Corrosion again!!

[wilbjr21]

asked if anyone had any good ideas how to protect bike

I know it's a bit selective about what your saying but:

1. In winter conditions wash it every time you ride it (using cold water of course) - OR

2. At the beginning of winter cover it with ACF 50 and leave it.

3. If you don't do either 1 or 2 above expect corrosion very quickly. This is normal with all motorcycles - NO EXCEPTIONS.

Hope this helps

 

[Pressurized]

are we the only country uses salt on the roads by the way?

No

Keep the thread open but don't say things like "why dont you go out for a ride and play on the icy roads". Sounds sinister......

I didn't read it as sinister, IIRC he said that he'd just being playing on icy roads and the frost (and presumably) salt had done for his bike. So I read him as saying that he is a keen rider.

 

[Gazzabart]

quite right

like being back at school somtimes
keep expecting a modorator to smack me round the back of my head lol
i did speak to my mate tonight who i did the 18 day trip bombing around alps etc during the summer - i told him whats happened to my bike after this 4 day trip and he said he thinks they lay a different type of grit around the alps than what the councils lay on our roads he seems to think here they lay down a much more corrosive mix on our roads in winter time and maybe different countries mix very different stuff during there winters

any gritters know anything that can help to shed some light on this

 

[snoopy]

Don't use A4 bolts on stressed positions they are weaker than A2 (more chromium in them). I've replaced all my bolts with A2 and had no problem, though it's not recommended for brakes etc.

A2 unlikely to corrode on the road as salt wont be concentrated enough. They will corrode if you drive the bike into the sea however.

Until bikes are made completely from Titanium things will continue to corrode.

 

[Pressurized]

"simple why bother to send negative replys why dont you go out for a ride and play on the icy roads"
Can't see how you read this as "he'd just being playing on icy roads"

Not from the above but from his first post - #5 in this thread

 

[Dennis the Menace]

Just to try and get back on topic a bit. Phoned a dealer up about a trade in price on my 04 12 His first sentence was how much rust and corrosion has it got. I asked could he expand on his comment, his reply was that there are a lot of rusty ones about.

Surely, thats food for thought and concern for BMW GB as they monitor this site.

 

[MikeP]

It has been said plenty of times on this forum when discussing this topic before.

The EU demands that manufacturers limit the mount of Stainless in their products (production of S/S is ecologically "dirty" apparently). The same goes for paints being water-based as opposed to the stuff that was once employed.

Perhaps the EU should take a look at how much S/S is being produced and sold to the owners of European produced bike's?

Try Pro-bolt for titanium alternatives, not cheap but certainly strong enough for brakes etc.

 

[Wapping]

Surely, thats food for thought and concern for BMW GB as they monitor this site.

Not much. They have already sold the bikes.

PS Dealer was just warming you up with the usual old yarns to justify the knockdown price he was about to offer you.

 

[karnevil]

Not from the above but from his first post - #5 in this thread

Please re-read post 42 by Gazzabart the last line will suffice.

 

[Tailspin]

Hi guys, first post on this site. After reading this thread it seems a little more aggressive than other sites? I thought we all just wanted to help out other owners and offer advice where we can? I am new though.

Anyway, had the 12gs 2 weeks, don't know much about most of the stuff you are chatting about so.....

1. What spongy thing that holds water against the casing?
2. Cleaning advice, ie specific bits to watch out for?
3. Cheers

 

[Hawk]

Hi guys, first post on this site. After reading this thread it seems a little more aggressive than other sites? I thought we all just wanted to help out other owners and offer advice where we can? I am new though.

It is generally friendly but now and again there can be outbreaks of :argue before everybody and makes up

 

[Engineer]

Ah, I see what you did there

Sorry lost me with that reply - what did I do????

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

I know it's a bit selective about what your saying but:

1. In winter conditions wash it every time you ride it (using cold water of course) - OR

2. At the beginning of winter cover it with ACF 50 and leave it.

3. If you don't do either 1 or 2 above expect corrosion very quickly. This is normal with all motorcycles - NO EXCEPTIONS.

Hope this helps

Like he says

Also, during the summer I wash and wax the bike on a regular basis to build up a good protective layer of polish. Despite that, she does not lead a pampered life.

Come winter the ACF goes on and stays on. The bike ends up looking like sh1te over winter but come the spring and a good deep clean she scrubs up well.

Here she is about to enter this winter (her third) prior to the ACF treatment.

Have to say the washing bit after every (salty) ride is a pain if you use the bike every day and not that practicle if the bike lives on the street. I now have the luxury of a drive and jet washer so it really is a 5 minute job. I then apply that scotoiler anti corrosion stuff and put the bike away.

Treated like that so far the only corrosion has been the front engine cover (replaced under warranty last winter) but that is always gonna happen sooner or later.

I've always 'used' but looked after my bikes and have to say that the GS is one of the best I've owned over the years in terms of corrosion resistance (actually, in terms of most things ).

Andres

 

[Gas'd Off]

Recommendation from a GS commuter: Like Andres says, come the winter, liberally coat your bike in whatever protective substance floats your boat(I use WD40) and don't wash it off until the spring. In between, DO NOT wash it. It will now develop a thick layer of road crud which although it looks awful(see below, pinched from an old thread) but will protect the finish. Not completely but well enough
Having said all that, this only really applies if you use the machine every day, if it's just weekend play then it's back to the jet wash and hair dryer

 

[Pressurized]

Recommendation from a GS commuter: Like Andres says, come the winter, liberally coat your bike in whatever protective substance floats your boat(I use WD40) and don't wash it off until the spring. In between, DO NOT wash it. It will now develop a thick layer of road crud which although it looks awful(see below, pinched from an old thread) but will protect the finish. Not completely but well enough
Having said all that, this only really applies if you use the machine every day, if it's just weekend play then it's back to the jet wash and hair dryer

Wow.

While you may get away with that on an earlier GS (one that was painted with oil-based paint), my 1200 GS needed a bit more pampering.

 

[birdseye]

Don't use A4 bolts on stressed positions they are weaker than A2 (more chromium in them). I've replaced all my bolts with A2 and had no problem, though it's not recommended for brakes etc.

A2 unlikely to corrode on the road as salt wont be concentrated enough. They will corrode if you drive the bike into the sea however.

Until bikes are made completely from Titanium things will continue to corrode.

All the stainless bolts you buy should be supplied to an ISO strength grading which will be stamped on the head - for example 8.8 (If they arent stamped like that, then dont buy them.) This strength grade applies whether the bolts are carbon steel, alloy steel or stainless steel and there is no difference between A2 (304) and A4 (316) in this respect. All bolts to 8.8 will meet the min strength of 628N/mm2.

A2 will corrode on the surface subject to road salt, and it can corrode quite badly if there is trapped salty air free water - for example in a thread form. A4 has molybdenum in the composition to strengthen the surface film and to make it less prone to salt water corrosion which is why all the fasteners on my boat are A4 not A2

What Gazzabart said is quite correct - manufacturers spend huge resources working out what is best for a particular application then along comes Johnny who changes things on the basis of some half understood and incorrect nonsense on a forum. Doesnt matter with some things but when it comes to changing the bolts on your brakes it pays to leave things to BMW.

 

[birdseye]

And for the person who was asking, KTM bolts on the Adventure are just as bad as BMW ones corrosion wise - most Advs you see have rusty bolts on the brake pedal for example, and many have rusty wheel spokes.

Mind you, engines and gearboxes dont drop to bits like some bikes do

 

[gavin@iow]

What Gazzabart said is quite correct - manufacturers spend huge resources working out what is best for a particular application then along comes Johnny who changes things on the basis of some half understood and incorrect nonsense on a forum. Doesnt matter with some things but when it comes to changing the bolts on your brakes it pays to leave things to BMW.

I'm going to change the caliper mounting bolts for some nice shiny stainless ones too.

 

[karnevil]

It is generally friendly but now and again there can be outbreaks of :argue before everybody and makes up

He He too true

BTW
BIRDSEYE I said that which you quoted

 

[karnevil]

What Gazzabart said is quite correct - manufacturers spend huge resources working out what is best for a particular application then along comes Johnny who changes things on the basis of some half understood and incorrect nonsense on a forum. Doesnt matter with some things but when it comes to changing the bolts on your brakes it pays to leave things to BMW.[/QUOTE]

I said that

LOL