries Henry. I had to trailer my first FJR in similar conditions you'll likely encounter on the way to Cali. Other than a little grime, it was no worse for the wear.

Have a great time down south!

--G

 

[Canadian FJR]

"So to those who mock trailering, go fuck yourself. "

That's funny.

Canadian FJR

 

[ahchiu]

The only thing I would worry about is deicer on the roads, that stuff is very bad on metal parts.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Well, some folks may not trailer their FJR's but I do and quite happy doing so. So to those who mock trailering, go fuck yourself.

Well, maybe "those who mock trailering" are the only ones with dicks long enough to "go fuck ourselves".

If you had read my post carefully, I was not mocking trailering the bike. I gave honest advice. I honestly at first thought he might have been a troll and deserved the worst sarcasm I could engineer. The evidence pointed to a troll. Low post count, unpopular question, almost a silly question. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps you could extend that same courtesy to me.

To be truthful, I have trailered the bike. Twice. I did enjoy the convenience of having all that extra stuff in the truck when I got there. If it works for you, great. My Harley riding cousin is ALWAYS trying to get us to trailer. My FJR riding Dad, my GoldWing riding cousin, and myself would all rather eat a steaming pile of dogshit than trailer. Each to his own.

 

[flagstaff]

Trailers definitely have their place. I've carried my FJR in my trailer. I don't know any other way to bring along the DR650, XL250R, and a mountain bicycle. .

I got a real kick out of a guy calling my BMW a trailer queen when he saw a picture I had posted with it in my trailer. The "trailer queen" had 166,000 miles on it at the time of the picture.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

And to address one other point...

IF it made enough difference to get my wife to ride with me (she absolutely will NOT) not only would I be willing to trailer the bike anywhere she would be willing to go, I would be willing to paint the bike pink and put a custom license plate that said "LUV2SUK". Although I understand there is already one like that in Albuqueerke, New Mexico...

And yes, if I had the little Honda CRF250L dual sport I want so badly, I would be trailering all over the place.

I don't like to trailer anymore but I am not going to seriously be mean to someone who does. Since I have done so in the past, that would make me a hypocrite. I may joke a little, but I have no meanness regarding trailering.

Lastly (I hope!) Dad and I actually had this discussion today in response to Cousin Harley wanting to trailer, AGAIN. Dad says that if he cannot ride his bike all the way from his driveway, he is not riding it at all.

 

[bikerskier]

Lest anyone think my bike gets a lift everywhere, I will riding through 50 states and provinces for 60 days this fall in my 70th year.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Lest anyone think my bike gets a lift everywhere, I will riding through 50 states and provinces for 60 days this fall in my 70th year.

Great. When you pass through Louisiana you can stop here. I will feed you an excellent supper and you can apologize for telling me to "Go fuck myself". I will have the apology first though.