Just spent a few hours getting my bikes ready for the winter.
First, gave both a good wash and let them dry off.
My Triumph tourer i've put on sorn, sprayed it with ACF50 (great stuff, google it) which protects the finish, waxed and polished the bodywork, and finally installed some fuel stabiliser in the tank and let it run for a while.
Next my Honda, same ritual but i will be using it through the winter so will repeat as nescessary,
Now i'm ready for whatever this winter throws at me, are you?
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I just hose mine down when I get back. Not a sign of corrosion on the 10 year old R1, but the Spanish made honda needs a bit of work to keep it happy.
I've just got a can of ACF50 from ebay last week and will try some out when it warms up a bit. (odd, I ride OK in this weather, but don't liek working in that garage in the cold).
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thanks for the heads up on this got some on order via e-bay.
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ACF-50 is great stuff, I've used it the last two winters on my Suzi GT380's chrome to protect against salt.
It seems expensive but this is now the third winter and I still have more than half the original can left, so it goes a long way.
I find it best to spray into a glass jar, then paint it on with an old 1" paintbrush, this way you can get right into the crannies and it then creeps and covers 100%.
The layer looks too thin to protect properly, but believe me, it's protected the 32-year-old Japanese chrome on my bike superbly. Even on bare metal with surface corrosion, it lifts the corrosion right out.
Even if it gets salty on the occasional winter ride, just let the salt crust on it and don't wash it off until spring. It washes off far easier than Waxoyl as well as being more pleasant to apply.
Apart from that, I keep the battery indoors, and turn the bike over on the kickstart a few times once a fortnight to keep it free and stop the crank oil seals drying.
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What is this ACF-50 stuff ? I've been riding over the past five winters (OK, in a country that doesn't fire salt off every two seconds) but wondered what it does.
I spray the bike with WD40 and use a piece of card between the fairing and rad to protect the down pipes on a '97 CBR600 and there's still no signs of corrosion on the frame or anywhere else for that matter. Lack of winter tyres last Jan. on sheet ice was a bottom tightener though...
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What is this ACF-50 stuff ?
lmgtfy.com/?q=acf-50
A longer lasting and more penetrating protection than wd40 - I've used wd40 for many years, but find it doesn't last long.
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It's a corrosion inhibiting spray, NOT a lubricant / light oil like WD40 / LPS etc
The claims about it "chemically neutralising" corrosion cells on metal are true -- when applied on rust spots on steel or other chromed metal, after an hour or so the corrosion byproducts (oxides etc) just lift off leaving clean metal underneath.
As said above, it seems expensive at £12 a can but I've used less than half a can in three winters protecting the acres of chrome on my Suzi.
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Thank you both for answering my question.
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Hi, have done all of the above on mine plus I've drained the carbs so that the floats don't sit in stale fuel all winter. Also pumped the tyres up and put the bikes on stands. They're taxed and insured all year so I may get them out if we ever have a dry day!
Edited by V4 Heaven on 29/12/2009 at 21:27
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