As winter descends

[Dogmatick]

Yup it's that time of year and as many of you know from my incessant rambling I am a new rider.

I have noticed in the past couple of days a few mentions of winterproofing bits and pieces on the bikes.

Us newbs would love a few of the long timers (notice I didn't use 'old') to list some things that we ought to do to our bikes in prep for the cold, the damp and almost certainly the salt that is to come

Thanks in advance for your wisdom

D

[oggy]

Easy answer - unless dry, salt free and sunny, hibernation. Mind, I live in the tundra.

If you must ride every day, one piece oversuit, two pairs of gloves/socks, de-mister on the visor, check all lights and tyres and hose down well immediatly after riding in salt. Spray everything metal bar the tank with a light oil and coat yourself in whale blubber while you're at it.

[T ALP]

Yup it's that time of year and as many of you know from my incessant rambling I am a new rider.

I have noticed in the past couple of days a few mentions of winterproofing bits and pieces on the bikes.

Us newbs would love a few of the long timers (notice I didn't use 'old') to list some things that we ought to do to our bikes in prep for the cold, the damp and almost certainly the salt that is to come

Thanks in advance for your wisdom

D

If you hav'nt got one already get yourself a cable oiler, Iv'e tried to upload a pic. but because Im'e not a subscriber I car'nt it works under pressure off a bycycle pump and worth its weight in gold.

Watch out for the first frosts, bad enough on four wheels lethal on two!
Keep warm at any cost when your body gets frozen your brain don't work! and it needs to work overtime in winter riding

And as said above wash the salt off, or you will find you've done a months work over the winter for nothing in depreciation cost to the bike.

[Dogmatick]

Tanks gents, T Alp what 'is' a cable oiler ??

[StumpyFingers]

Basically a cable oiler forces oil down the cables.
The thing I am doing is checking for rust on the very poorly painted frame, also ensuring all the fasteners are secure.
I will then polish the bike and spray it with ACF50 or equivalent, which will remain on the bike until spring.

[tramp]

hi ,
as stumpy says good clean then a good spray or paint brush in the lid for the hard to get to bits and the spokes on the wheels especially BUT not anywhere near the brakes.

give front/rear spindles a coat of silicone grease and spray inside the carb choke plungers-[ easy with long nose pliars].

then when riden in salt give it a hose down with clean water after ride/work- then my favorite trick give whole bike a blow down with the petrol leaf blower,[ like a giant hair drier for bikes , well its out so i`ll use it].

If the brakes start to stick at the pistons its probably the sliders coated in road gung!"!- strip down and lubricate before winter is best then again in spring.

tramp

[rlkat]

I brush on a combined mixture of ACF50 and Waxoyl for the rims, spokes and behind the rear foot rest hangers. It takes a bit more elbow grease when it comes to spring cleaning but it works. Then neat ACF50 on all the other bits.
I also attach stiff plastic sheets below the radiators and above the sump guard on each side. This stops salt spray blasting the engine.

rob

[davedixon]

This week end I intend to give the bike 'A Damn Good Cleaning'. When washed and ridden dried I will spray liberaly with ACF50 and for the plasticy bits I'm going to use 'Mr Sheen'. Is this ok? Anybody got anything against it? It will smell nice for a bit too! Dave. (ok let me have it about the Mr Sheen).

[T ALP]

Tanks gents, T Alp what 'is' a cable oiler ??

Answered for you by Stumpy, well worth having I was going to put the pic. up so if you saw one in a jumble anywhere you would know to buy it
they have been around a long time now, I bought mine forty years ago
cost me about five bob, now I don't want to piss you off but thats 25p in your money! In the eighties alot of people stopped using them because the manifacturers started nylon lining cables and if you pushed oil through them the nylon swelled and the cable seized, but I guess everything comes round again at least with the alp --- no nylon lined cables

[StumpyFingers]

I can remember when they were very popular with the DIY mechanic.
About the same time petrol cost £0.9s.6d a gallon. Or 45p a gallon.