Rust

[Heebeegeebee]

I've been told it's just me not looking after my bike properly...

Does anyone else have any trouble with corrosion on their bike that (in their opinion) should not be there so soon after purchasing?

The best reply wins a 5 litre bottle of "Never Wash Your Bike Again"

Cheers

[Backdraft]

All bikes will rust to some degree but I have always used Scotoil F365 and don't seem to have an issue, I just wash the bike and liberally spray all over the engine, frame, forks, radiator etc (watch the brakes), takes about 30mins and touch wood seems to work for me.....

[pad]

I would say I am average at keeping the bike clean. I ride most days monday to friday and clean once a week spraying with scottoiler anti corrosion stuff. In winter I will rinse the bike most days if there is salt on the road. At next service just before the two years is up my dealer is sending picture of the bubbles on the engine cases off to Suzuki so I can get them replaced under warranty. That is the only difference I have seen between any of my last few bikes (yam,kaw,suz). On all of them the little metal bits seem to go off quick.

[mechcanico lee]

I know what you mean about the rust...grill in front of oil cooler ...some of the lower bolts that get all the road grime, it could be stopped with better treatments..anodising ,powder coats and so forth

but what !!! the manufacturers spend one nessasary money in there view.......not a chance.......regular washing  and tlc is the only way and its not just Suzuki ,alot of the other so called better quality bikes are no better.

The newer the models out of the factory the less rust and corrosion protection you get I am afraid, I don't remember my old G  reg Honda CBR 1000 having any corrosion on it and I sold it with 40 k miles on it.

there's some truth sometimes in the saying   " old ones where the best "  

[minkyhead]

the best way is to power wash it...and never   ever  neglect to do so if there any suggestion of  salt  on the bike
    even if its  2  degrees and your freezing your tits off when u get  home   a five minute  power wash  will keep her looking  in  great condition  

  ..even  leaving it  till the next  day  will  give salt a    chance to do its  evil  work you... simply  must   wash it  
all the spays   in the world are  no good if u leave the  shite to dry on  
...mine have over 60k up  between them  and have no  issues with cosmetic  damage   ...

[Chrisstrom]

Me and the wife had a couple of GS 500's when we first passed ouy tests (a while ago). swing arms got rusty spots after about 6 months. Dealer took them in and had them powder coated no hassle at all.

[hookie]

ALL the bike manufacturers really take the pi** when it comes to making their bikes finish with any long lasting capability. The car makers just wouldn't get away with it- remember Lancias that rusted away in front of your eyes. If almost put the company out of business and destroyed the market for them here in the UK. The one thing about the UK is the massive use of salt. The slightest suggestion of anything cold and the spreaders are out. This is probably the major cause of bikes (and cars) rusting so quickly here. They don't use anywhere near as much on the continent and that's why you don't see so many rusty vehicles there. There are alternatives to the commonly used salt grits that are available, but as they cost more, councils won't use them. I sometimes wonder if the car manufacturers have shares in road grit companies!
      As has been said the only way to deal with the salt is to wash the bike down whenever it gets a coating- daily if needed even if freezing and in the dark. The Scottoiler spray and WD40 work well, and so GT85 (from Halfords) and ACF50. Care should be taken using pressure washers as damage can occur if you  get it too close to critical components such as suspension linkages. Water blown through the seals into the bearings will cause major problems in the long run. It can also blast paint off thinly painted components. It might be also worth thinking about using a de-humidifier in the shed or garage to help keep it dry. Salt reacts much more in wet and damp environments.
    Another key maintenance area is the brake calipers. Alloy calipers and steel pistons are the worst possible combination and will react together to eventually seize up even without being bathed in salt. The presence of salt makes it much worse and after every winter it's probably good to strip the calipers, clean and re-grease them. Binding brakes (even a little) will reduce performance and prematurely wear out both pads and discs.

[Heebeegeebee]

I'm enlightened...
Thanks for all the good advice.
Now I have to get a bike stand to clean all the fiddly bits.
My back is real bad so can anyone recommend a good hydraulic work bench/stand?
Ta cheers fankyou!

[Juvecu]

Binding brakes (even a little) will reduce performance and prematurely wear out both pads and discs.

Not to mention that a binding brake keeps braking after you've let go, not something you want to have happening to your front wheel while you're going around corners

[minkyhead]

I'm enlightened...
Thanks for all the good advice.
Now I have to get a bike stand to clean all the fiddly bits.
My back is real bad so can anyone recommend a good hydraulic work bench/stand?
Ta cheers fankyou!

   
  I've had  this sealey   bike lift around  seven years  ..its been  brill ..I use it a lot  even as u say just to do a bit of cleaning  ..makes thing so much more easy to do  
  ...good with a centre stand and four strapping points for bikes without  ..a small trolly jack and block is usful when removing both wheels  ...or with no centre stand fitted  ..

makes life really easy  it was around 250 quid  then    ....  


By minkyhead, shot with u30D,S410D,u410D at 2010-03-15


By minkyhead at 2010-02-20

[2112]

Must be a really strong stand if it can lift a Varadero