BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

So when you come home after a ride and the bike engine and exhaust are still hot.
do you put your bike in the garage/shed or house right away or wait till its cooled down a bit.
I always wait 30 mins or more for the exhaust to cool down.

I always put it in the garage, but as my garage door is a roller shutter type I leave a 2" air gap at the bottom to allow the air to circulate.

I’ve never worried about any bike cooling down. I do worry about it being too wet or mucky. While I don’t usually wash it straight after, I’ll hose off excess dirt, and microfibre down what wet I can get to. Am considering a bike dryer at some point (probably get a pet one as the word bike makes the same thing dearer).

Once home I go inside, get out of the bike gear then put the bike in the shed but leave the side door open.

If its foul weather I'll go indoors and get changed then put the bike away,any other time it's straight in the garage and forgot about.

If it’s been wet I’ll leave if for a short to cool off, then generally wash it, dry it off, and put it away.

Dry, I’ll wash the front of the fairing, screen and wheels off then put it in the garage.

lancashirert wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2024 4:16 pm Am considering a bike dryer at some point...............

I've been using one for these last couple of years. It's amazing how much water it blows out of the filler cap, switch gears and other nooks & crannies. Just don't stand too close to the mirrors when clearing them out!
At £30 it's a bargain.
EDIT: Just noticed, mine has a 900w motor, this link is to the 500w variant so it isn't so poweful.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stirling-Detai ... r=1-2&th=1

Not seen that one. I thought the flex hose of pet dryers would be better for getting under stuff. Will have a look see.

I can't help but think your over thinking this

The bike will cool down just fine - the same as it does every time you get off it. Whether it's in the garage a few degrees warmer than outside will have no significant effect on the cooling process, so just put it away and don't worry about it

My worry is having a fire if something fulls on the hot exhaust. As we have 6 bikes kept in there they are parked close together, and some of the bikes have covers over them. most of the time we have 2 bikes which have been used so more of a chance of this happering.

As for drying the bikes, i use one of these from toolstation as it blows as well.

https://www.toolstation.com/einhell-cla ... ner/p93891

It's not something I've ever thought about really but I can understand your concerns regarding the other bikes.

It's a bit of a faff for me, I have a car and half garage with an 8' door so, in order to get the bike in/out, I have to swing the front of the car right over to just about touching the wall then the boxer engine just passes. So after getting in, I just switch off and walk away, the exhaust isn't near anything combustible so should be ok.

Regarding the pet blower/dryer, my sister is a dog groomer, she gave me her old pet dryer, it really is a game changer, especially in the winter. It has variable speed plus heating if needed. I just leave it on cold but it warms up as the motor heats up anyway. I will say, ear defenders are a must!