Rust! How Can I Prevent It?

[outlawtorn]

Hi y'all,

Now that I've got (Adopt Gollum voice) 'my precious', I want to do my damndest to prevent rust on it, I commute on it and it stands outside with no cover during the day and in the garage at night.

I want to stop the rust before it starts. So what I have been doing is after my 2.5 hours worth of cleaning and polishing and go over the bike with a silicon spray and a cloth and wipe it into all the bolt tops and intricate chrome bits.

Am I doing the right thing? What other suggestions/advice can you guys come up with? When I got my GZ I never knew about preventing rust and all I could do in the end was treat it and no prevent it.

Thanks in advance.

[Coyote]

Powdercoating would probebly be the best way to go. Only thing I'm sure of is use POR if there is rust on it and that'll stop the rust from continuing to grow. Ugly as shit and has a mucasy colour but works

[Oakie]

I used to use a product called 'Fish Oil' about 25 years ago. (Serious!)
Can't remember if it worked though ... or even if it made my bike smell a little fishy.
Try it if you like ... but just don't park upwind of my bike. (Oh, you're in Auckland. Don't think the smell will carry that far.)

[Lou Girardin]

Rub it down with vaseline after every ride. It'll make you both feel better. (Don't do the seat)

[Motu]

Goose grease is good,but I use lamb squeasings...lanolin in a spray can,everything sticks to your bike,but it stops rust.

[vifferman]

What you've been doing sounds OK. As long as the metal bits are protected with wax or similar, that should keep the corrosion at bay.

Alternatively, you could be like some of those hardcore HD riders and only ride when there's no chance of atmospheric moisture...

[Hitcher]

It never sleeps, you know...

[Storm]

Buy a Harley with lots'n lots of chrome, and then become one of the wank factor brigade who only ride if its a clear, still day , and then only down Harley approved "showoff" streets-ie cafes and other places where people will see you and the sun glinting off your hours-of-polishing buffed chrome

Sorted!!

[SlowHand]

Buy a Harley with lots'n lots of chrome, and then become one of the wank factor brigade who only ride if its a clear, still day , and then only down Harley approved "showoff" streets-ie cafes and other places where people will see you and the sun glinting off your hours-of-polishing buffed chrome

Sorted!!

All this from a GN rider?
remineses of THAT thread. :LOL:

Any car wax good?

[Ixion]

Buy a Triumph classic. They have automatic dynamic rustproofing (as well as auto waterproofing for the riders boots). Bikes nowdays don't have these good features. Royal Enfields have an automatic neutral selector too.

[Motu]

Buy a sportsbike with lots'n lots of plastic, and then become one of the wank factor brigade who only ride if its a clear, still day , and then only down squid approved "showoff" streets-ie cafes and other places where people will see you and the sun glinting off your hours-of-polishing buffed plastic

Sorted!!

Too bloody right!

[SlideMoto]

A friend of mine boughta brand new GN250 (yuck!) and 1 month later, its covered in rust around the instruments and stuff. She never rides in the wet and the bike is kept in a garage. The dealer told her they all do that and theres nothing you can do about it. Just live with it. Sucks if you ask me.

[eliot-ness]

First, never use wax on chrome. Wax holds moisture and chrome, even the best, is silghtly porous. Use CRC or silicone spray and buff up. Use polyurethane polish for the paintwork. Never use dishwashing detergent to wash the bike down. It will remove any protective finish you put on. and rust will start around bolt heads. Hose down first to remove grit. Wash with softwash liquid, avallable from the Warehouse. Dry with a chamois or similar, and polish with a clean mutton cloth or a soft duster. Wash them after use. An old sheet or blanket over the bike will keep off condensation in the garage.

[thealmightytaco]

I used to use a product called 'Fish Oil' about 25 years ago. (Serious!)
Can't remember if it worked though ... or even if it made my bike smell a little fishy.

Yeah, fish oil is champion apparently, sticks like hell and doesn't let anything in. Uncle of mine had a story about going fishing and at the end of the day they put the days catch into the back of the HQ, then they got home and unloaded it all. All except for this one great big something fish that had slid down a hole and into the bottom of the rear quarter panel. Months later after enduring intense reeking they found the thing rotted and juicing all over the inside of the panel, fantastic. But 20 years later after being left to die in a paddock somewhere, every square inch of the car was rusted out bar the bottom half of that panel.

And if the story of a crazy old man is to be believed, fish oil works, it totally works.

[Motu]

Well how come Italiano cars rust so much - with that much olive oil oozing out of their pores surley their cars would never rust?