Would you or wouldnt you ---road salt

[bikerpiker]

Would you take your bike out in salty roads ,...if you didnt need to

Sitting here at home ,wife working, kids out ,lovely bright ,cold day ,roads mostly wet with frost/road salt ,i'm bored, and i'm like ,..will i, ..wont i

Used it around this time last year ,similar conditions ,i done around 60 miles or so that day, i came home ,the bike didnt look dirty at all, i put it in the garage ,had a look in garage around 2 weeks later........

Anyway...i didnt go out on it today..its an old bike, R reg ,but in pretty good nick ,i try to keep it good, as most of my mates all have newer stuff

I know the damage road salt does/can do ,so decided against going out on it ,so im having withdrawal symptoms and sittin here in not a great mood

Aye,i know ...im a wuss

[Seven Of Nine Firestorm]

As long as you wash / jet the salt off after a spin is ok. I ride the storm in all kinds of winds and weathers, but have left standing on some very cold days when I should have washed it but keeps on going. A nono is covering up the bike ot in a garrage shed after a rainy day, best to dry naturally. else will get rust.

[cupasoop]

I was down on the beach at Troon with the dug today and there were a few bikes passing by. Doesn't stop some folk.

[mozza71]

use mine everyday all year round (when im not rebuilding it )
all i ever use is Scotoil 365 protector spray and ACF50.
The latter being the dogs gonads in regards protection.
ride to work, quick bucket and wipe over.
quick spray of ACF50 and job done.
it's 12.99 a tin but if it's good enough for the avaiation industry it's good enough for me.
check it out for yourself here:
http://www.acf-50.co.uk/motorcycle.htm

[bikerpiker]

Definately no, only cos Sp engine cases are unpainted bare alloy. Any other time I'd go out whatever the conditions, and give the bike a good wash after.

Mike
i think its only the side casings and cam covers that's painted on my bike ,the rest is bare alloy
Big difference in £values though , i realise could influence your decision .

Obviously it seems road salt it does no harm at all then, as long as the bike is hosed/wased down afterwards ,thats where i went wrong the last time

[Fireman on a Storm]

I used both of my Storms all year round.
When mine was clean and dry I used to spray the engine and exausts with loads of wd40. It used to smoke a lot the first time I used it but left a nice coaating on everything. All the dirt and salt would then sit on the coating of wd and in the spring I would wash and degrease the bike and have a shiny bike again!

[firestorm996]

I'd avoid it if the roads are greasy, just because those are the kind of conditions that are most likely to have you on your butt without warning.

If the roads are nice n dry though, a winter blast can be quite enjoyable.

On my old 'workhorse' VTR which was just used for commuting, I ran it through two winters and it barely got a wash. It was never mint to begin with and even less so afterwards, but the finish seems to get to a certain point and stay that way rather than get any worse. One thing I did was to cover any still-mint alloy fasteners with castrol chain wax, which stops anything getting to the fastener. Yeah it looks shite especially when crud has stuck to it, but come spring wipe the stuff off and it's all shiny underneath.

[Beamish]

Yes, winter and wet I avoid due to the obvious ice but dry and salty is no problem. I love dry bright winter days, no bugs, less holiday traffic and the big one.........fewer officer Dibbles. Sod the corrosion as I always have a good strip and clean at the beginning of spring (and the bike gets a clean as well )

[SILVER ZIPPER]

I have done today, quick spin round Matlock.
Wearing lot's of layer's off clothing and was still freezing.
Thing's shrink till it's painfull

[Pete.L]

I'm getting fussy in my old age.
I don't mind when the roads are dry but when the stuff turns to slime and slickens the surface I tend to stay off the bike.
Totally agree with the importance of washing it all off afterwards and a good dollop of some kind of protection is a must.

Pete.l

[bikerpiker]

I thought about it today, but although its not rained since.. ehh...well way before xmas anyway i reckon , the roads are wet ,whether its the salt/dampness/frost ,im not sure

Good intentions ,but i never went out on the bike ..,my old wooden garage is damp as buggery ,i didnt fancy going a ride , coming home and washing the bike down, then putting it in my garage soaking wet
Went to Troon to my dads ,did see a few bikes out ,but they were driving very cautiously

[sirch345]

Went to Troon to my dads ,did see a few bikes out ,but they were driving very cautiously

I was at Troon today also Stevie, but I didn't see you there

Chris.

[bikerpiker]

Went to Troon to my dads ,did see a few bikes out ,but they were driving very cautiously

I was at Troon today also Stevie, but I didn't see you there

Chris.

Probably 500 odd miles between your Troon and my Troon

[sirch345]

I was at Troon today also Stevie, but I didn't see you there

Chris.

Probably 500 odd miles between your Troon and my Troon

550

A minor detail Stevie

Trust you Tim to come up with the exact milage

Chris.

[bikerpiker]

Hurrah.....Road salt should all be away now ,its pissed down all day ,cant complain really ,its the first rain since before xmas.

Too wet for bike ,so took my daughter whos 17 in a few weeks to the grounds of the old Massey Ferguson factory for her 1st go at driving a car

Yes, all those Tractors and Harvesters were built here in Kilmarnock, the factory employed thousands , its non-existant now

My own work employed around 2.5 thousand ,now its around 500 , redundancys most likely in a few weeks , were already on short time working ,hopefully i'll be ok, but you can never tell

With car plants shutting/laying off/short time working ,etc,..well , we supply most of them with bearings/bushes ,so.......


Hopefully things will pick up


Err...what we talking about ....ahh.., road salt