Thoughts on riding after roads have been salted and sanded

bmwr1150rbmw · Post by **bmwr1150rbmw** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 11:25 am

Hey folks, Just wondering what you think about riding after the first snowstorm on roads that have been salt and sand. Are there specific things I can do or watch out for, aside from washing the bike, to prevent unnecssary rusting or other unwanted things from happening. Thanks

Post by **towerworker** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 12:24 pm

The biggest "unwanted" thing to be concerned about it "dumping" it on salted and sanded asphalt. Be careful----the road can be treacherous.

As far as the corrosion issue goes------ a good washing is what is needed to remove the chemicals.

wayne

Post by **Dauntless** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 4:00 pm

Don't use hot water to wash salt off of your bike because it makes the corrosion worse.

Post by **Buckster** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:06 am

I also try to wait a couple of days at least. That way traffic has removed most of the sand and salt.

Post by **Robert_winter_1000** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:28 pm

Dauntless wrote:Don't use hot water to wash salt off of your bike because it makes the corrosion worse.

I agree with Dauntless. Wash your bike thoroughly as soon as possible with COLD water. Salt and sand can really damage the bike. I stop using my bike when it start freezing.
Good luck
Robert

AndyfromPoland · Post by **AndyfromPoland** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:55 am

Good advice on using cold water, but let the bike cool down first since otherwise you may as well use warm water. The reason is not so much that the warm water itself is harmful but rather that it dissolves the salt and pushes the saline solution it into the corners and holes which are difficult to clean.

After every ride - it's amazing how quickly salt eats bikes.

R4R&R · Post by **R4R&R** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:40 pm

I've ridden every winter, after snow falls and the roads have been salted/chemical'd and haven't really noticed any adverse aging. Granted, I don't wash my bike religously, but it does still clean up good when I take the time to give it a thorough detailing. Almost 60k miles and still going strong. I think the worst of my bike is from the last year of parking it outside while at work. the sun has taken it's toll on the black parts, like mirror stalks/mirrors, air intake, really any visible black plastic parts.

riceburner · Post by **riceburner** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:24 pm

either clean it religiously, or get it REALLY dirty before taking it out - the dirt will act like a covering protective layer*.

The biggest problem I have at the moment, and got it quite badly this morning, is my Bob Heath anti-mist visor spray freezing up INSIDE the visor! I was huffing at it every minute or so to keep it from going solid!

* to an extent...

Post by **baltm604** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:08 pm

I have riden over 25k in the city of chicago, 365 (I miss about 3 weeks a year because of ice in the alley behind the garage). The bike is washed twice a year when I need to work on it.

The only corrosion I have are the bolts on the cat connecting to the exhaust.

otherwise the bike looks and runs fine.

On a side note, I have had a couple of wiring issues (broken or severed wires). While I can blame a couple on the over tightened zip ties, there is one instance where the low temps (7F and below) may have cause a wire to be brittle and break, but this is just a guess...

Bill