Once the snow flies I park my bikes until spring except the KLR. Gotta have one able to ride for those days above freezing.

The problem here is the salt brine solution that is sprayed on the roads as a de-icer. It's very corrosive, especially to aluminum. They also spread coal cinders over the roads. That's a black mess to clean out of the nooks and crannies in a motorcycle. The KLR has a protective layer of mud and I'm not so picky about how it looks anyway.

I need to take a winter picture of this bike.

 

I still have my former bike - an '01 Yamaha V-Star 1100. It's a great bike, gets 49mpg and I'm not half as concerned about it if something happens to it.

 

I also park my Harlys after the first salt is put down. Too much work to wash them and get all of that salt off in the cold. Last winter I had a 2007 KLR that I rode on any decent days. I didn't wash it all winter and didn't worry about it. I have since sold the bike but now that winter is here I wish I still had it.