08-28-2018, 08:26 PM
(08-27-2018, 10:32 PM)misterprofessionality_imp Wrote: I think I know what everybody means when they mention bits of rust appearing around the tree or around some exposed bits. However, I've never in my life had a bike that I could ride through the driving rain and just drop off in my garage without a wipe-down and expect nothing at all to happen, especially after repeated treatment like that. It's just habit for me to always wipe down critical areas after a wet ride.
Well, I DO have such a bike, one that can be ridden in the driving rain, then just parked without a wipedown, and no rust. That one would be my 1995 BMW K75, and it has always been my "rain bike". When I worked, I cannot count the number of times (hundreds?) I made the commute in the rain, then parked it in my garage. Never once wiped it down; I do wash it occasionally and clean it up thoroughly before winter. I challenge you to find any significant rust on it.
One of its stablemates is my 1994 K75RT (the one with the full fairing), which is my winter bike. Of course, it has seen plenty of rain, and plenty of road salt. It has always been treated the same way, and you can find a bit of surface rust on the centerstand after I rode it to work 11 winters. And maybe a bit on some fasteners.
Not all bikes are rusty crap.