Pre-emptive cleaning

[MisterPrice10...]

Hello all. I have recently swapped my tired and worn out hornet 900 for a KTM 390 Duke

It's due to arrive in a week and I was hoping for some advice on pre-emptive measures I can take to try and keep it clean and shiny for as long as possible (aside from not riding it into a tree).

I am very lucky in the fact that I found a bike that was only 11 months old and had covered a mere 349 miles!

I would like to do as much as I can to it before i start riding it to stop it turning into the crusty mess my 900 ended up as.

Current plans are:

ACF 50 treatment where appropriate

A 'speedo angel' screen to protect the TFT display dash.

Autoglym do a fantastic wheel protect I will be using



Any other recommendations or products to avoid welcome!
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18 bikes later and still no idea what i'm doing.

[P.]

[MisterPrice10...]

[ThunderGuts]

When you get it, thoroughly clean and dry it. For paintwork, give it several layers of a good auto wax (e.g. Collinite 476s) which will protect that nicely. Then cover up tyres/brakes/control points (handlebars, levers, pegs etc.), take off the seat and douse the bike in ACF50 (including the underside!). Let it "soak in" for a good 20 minutes before going over with a soft cloth to wipe off the excess.

From that point onwards, the key is keeping it clean, topping up the ACF50 reasonably regularly and cleaning/waxing the paintwork from time to time.

No matter what you do though, every bike will eventually show signs of age, treatments like the above will slow this down, as will riding it only in dry weather, avoiding salt, garaging it etc. etc. - it's all a balance.
____________________
TG.

[P.]

Did you research the 390.

That's my reasoning. They are cheaply made, things just break on them. The dash stops working, bearings just give up, rust appears all over the place... They are budget bikes.

[ThatDippyTwat]

[grr666]

Several coats of Colinite 476s.

Really? I'd go two thin coats maximum. But would probably use something softer for ease of application.
476s can leave some chalky deposits behind, especially if you are slapping the stuff on.

Personally I use vinyl and rubber trim gel for the engine parts, frame and black plastics, quick detailer for the rest.
Chain fling and wheels cleaned of grease using these builders handy wipes which cleans off greasy deposits and are
of course disposable. Safe enough for your hands so won't hurt paints or plastics.

KTM anecdote - Fowlers van driver came to collect my bike as I had holed the rad. In conversation he mentioned it
made a change to not be collecting KTMs. There were 3 already on the van going back for warranty work.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[ThunderGuts]

[MisterPrice10...]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Do you commute in all weathers? If not there's no need for any of this bullshit snake-oil crap. If you DO commute in all weathers, chances are any bike's going to look a bit sorry for itself without very, very regular TLC. By which I mean daily. I know, I know - there's all these accounts of ACF50-ing a bike in September and hosing it off in April, to reveal a brand new machine beneath the encrusted layers of winter's crud. But if you're riding on salty city roads, and parking it outside every night, chances are any bike's going to look a bit the worse for wear after a few years of it.

If 95% of your riding is in dry weather there's no need to do anything. Just dry it off a bit when it's wet, keep it in a garage or shed, and in winter may be spray it with some WD40 or similar every now and again. Bit of an oily rag wipe over ditto. But how and what you do to maintain any bike's finish depends on frequency and type of use.

My main worry with a 390 would be what's going on internally rather than externally, but this might be because I've read bad things that aren't that factual.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[MisterPrice10...]

[quote="ThunderGuts"For paintwork, give it several layers of a good auto wax (e.g. Collinite 476s) which will protect that nicely.[/quote]

Stupid question time but i would rather ask than mess it up.

A vast majority of the KTM is plastic . Would the wax still be suitable for that?

Thanks
____________________
18 bikes later and still no idea what i'm doing.

[grr666]

Yes, you can wax plastic.


To be fair, I don't ride it in the wet or wash the bike in the traditional sense. It gets wiped down more than washed.
The orangey wipes are excellent for removing oil fling from the back wheel and surrounding areas. Most of my cleaning
is carried out indoors as I use waterless methods, If I needed an all weather commuter then I'd probably ACF50
it after a clean as well, just to seal it in or more likely I'd just use my plastic bodied scoot if I really HAD to ride somewhere
when the weathers bad.
____________________
Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[MisterPrice10...]

Thanks again for the advice

This is going to be an all weather bike, which is why I'm hoping to get it as protected as possible while it's still as clean as can be!

Has anyone used the ACF grease in a tube? Just wondered if there is any point in putting that around the electrical connections and rubbers etc or if I'm just duplicating my workload
____________________
18 bikes later and still no idea what i'm doing.

[EazyDuz]

1. Wash bike with car shampoo and open ended hose.
2. Use fallout remover on wheels, brake disc, anything metal including paint
3. Rinse again
4. Clay bar or clay mitt the paintwork
5. Rinse again
6. Seal with Fusso99 (best hydrophobic sealant you can get)
6. Cover all electrical couplers or exposed wiring in dielectric grease
7. In winter, cover the bike in ACF50 inc the underside
8. If you want to go one step further, buy some cavity wax and inject it into the frame itself (find an opening).

Thats what ive always done on my bikes and they've always looked like new despite only washing the bike maybe 4 times a year. Note that the fallout, clay and ACF50 is only done once a year. Fusso99 maximum twice a year, it lasts forever
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To shreds you say? Tss tss tss

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Any more details on the kind of use it's getting? All year round commuting? Is that it? In that case, I personally prefer a sort of 'little and often' kind of approach. Wet bike? Dry it off somehow (rags), clean and oil chain, spray metal parts w/ wd40 or similar (not on brakes. obvs). Dry bike? Don't do anything apart from clean and oil chain. This has been what I've done on all the bikes I've owned and they've tended to look almost as good as when I bought them (NB I only buy 2nd hand). Every now and again they look better with a bit of aha ahem 'detailing' - i.e. wd40 on a rag, clean wheels, swing arm, casings etc. Other than that, fuck it.
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[MisterPrice10...]

Really liking all of these suggestions so far so thanks!

I'm gonna get myself some fusso wax and some acf spray as well as some dielectric grease I think!

Ive not heard of fallout remover before, any particular one recommended?

As for the fusso wax I'm guessing it's the anti-corrosion one that they do, I finally worked something out for myself hahaha
____________________
18 bikes later and still no idea what i'm doing.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

buy loads of weird and wonderful expensive products that don't much more than an oily rag
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Evil Hans]

[MisterPrice10...]

[Johnnythefox]

My experience using ACF50 for the past three years is that for snake oil it does an amazing good job.

[ThunderGuts]

As said before, wax can be used any painted material - it's the paint it protects

I used to use Klasse all in one acrylic sealant under Collinite too for extra protection. In fact, my ritual for my cars (and I have done this to one of my bikes, but it's a naked and the only painted bit is the fuel tank);

1) Rinse thoroughly
2) wash with Megs Gold Class, two bucket method and wool mitt
3) rinse thoroughly
4) clay bar with Megs quick detailer
5) wash and rinse again
6) Klasse All-in-one then buff
7) 2-3 coats Collinite

That finish will lift the paintwork to lovely depth of colour and will protect it for ages too. It's hard work but detailing stuff smells nice and it's quite satisfying to get a great result at the end of it.
____________________
TG.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[ThunderGuts]

[flearider]