Winter Maintenance

[Ripp3rCrust]

Hi,

I am a new rider, having only been riding for a few weeks now for commuting to and from work.
I was wondering what sort of additional care should be taken in terms of looking after your bike in the winter months as I have heard quite a bit of contradictory advice. For example, spraying WD40 on exposed machinery? I have also read somewhere to coat exposed metal such as that on the wheels with Vaseline as to prevent corrosion.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I don't have a clue about maintenance in general, let alone winter!

Thanks

[.....]

Give the bike a clean, cover all metal bits apart from brakes in ACF-50, ride through winter, in Spring give the bike a good clean again. In the meantime it will look filthy but it will come up clean again.

[Mikey3]

do regular cleans as usual, be worth it.
hose the bike down with normal cold water, especially after riding on gritted roads - reduces the corrosive effect of the salt.
and yes, spray the bike and exposed parts with WD, acts as a protective layer, bit smelly when the bike warms up though, incase you worry when it stinks
just do this regularly and keep up the cleaning.
and LUBE THE CHAIN!
HTH
Mike
____________________
'04 Yamaha WR450F
'99 SV650 Streetfighter Project - mid build
'Motorcycling is about what you do; not about what you own, or how much you spend on it'

[Ripp3rCrust]

Thanks for the quick replies. How often would you recommend to clean and spray the exposed metal then, would weekly be enough? Would the chain also be weekly?
Also, how often would you advise to check the oil?

Cheers

[Mikey3]

[Ripp3rCrust]

[Mikey3]

You can buy chain lube, but to save yourslef some money engine oil would be perfectly fine if you have some spare
Also keep on top of tyre pressures, if its icy let 1-2psi out to help with a little grip
Mike
____________________
'04 Yamaha WR450F
'99 SV650 Streetfighter Project - mid build
'Motorcycling is about what you do; not about what you own, or how much you spend on it'