Is ACF-50 any good?

[BlackStallion]

I'm thinking of buying a can off eBay for £13.75.

It's quite pricey, but it does sound like effective stuff, and i'd like to no what it's like, and what people think of it.

I'm sure plenty of you guys use ACF-50, if so, could you share with me, what you think of the stuff?

If i get some postive reviews, i'm gonna be grabbing myself a can tonight

Thanks in advance

[Jamie S]

Yes it's good stuff, I washed my bike off, removed tank/plastics/headlight ect, sprayed it all over and rubbed it around with a rag. After every ride I spray the bike with Scottoiler fs365 anti corrosion and salt nutraliser spray.
As of yet not a bit of rust coming through.
Jamie

[robocog]

Got a tin earlier in the year based on reviews and mentions on here

Did as suggested (shake can lots, spray onto cloth, wipe, spray direct onto hard to reach areas etc)

Did the 3 bikes and front end of the kit car which is exposed
they all live outside as I don't have a garage so they all see the same weather as each other

Worked great on 2 of the bikes so far, kept the rust at bay
not as sucessful on another (alloy engine casing has gone white with corrosion, where it has worked brilliantly on the other 2?
and the bars have surface rust appearing on the same bike, but not the other 2)

also was completely unsucessful on the kit cars exposed shocks, balljoints and bolts, which have gained considerable surface rust after a very short amount of time and thoroughly cheesed off that it hasn't worked as well as it has on 2 of the bikes
(I may have left a slight residue of WD40 on the car prior to using the ACF, which is the only thing I can think was really any different to the bikes, maybe they don't get on?)

It has worked incredibly well with 2 of the bikes so I still think it has been worth buying a tin (and still got loads left)

[Seb]

I kind of prefer FS365 as it doesn't matter what I wash the bike down with that way. ACF50 seems to have done a pretty reasonable job on the GS though.
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[G]

Someone posted me a link on another forum to various things suggesting it was the best solution - just after I'd bought a bottle of FS365 (which being water soluble apparantly isn't as good.)
If it's from busters on ebay - I was very impressed with how quickly my can of ACF-50 arrived, too .

[The Tot]

Well I got a can for £13 from HG on boxing day so the extra 10% off allowed me to save a LOT of money lol.

Suffice to say, I've coated my bike in the stuff. 1 layer is all you need, but I coated it last night and again this afternoon before I rode off to work.

It makes the plastics come up a treat - mirrors and matte plastic covers and the like. I apply it to bodywork using synthetic chamois since I don't have a microfibre cloth. It permeates deep enough into the cloth to keep rubbing in. Applied it onto my swingarm, wheels and frame. I sprayed it directly onto my downpipes, exhaust, crankcases and engine covers and gave them a wipe. Used a brush for the caliper bodies and certain bolts. Ideally, you want to coppergrease or LM grease crucial bolts like caliper mounting bolts or axle nuts, but I just gave their heads a brief brushing over. I gave the bike a brief degrease with white spirit on the stubborn stuff, dried using chamois and applied ACF.

My impressions so far after riding through some salty winter mist is that it does a good job of repelling the muck. It just beads off.

Anyway, I'd not have to bother washing the bike and giving it a decent clean until march. It's better than polishing it to make it shiny.

Remember to avoid getting it on your tyres, controls and brakes! If you do, just ride as if you're bedding in your brakes and tyres. You ought to check out Silky's thread(s) about the stuff and the many links posted. Well worth the 13 quid.

Result

https://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs158.snc3/18542_264217060711_500990711_4365942_1014394_n.jpg

https://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs138.snc3/18542_264218385711_500990711_4365946_7639738_n.jpg

Looks the same after a 100 mile ride in the salt... couldn't take pics since it was dark
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[Josh91]

ACF-50 is properly good stuff. It will make your bike look like a pile of crap through winter though. It creates a layer that holds all the crap off the roads but it wont get through to your bike. It's water proof too, so one coat lasts you the winter. Unlike the scottoiler that washes off pretty easily.

Can't go wrong with it really. Seeing as it was made to stop the sea spray erroding planes/helecopters on air craft carriers

[BlackStallion]

[The Tot]

White residue could be crystallised road salt or furred up alloy. Just work in the ACF50 and it'll protect them. If you're at all bothered about the appearance of the bolts, remove them and give them a thorough clean. I think it was Robby or Stinkwheel who suggested the idea of using a car battery and suitable electrolyte to clean corroded bolts. As long as its coated with the ACF spray, it'll protect it for this winter.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[BlackStallion]

Hopefully it's just road salt, but a brush didn't seem to move the stuff, so i'm guessing it's corrosion. I only applied the WD40 because it's the only spray i've got which prevents rust, and with nothing but weekly washes with warm water and fairy liquid, my bike, throughtout the winter, just seems vulnerable to the elements, so i wanted to get some form of protection.

That's when i remember ACF-50, so i thought i'd give the stuff a go, bit late, but i'm hoping it will do the job

I'm going to apply the stuff everywhere i can, i just thought, would it be a waste applying it to the exhaust and downpipes, because, surely, it would just burn off?

Can't wait to get my tin now, just need to give my bike a clean, dry it down with a cloth, and then get applying this highly recommended stuff :up

How long does it last on average, with one coating all over with a rag? Do you need to wash the bike down after riding, because i'm planning on riding in the snow after i coat my bike, so i'm hoping the dirt/snow/salt will literally "bead" off

[johnsmith222]

[BlackStallion]

[silky666]

[J D]

My little shit of a nephew sprayed it all over my bike
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m0l0t0v wrote: Chris, just so you know, JD is a nutter

[fiveus]

i'm poor so can't afford that.have sprayed bike a few times with gt85 and it seem to be working up till now..it smells nice to

[silky666]

oh! one more thing... what the others have said is spot on, only rinse with cold water.
That way the salts dont disolve and work into the nooks and crannies + you dont scrub off the acf50 protective layer.

I am due to wash my R6 again at end of Jan ... and will post pics to show what bi-yearly application of ACF50 can do
____________________
There's nothing that shouts "Poor Workmanship" more than wrinkles in the Gaffa tape.

Gaffa tape is like "the force" - it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

[Banned Again]

For those that have not seen this:

Hi, hope you don't mind my sticking in here. I'm Roy, and I run the AllYearBiker site. Saw the hits we were getting from this post so thought I'd have a look. We've been treating bikes with ACF50 for over 18 months now so I figure we know a little about applying it, if it helps Caveman, I've put some info below to answer you questions.

ACF50 is classed as an Ultra Thin Fluid Film coating. Ultra Thin means it's designed to be 'active' at a coating thickness of two thousands of an inch! At that thickness you literally can't see it other than a sheen. Fluid Film coating means it stays fluid during its application life. Most people assume as it's a liquid you need to see liquid on the metal it's applied to, not so. When too much is applied the surplus simply congeals, road dirt thrown up then embeds in it and it becomes like trying to clean sand out of jelly. As someone said this makes it a bugger to clean off later on, and you risk trapping corrosive particles directly in the ACF50. At the right thickness dirt should easily wash off with water.

When to apply it? ACF50 is primarily a moisture displacement and repellent treatment to prevent corrosion. Moisture doesn't just come in rain form. Washing, condensation, dew, even moisture content in road traffic film and thrown up animal waste all contain moisture. Winter periods have the added element of corrosive road salt, but throughout the year stuff like sulphur traffic fumes, industrial fallout, animal waste and road spray are also corrosive. As the treatment lasts for months, we'd say treat it at anytime and simply top it up as and when necessary.

Application:
Shake the can for a good two minutes. It's a hydrocarbon based product so the heavier elements can settle if it's been stood awhile.
Forget spraying directly from the can onto the bike. There's only 2-3% propellant in the can so it just comes out as a pink froth or a very coarse spray. You'll end up with a mess on the floor. Spray onto a microfiber cloth (these are great because they 'hold' more content than an ordinary cloth). Aim to get the cloth damp, not wet, then wipe onto all the areas you can reach. When finished you can stick the cloth in an airtight bag or container and re-use what’s still left on it several weeks later. For hard to access areas, spray into the lid until you have a little liquid in there then use a brush to dip in the liquid and apply to the bike. A long handled radiator brush is ideal to reach into recessed and awkward areas. Again don't overload the brush. Overall you're looking to apply a 'sheen like' coating.
Don't over fuss about getting it in nooks and crannies. ACF50 'creeps' like mad. Put it on, go and have a cup of tea for an hour. It'll have pretty much worked itself into everywhere.
There's no need to apply to paintwork. It's designed to protect metal, so paintwork benefits more from a decent wax or glaze coating. It won't do any harm but you'll find waxes won't 'bond' as easily or efficiently on top of an ACF50 coating. You can safely apply it to plastics and rubbers, in fact being hydrocarbon based it re-conditions them, (the original 1970's formula used to dissolve latex rubber, don't find much of that on a bike and it's been updated since anyway). Wipe on, allow to stand for a few minutes to be absorbed, then use a clean microfiber to buff off. Leaves a nice sheen and brings the colour back.

Note: using this method you won't be able to access and treat all areas of the bike unless you're prepared to strip it down to get behind fairings, under the tank, in all electrics and electronics, etc. As a rule of thumb, if you can get your hand on it, it's an 'exposed' area. Treatment on these areas will need occasional topping up as the coating degrades with riding conditions and regular washing (good indication is when water no longer beads on the surfaces). If you can't get your hand on it it's an 'unexposed' area. Coating in these areas should last a good twelve months as it's not being directly degraded.

Tips:
When you buy your can of ACF50, stick a label on it with the date. It has a shelf life of two years after which the active ingredients start to decompose. It says on the can "a little goes a long way". One can contains enough to give your bike a full initial treatment and maintain top ups through the year, 'fact you'll probably have some left

Using the wipe on method you shouldn't need to mask anything off. Just take care wiping around tyres and brake pads/discs. If you do get any on these, treat the tyres as if they were new and scrub them in for a few miles to scrub off the ACF50. With brakes, pick a safe section of road, get up to 20-30 mph to maintain airflow over the brakes and apply and release the brakes repeatedly until it's burnt off. We avoid applying to handlebar grips, doesn't do any harm but if it gets on your gloves it'll make the visor smear when you wipe it.

Finally, maintaining the coating. Best thing for the bike is avoid a build up of dirt in the first place. Use a garden hose to rinse the bike down fairly regularly. The coatings a water repellent so no need to dry it other than on paintwork to avoid water spotting, (waffle weave microfiber clothes are 10 times better and faster and can be got for a few quid). Clean down once a week or so using a neutral PH bike or car shampoo, bike cleaners such as Autoglym Motorcycle Cleaner, SDoc 100 and so on, contain a slightly more aggressive TFR (Traffic Film Remove) designed to strip oil and dirt off the bike, so will degrade the coating much faster. Feedback we've had from our customers is that after ACF50 coating and decent wax application, cleaning is a doodle and much faster.

That's about it, happy riding. I won't always get time to post on here but if anyone has any other questions feel free to email me on roy@allyearbiker.co.uk and I'll be happy to see if I can help.

[dodger]

I've been using it on my 848 since I got it.

I've been trying to wash the bike about once every 3 weeks to keep on top of it and adding a bit more ACF50 every time [around the rear shock etc]. My usage is probably excessive but just to be safe...

When the weather picks up I'll be giving the bike a deep clean and I'll see if it has worked. With the bike being brand new any corrosion will be blindingly obvious...
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My Bikes: Piaggio NRG| Aprilia RS 125| Suzuki GSX-R 600|Yamaha Fazer Ducati 848
Europe 2008

[craigs23]

It's by no means a miracle cure. I wouldn't swear by it, it won't keep your bike showroom fresh without some post ride regular rinsing. In my opinion it's also pointless using it on plastic (other than a ridiculously expensive back-to-black)- plastic doesn't seem to corrode too much in winter salt in my opinion.

Also, a heck of a lot of protection is down to your bike's ease of clean/build quality in the first place. For example, my R6 suffered a lot less from winter corrosion by only using WD40, than my CBR did last year using doses of ACF50.

Even only after a week or so of winter commuting, my bikes tend to look like this, so a decent post-winter spring clean is usually needed to keep them looking fresh for the rest of the year:

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/DSC01425.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/DSC01420.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/DSC01421.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/DSC00068.jpg

No way would any of that dirt just 'bead off' despite the massive amounts of ACF50 used. It just gets blasted and then baked onto the surface within a matter of miles.

What ACF50 did do, was give it a layer of protection over the bike's poorly finished parts - which didn't save every single component from needing a scrub down ever again, but it did make things a lot easier to keep them looking fresh after winter.

[Banned Again]

Yeah this winter malarky is a bit bad for bikers, i took Molly for a walk and struggled to stay afloat, so god knows how some bikers get through it, even sickpup can't handle the conditions.... so i've purchased a new electric blanket and started using gas again ...

[G]

I find it's generally easier to stay up with a bike - on the ice stuff you may not be going much faster, but you've got four points of contact.

[serlant]

[G]

Ok, three points of contact then .
I can only just get my feet down on my KTM - not really 'flat' down, but it makes a decent enough difference that when I did a subway-run from work before Christmas, the only two 'incidents' I had were just after getting off the bike - riding it up the icey pavement was a lot easier than walking on it!

[serlant]

i can tip toe with both feet at a stop on the XJ600, but can't get both heels down, one or the other, and i agree, if i was going over some ice i'd much rather be on it than pushing it

[BlackStallion]

Cheers for that cofdude

I coated my bike in ACF-50 today, gave it a good clean all over, and got it looking just about spotless, and then dried it all down with a clean towel, and waited about 10 minutes, then I sprayed a bit of the ACF-50 over a microfibre cloth.

I worked it all over the c,oth and got it soaked in the stuff, but i didn't use much, and the cloth felt quite heavy with what it absorbed, but felt damp, but when i started wiping the cloth over all my metal parts (except brakes) you could see the thin shiny layer of ACF-50 building up, i wiped all my plastics once, because they don't really need it, and then used the ACF-50 can itself to spray the stuff onto more vulnerable areas, such as nuts, bolts, exhaust and downpipe

I also took my rear plastic fairing off, which was covering the battery, and i cleaned all that down with a damp cloth, and then worked the ACF-50 cloth all over the parts which collect the dirt

My bkie looks brand new and shiny now, and the plastics are nice and glossy, atleast it's all ready to tackle the poor weather conditions, and hopefully keep out the elements, because i'm biking 70 mile tomorrow into Norfolk, so i'm hoping all goes well

Thanks for the help though guys, just got to wait and let the stuff work it's wonders