Wet weather riding

[Inno]

As you might know from my other posts I am new to riding on a full liscence, i currently have a CBR600 fx.

I am now having to ride in all weather, to and from work. And seeing as the good old English summer has gone I need to know what sort of thing i should do to the bike maintenance wise.

I don't want the summer to come around next year and I find that things have gone to rust and parts don't work......

Will riding in very wet weather mess up the bike/ shorten its life?

Can people give me some pointers on this ?

Thanks alot

[yambabe]

- Spray everything in WD40

- Each time you go out in the rain (especially once the gritters start coming out to play) wash/wipe and spray with WD40 again.

- Alternatively, buy a cheap "winter hack" that you won't care about so much........
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[NickD]

You've got a bit of a head start, 'cos the finish on later Honda's is pretty tough. Water alone won't do much to a bike, it's the salt that's the killer, with Dec, Jan and Feb being worst 'cos the gritters are out. Luckily they are predicting a warm, wet winter this year so it might not be too bad. If possible, get yourself a cheap pressure washer, the cheaper the better, and rinse the bike when you get home. Obviously pressure washers are generally a bad idea (forcing water into bearings etc) but cheaper ones are pretty low pressure anyway, just be careful. As Babyyam said, WD40 is essential, use it on all protected metal, it will bake onto the exhaust, but come spring, autosol and elbow grease will fix that. Use a good wax polish on the bodywork, 'cos salt is very abrasive, and if you are soaked with salt water (and you will be) things like your knees gripping the tank will wear the paint a little. A good polish, used frequently, will protect against this. Another thing to look at is the electrics, salt increases the conductivity of water, leading to shorts etc. Most car spares shops sell silicone sealant sprays, take an afternoon to go round the bike and seal all connector blocks etc (make sure the bike has been dry for a few days beforehand, so you're not sealing water in). Oh, and if it snows........ just phone in sick.
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I was only doing what it said on my licence officer....
Tear along the dotted line!

[dainesefreak]

WD40.

Even better = GT85, you get it from Halfords cycle section. It does more or less the same thing as WD40 but it contains Teflon and is water resistant. WD40 is water soluble or it used to be.

I ride all year round too, I give the bike a hose down when I get back home and use some Muc Off when it's needed. It's a set of cleaning stuff you can buy off the web and comes in a pump spray so it's a quick 15 minutes or so to clean it.

Then I use the GT85 on the nuts and bolts likely to fur/corrode. I only use the GT85 every so often though, I'm not overly anal!

You bought a Honda anyway so you already have an advantage!

[Rory]

Another alternative to WD40 is Scottoiler FS365 spray. Seems pretty good to me.
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My Old CBR400RR | Bike Oil FAQ | Petrol FAQ

[JodieWodie]

........So...WD40 or that Scottoiler spray....we spray this ALL OVER the bike ???

Bodywork...engine...chain..wheels....everything ?
Apart from brakes of course

I have always been a bit confused as to what and what not to mess with when cleaning the bike.
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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow"

[NickD]

Spray the engine by all means, but leave it to evaporate before starting the bike. I've set fire to more than one bike by being careless with this (more recently than I would like to admit).
____________________
I was only doing what it said on my licence officer....
Tear along the dotted line!

[Dusty]

[Rory]