Winterizing recommendations ?

[mattsz]

So if people are using ACF-50 instead of WD-40, does that suggest that a soap and water wash should take care of it?

[motorat]

i am not sure.
i am unfamilular with acf-50.

[barenekd]

A lot of people agreed - it kind of scared me away from Simple Green.  Any experience using it on our bikes' aluminum?

I used Simple Green several years ago. Just spraying it on and wiping it off leaves a smudge behind. If it gets a chance to sit on aluminum awhile it will streak it and it's a royal PITA to get it off! I stay away from it!
ACF-50 is an anti-corrosion fluid that is supposed to just stay on the bike and prevent corrosion. Actually it works quite well as it doesn't just dry up like WD-40. It's good for a year or so. It's not too bad about attracting dirt, but I'm sure it will pick up a bit. My bike stayed fairly clean with it on. And it took care of a couple of spots that were inclined to rust.
Bare

[mattsz]

ACF-50 is an anti-corrosion fluid that is supposed to just stay on the bike and prevent corrosion. Actually it works quite well as it doesn't just dry up like WD-40.

Well, I certainly can't ride the bike as it is - I'd probably kill myself, and/or ruin whatever clothing touches any part of the bike.  It's all over everything and it doesn't wipe off well.  I wonder how it reacts to the extreme heat of the engine and exhaust... it must burn off?  Does it stain or smoke?

It remains to be seen whether the benefits outweigh the hassles - so far it's a lot of hassles!

[barenekd]

 Didn't have any hassles at all with it after letting the original excess application drip off. I haven't had to touch it since. The good part is it gets inside places that could corrode and keeps from allowing that. I like it, but to each his own. I used it on my GB-500 that sits a lot and it looks better than it has in years!
Bare

[gremlin]

Last winter in Minneapolis I rode at least a couple times a month. The DOT uses massive amounts of salt around here so you don't want to ride a bike with any value. We will see if we get a real winter this year.

real enough for ya ?

[REpozer]

ACF -50 and WD-40 and two different animals with differant uses.
I have both.

If your RE is in a heated garage with a sheet over it for a few months WD-40 is fine.

If being stored in cold wet environment (out side with a motorcycle cover) I would slather my motorcycle with ACF -50.

If I was leaving my RE for a year or two , I would use ACF -50 and other things, garage or not.

If all you have is WD-40, its much be to use that then nothing at all. Hopefully you can apply it several times thru winter.

[Rich Mintz]

OK, I've read through this entire thread (helpful) and I have a sort of elementary question: since I ride in winter, what routine procedure should I use once a week or so to get the ordinary salt and sand off the bike?

I have easy access to a hose and sprayer where the bike is parked, and obviously water in ordinary quantities won't hurt the bike. So tonight I put the bike up on the center stand, took out the hose, and gave a good rinse (from bottom upward) to everything non-electrical below the middle of the bike: wheels, mudguards inside and out, shocks, the exhaust system, even the engine casing. The latter two threw up a nice cloud of steam. I didn't rinse off the tank or anything up above because I wasn't sure if there were any electrical zones I should try to avoid.

The bike started right up after, so obviously doing that much is fine.

The rinsing didn't totally clear the exhaust pipe, so I assume that when the bike cools I should go to that with a clean cotton rag and soap and water. Is ordinary gentle dish soap okay?

To be clear: my bike is new and I want to keep it clean and in good running order. But it's a daily riding bike that lives in New York City. So I expect it to accumulate the ordinary marks of wear, and don't need it to be in showroom condition.

[gremlin]

.............what routine procedure should I use once a week or so to get the ordinary salt and sand off the bike? .............

....... Is ordinary gentle dish soap okay?

To be clear: my bike is new and I want to keep it clean and in good running order. But it's a daily riding bike that lives in New York City. So I expect it to accumulate the ordinary marks of wear, and don't need it to be in showroom condition.

That is an excellent question.  Both salt and dish-soap are water softening agents (wetting enhancement), so it follows that to get the salt out of the crevices, you will need something equally "soft" to get in there and flush it out.

how that would affect the swing-arm bushings, chain, and brake shoe pivots ..... I don't know.   you might consider adding a lubricating routine to follow your weekly cleanings.

[Royalista]

+1

Definetely some afterward routine, at the least WD40. Yet WD40 is not optimum, being thin and won't hold. Chain lube is good but a real hit is leatherfat (as in saddlesoap), an excellent protective. You might even consider skipping the weekly hose down as the fat will stick and keep the bike protected. Hose down after the salt's demise.

Another important issue is storage condition: garage should be non heated. Warmth will hasten the rust process. No need to freeze, cool is good.

[Rich Mintz]

Alas, heat is the one thing I can't avoid. I park in a motorcycle club that occupies an overheated floor of a multi-story garage.

[mattsz]

Hi Rich-

After my one run-in with surprise road salt, I started to wash my bike off when I got to work, and the steam from the engine and exhaust made me nervous of doing some thermal shock damage from too-quick a cool-down.  I hope we didn't do any potential damage - nobody seemed concerned about it here, though.  It was three days before I could get to washing the bike, and there was definitely some rust starting in a couple of spots.

ACF-50 seems to be the coating of choice, longer lasting and safer for electrics than WD-40.  But, it's more expensive and much harder to find - I had to mail-order it and shipping doubled my cost.  With the ACF-50 from the aerosol spray can, I tried to coat the bike with a thin, even application, but it just wasn't possible.  The stuff came out of the can in kind of a lumpy stream, rather than a fog or even a spray.  I found the over-spray to be excessive, and I basically ended up using the whole 13 oz. can before I had everything covered.  If I ever do it again, I probably would buy the smallest non-aerosol quantity (32 oz, I think) and figure a better way to apply it, maybe some sort of pump sprayer (either pump-up or even a simple windex bottle) that will allow me to choose the spray pattern I want, which is more of a mist.

Now that spring is coming and I'm starting to do some work on the bike, I'm finding that I can't touch anything without getting the residue all over my hands, and whatever clothing I'm wearing, which is fine for shop work but I wouldn't want it on my riding gear.  I just don't see how this stuff can avoid attracting dirt - my chain lube promised the same thing, and when I followed the directions for that, I still ended up with a black gunky mess, on the chain but also on the spokes and wheel rim (and yet, I still ended up with rust on the chain after my salty ride!  Don't care, 'cause I'm replacing the chain this spring, but I don't want a repeat performance!).

I've removed some parts - tail light assembly, headlight, speedo - and where I've tried to wipe the stuff off all the shiny glass and chrome parts with a clean rag, an oily residue is left behind which I'm pretty sure will require some sort of soap or cleaner to remove.  This residue is probably what's protecting the surfaces from corrosion, but it sure doesn't look very good.  I'm not interested in a show bike, but I don't want my glass and very few chrome bits I have to look so hazy.

When I asked about cleaning it off, I didn't really get an answer from any experienced ACF users - the consensus among the few who replied seems to be to just leave it on.  I may do that... invest in a roll of paper towels and wipe everything down the best I can, probably use some cleaner on the shiny bits, and see what happens...

I don't want to try to encourage you one way or another, I'm just telling you my experience as a guy new to this stuff.  Bare seems to like it - apparently he sprays it on, lets it drip-dry, and he's good to go.  I wouldn't feel comfortable riding my bike in its current state, too greasy - like trying to ride a greased pig!

[Rich Mintz]

Wow, Matt, thanks for the long and thoughtful account.

Given that I ride in winter in New York City and park in a heated garage, I'm probably going to have to live with some degree of rust. (Ditto with my car, a 2001 VW New Beetle that's lived outdoors, in a parking lot, since 2007. I do all the regular maintenance and wash it regularly, but nevertheless I'm sure the undercarriage is nasty.)

I'll do what I can to keep the salt off and to keep the bike from getting unnecessarily wet, and see where I am in a couple of months. I do have a built-in community (the other members of my motorcycle club, all of whom are much more serious motorcycle hobbyists than I am), so as I get to know people I'll ask them for their thoughts on winter riding and if I get anything interesting back I'll post it here.

[GreenMachine]

I hate when they go crazy with the salt and it piles up like glass beads at intersections/stop signs...I prefer the liquid they apply vice that crap..I  was like u guys, the first 2 years I rode the enfield all year round if possible..Now I just take the battery out around mid december ,  wax her in the spring, clean the chrome with metal polish and give her a bath (2/3 times a year) with whatever walmart has in auto soap "Mequires or turtle wash". Bike still looks great for a 06 inside my unheated garage...

[no bs]

i purchased a lee-enfield surplus rifle a few years ago that had been packed in g.i. cosmolene. wd-40 cleaned it up smartly. shoots great for a 60+ year old firearm. i still have about a half-gallon of wd for soaking parts. it does have it's uses.