Out in the Elements

[Bermuda Trails]

Hi, So i thought i would introduce myself
My name is James, and I live in Bermuda (yes the tiny island inside a tringle)

I have a great question for you all, I just put my name down for a CT125 ( propleby not getting it till mid summer though ), however what's everyone's thoughts on your pride and joy living its life outside in the rain / sun? The good news is we do not have snow here, however we do have A LOT of SUN, SAND, SALT and the odd hurricane. The environment here tends to kill most things. how well do you think the CT will hold up? Has anyone completely stripped her down and rust proofed the frame etc?

I did a quick search on the forum, but alas can't find any post about it.

Thanks and can't wait to hear what you all have to say

 

[oldskool]

You certainly have challenging conditions, snow and cold are not nearly as tough on metal and electronics. That warm salt air ,as you know, takes its toll. What do the people at the local Honda shop do? Is there any way you can make a shelter to protect it from the worst of the sun and sea air?

 

[Kritou]

Hi, So i thought i would introduce myself
My name is James, and I live in Bermuda (yes the tiny island inside a tringle)

I have a great question for you all, I just put my name down for a CT125 ( propleby not getting it till mid summer though ), however what's everyone's thoughts on your pride and joy living its life outside in the rain / sun? The good news is we do not have snow here, however we do have A LOT of SUN, SAND, SALT and the odd hurricane. The environment here tends to kill most things. how well do you think the CT will hold up? Has anyone completely stripped her down and rust proofed the frame etc?

I did a quick search on the forum, but alas can't find any post about it.

Thanks and can't wait to hear what you all have to say

A cover of soft material to keep the sun off and very regular hosing down with cold, not warm, water - dry with a leaf blower or similar

 

[m in sc]

soft breathable material. or it will be like a terrarium in there and just keep the moisture in and ruin it further.

 

[SneakyDingo]

Get it as dry as possible whenever you can before you store it as well if you're using a soft cover, even wipe it down if conditions allow for it. If you know the difference between a zepplin/dirigible and a blimp, I have the dirigible of covers for mine and I don't think the ventilation holes are enough. There's gaps under the edges of the cover to allow airflow, there's ventilation holes in the top, but when I park it wet it stays wet in there. If I park it in my 120-160 cu ft shed, it dries out but it dries out faster if I leave the shed door propped open. Seattle is known for being moist a lot of the time, and we don't get a ton of wind, which does help a lot.

RE: Rustproofing, I found a "dry" spot under my rear suspension mounts (lower on both sides) that had signs of corrosion starting only a few months after I bought the bike. If you're thinking of doing the rear suspension after buying the bike, I recommend getting started on that ASAP and planning on adding some rust proofing in that location.

 

[Happy Campa]

Perhaps upgrade the chain to a sealed type? I also know there are products out there that spray on to prevent rust. I can't say I have ever tried them though. There may be stainless steel bolts and nuts out there that you could upgrade to with anti seize on the threads.

 

[bradatlarge]

Mine lives outside in Chicago sporadically. Other than dirty, its been fine.

 

[dmonkey]

This video (Japanese) visually points out some of the common corrosion spots on the CT125 to be on the lookout for, or focus your preventative measures on:

The 4 studs on top of the fuel tank under the seat are another spot. Be especially careful of cheap aftermarket fasteners.

 

[CTExplorer]

Get it as dry as possible whenever you can before you store it as well if you're using a soft cover, even wipe it down if conditions allow for it. If you know the difference between a zepplin/dirigible and a blimp, I have the dirigible of covers for mine and I don't think the ventilation holes are enough. There's gaps under the edges of the cover to allow airflow, there's ventilation holes in the top, but when I park it wet it stays wet in there. If I park it in my 120-160 cu ft shed, it dries out but it dries out faster if I leave the shed door propped open. Seattle is known for being moist a lot of the time, and we don't get a ton of wind, which does help a lot.

RE: Rustproofing, I found a "dry" spot under my rear suspension mounts (lower on both sides) that had signs of corrosion starting only a few months after I bought the bike. If you're thinking of doing the rear suspension after buying the bike, I recommend getting started on that ASAP and planning on adding some rust proofing in that location.

Coming from the 4x4 community in the rust belt there's a product called "Fluid Film" (and similar one called "Woolwax") that are spray on inhibitors that are used quite a bit for undercarriage protection. Theyre not permanent so you could always clean it off if needed but do have to re-apply once in a while. I spot use it on fasteners and more prone areas to exposure on vehicles and equipment quite often.

 

[Happy Campa]

This video (Japanese) visually points out some of the common corrosion spots on the CT125 to be on the lookout for, or focus your preventative measures on:

The 4 studs on top of the fuel tank under the seat are another spot. Be especially careful of cheap aftermarket fasteners.

I can't wait for a universal translator!

 

[dmonkey]

I can't wait for a universal translator!

It's coming along!


On the video player click CC to enable closed captioning, then click the gear icon and select Subtitles/CC ➜ Auto-translate ➜ English. You'll get something machine translated that should be around that 57% accuracy

 

[SneakyDingo]

It's coming along!
View attachment 8313

This is definitely whatever they use on phone calls for Australians.