[James.]

Yes it's that time when the British icy roads are coated with a nice spreading of corrosive road salt.Some us of us put their nicely chrome  polished garage queen's away for the winter while others either commute or like myself like the occasional sunny winters day outing.I believe that  after a salty ride a good clean with cold water (not pressure ,washes salt into the unknown) is still the best option for cleaning down.Anyone have any other cleaning suggestions.?

[Karl Childers]

I've heard of some people putting a light coating of oil on their bikes with a paint brush for the winter and reapplying as needed. It's a mess to clean up in the Spring but it keeps the rust at bay.

[Richard230]

I've heard of some people putting a light coating of oil on their bikes with a paint brush for the winter and reapplying as needed. It's a mess to clean up in the Spring but it keeps the rust at bay.

Maybe WD-40 instead of actual oil?  No salt, cold weather, snow, or ice where I live, so all I have to deal with are water spots.

[James.]

I've heard of some people putting a light coating of oil on their bikes with a paint brush for the winter and reapplying as needed. It's a mess to clean up in the Spring but it keeps the rust at bay.

Yeah that's ok for storing the bike,bit messy though but I am talking about cleaning procedure for removing salt after a Rideout.

[Karl Childers]

A full throttle launch into a nearby pond?

I have always lived in snow country and have put up my beloved bike or truck and ridden / driven a cheap beater in salt season. It seems like you can never get to every nook and cranny that corrosive material can get in and I won't use a pressure washer, especially on a motorcycle. A cheap disposable bike has been my answer.

[Keef Sparrow]

Maybe WD-40 instead of actual oil?  No salt, cold weather, snow, or ice where I live, so all I have to deal with are water spots.

I cover everything (apart from brakes & tyres) in WD-40 all year round and I find it pretty effective at cleaning and keeping corrosion at bay. But as soon as the first salt goes down on the roads I take the bike off the road for the winter and commute in the car instead.

[Boxerman]

You could try Scottoiler FS365 its a spray on / wash off fluid which is meant to protect the bike from salt or other corrosion.
Or there is ACF50 which is an apply and leave it on till spring solution.
I've used both but prefer the ACF50.
If you google them both, you can find out which [if any] is best for what you want.

Frank

[tooseevee]

If you really, seriously want to stop rust on your bike from salt or just plain water, coat the whole damn bike with Fluid Film & then don't ride it at all if you live anywhere where there is Winter. Rust never sleeps.

You can get FF in aerosol spray cans, but it's very expensive that way. The best way is to buy a gallon on Ebay or at a John Deere dealer; it has MANY other uses around the house or garage or shop.   

I've used it on cars over the years since the early '70s. Heat it up & use an electric spray gun. I haven't used it on a bike since around '91 or '92 when it finally became impossible for me to ride in even cool weather let alone cold weather.   

[axman88]

I put a little dish detergent in my bucket of warm water.  The warm water keeps my hands from freezing and the parts dry quicker.

The RE military series finishes, like my C5 Desert Storm, with more paint than chrome, are a blessing for dealing with corrosive environments.  Degraded paint can be made to look like new, with very little expense.  Rusted chrome, ... not so much.

[AzCal Retred]

Now THIS is where the "laissez-faire" methodology really comes into its own. I DEFY any salt to creep past a nice thick coating of chail lube, gear oil, engine oil blowby mist and road dust! Results in rather a nice Hershey's chocolate brown dappled effect. My fork seals also appear to be following suit, good for rim & spoke longevity but not so much for the brake shoes...

Seriously, I've never had to live in road salt territory, I dunno how you guys do it. In Michigan on vacation once I saw a 3 year old Pontiac Fiero with a cancered-out body I could have pushed my index finger thru...

[axman88]

Seriously, I've never had to live in road salt territory, I dunno how you guys do it. In Michigan on vacation once I saw a 3 year old Pontiac Fiero with a cancered-out body I could have pushed my index finger thru...

Most folks around here manage by relying on cars and putting their two wheelers in storage from mid October or so, until mid April.  This avoids both the cold and the salt, as well as the anxiety inducing experience of walking out of the office in darkness, thanks to "daylight wastings time", through an employee door that locks behind you, to climb into a cold damp saddle.

I haven't seen another motorcycle on the streets for the last few weeks.  Many will be dragged out for the ritual that is the annual "toys for tots" ride.   The bicycle people seem to be lot more persistent, I suspect some are closer to religious devotees than either hobbyists or commuters.

One interesting and delightful side effect of the resulting 6 month "riding season", is an abundance of low mileage, and low priced, 2nd hand machines.  The best deals show up at the beginning of "storage seeking season", and the most interesting and rare opportunities show up during the warm months, whenever the owner gets around to excavating the archeological site that is most folk's garages.  To me, there are few phrases sweeter in a Craigslist ad than, "just need the space".

[Adrian II]

They were definitely salt spreading on the M5 while I was driving up to Alpha Bearings with a couple of crankshafts today. The car grit-blasted by the spreader truck as I overtook!

A.

[gizzo]

Yes it's that time when the British icy roads are coated with a nice spreading of corrosive road salt.Some us of us put their nicely chrome  polished garage queen's away for the winter while others either commute or like myself like the occasional sunny winters day outing.I believe that  after a salty ride a good clean with cold water (not pressure ,washes salt into the unknown) is still the best option for cleaning down.Anyone have any other cleaning suggestions.?

Do you guys who have to deal with winter salt keep a "beater" bike that you don't care about for winter riding? That sounds like a good option to me, sitting here where it never snows and we have no salt. It sounds ghastly.

[Leofric]

Clear Waxoyl on parts where appropriate. Bike in garage most of winter .

[axman88]

Clear Waxoyl on parts where appropriate. Bike in garage most of winter .

Any comment on Dinitrol vs. Waxoyl?  Dinitrol includes a rust inhibitor and is grease based (sounds unsightly and messy), where I understand Waxoyl is a wax / oil mixture.