Before I start, this is the process I use…it has worked safely for some years now. If you use another method and it also works, see how it compares.

I hope this post is helpful. Incidentally, I like the word ‘motorcycle’ but you can think ‘bike’ or ‘motorbike’ if you prefer 😉

The Problem

If you, like me, live in the UK or another country that has cold winters, you’ll be aware that metal parts, especially chrome plated ones, can corrode over the winter. The end result is unsightly brown rust and pitting of the metal. There is no easy fix, except to re-chrome or replace. Aluminium parts can also suffer, leaving white surface deposits. If your motorcycle has a carburettor, modern fuels can absorb water and do the same to the inside of it.

The problem is exacerbated in the UK, because salt is spread on the roads once there is a risk of ice.

Most of my motorcycles are vintage or classic, and have quite a large amount of chrome to protect…although modern motorcycles do have chrome in places e.g. the handlebars.

Why do bike parts corrode in winter?

The main reason is condensation. During warmer weather, the temperature of your motorcycle changes with the ambient temperature, although it’s slower to change than the air. In winter, we can have days when the ambient temperature is around 2°C (often minus overnight). This isn’t so much of an issue if the temperature changes slowly.

Unfortunately we sometimes get large variations in temperature…the ambient air temperature can change from 2°C to say 12°C in an hour, but the metal of your motorcycle might take several hours to catch up. The dew point, or the temperature at which ‘dew’ or condensation forms, might be say 6°C after the temperature rises…and the warmer air is usually quite humid. The temperature of your motorcycle is well below dew point, so it becomes covered in condensation. I have been outside in the past, when this large increase in ambient air temperature has occurred, to find my porch tiles soaking wet, along with my garage floor and all my motorcycles; when I say wet, I mean literally dripping with water.

Rusty Wheel Rim

If your motorcycle is dusty or dirty, the moisture will be held on the metal surfaces for much longer, further exacerbating the problem.

If you catch corrosion early enough, you can polish off the brown marks. The chrome plating will look okay, but the damage will have been done. There are lots of products that claim to remove or cure the rust; they may make it look better, but the problem is still there.

What do I do?

Ideally I would build a nice new large garage and keep it centrally heated…I do know a man who has this.

In addition to corrosion prevention, I carry out a few other tasks to preserve the motorcycle and minimise the recommissioning for the next season.

NOTE: I ‘put my bikes to bed’ as soon as the first salt is spread on the road, and don’t ‘wake them up again’ until the weather dictates; usually that’s in March.

So, here are the steps I take, presented as a ‘method’:

Clean your motorcycle – use your normal cleaning routing to remove all mud, dust and other gunge. Then dry it fully. My motorcycles tend to be cleaned as soon as I get back from a ride, so for me, this is just a wipe over with a soft cloth damp with multi-surface cleaner.

Pump up your tyres – I check my tyres for wear and damage, before pumping them up to around 25psi each. Motorcycle tyres DO slowly deflate over time. If it has one, put your motorcycle on its centre stand.

Drain the petrol out – I try and use my fuel before the end of the season. You will be using E5 99 octane fuel of course…not the nasty E10 stuff. Store any remaining fuel in a suitable safe container and consider adding an ethanol fuel stabiliser; Lucas make such a thing.

Add alkylate fuel – I then put one litre of alkylate fuel in each tank. Several manufacturers make alkylate fuel; two examples are Aspen and Husqvarna, which I use. It is petrol and ethanol free and designed for professional garden tools…it’s over £20 for five litres, so you won’t want to run your bike on it all the time. The good thing about it is, it has a shelf life of at least two years, so is safe over winter. It is around 95 octane and can be mixed with regular E5 petrol.

Run your motorcycle – turn the fuel on, tickle the carburettor and start your motorcycle. Let it warm up for five minutes to make sure the fuel is through and the carburettor full of the alkylate fuel. Stop your engine, turn off the fuel…but don’t drain the carburettor, as the alkylate fuel will help protect the internal parts.

ACF-50 Spray Can

Protect the metal parts – once your motorcycle has fully cooled, use a protective coating to stop any rust or other corrosion occurring. WD-40 is NOT good enough, but is better than nothing. I use ACF-50 sprayed onto a rag. ACF-50 was designed for protecting aircraft parts and it ideal for protecting motorcycles. DON’T spray it on the bike as it finds its way into many places you really don’t want it. Spray it onto a rag and wipe the chrome plated parts with it. Exhaust pipes, silencers (including the underside), wheel rims and spokes, control levers, handlebars, headlamp and instrument rims etc. You might not be able to see the ACF-50 on the surface, but wipe it with your finger and you’ll see it’s there.

Squirt some oil in the cylinder – probably not an essential step if you’re likely to bring your motorcycle out as soon as the weather warms up, but if you have several motorcycles, it’s something to consider. I simply remove the spark plug(s) then squirt a little light oil into the cylinder. I then turn the engine over a few times to coat the cylinder bore. Then I pop the spark plug back in.

Cover your motorcycle – I have Oxford Dormex covers on all my bikes. They help stabilise the air temperature on the motorcycle, but also keep dust and spider poo off your pride and joy.

Battery care – batteries, whether they be 6v or 12v, lose charge over time. If you’re riding your motorcycle, it will be continually topped up by the machine’s charging system. Over winter, you need to keep the battery charged…either by trickle charging or by regular top ups. I used to charge mine every four weeks, but have now found three weeks is a better interval. Bear in mind also, that batteries do not like the cold, and their capacity decreases as the temperature drops.

Accumate Dual Voltage Charger

I use a dual voltage (6v and 12v) Accumate battery charger on my motorcycles. There are many different makes and models available, but this one can charge and maintain my batteries. The Accumate system makes life easy…you need to fit a fused charger cable to each of your motorcycles, and then simply plug the charger in. The Accumate has traditional crocodile clips with it too.

If you only have a few motorcycles, it might pay you to remove them and put them somewhere warmer than a freezing garage. You can still charge them indoors, in a well ventilated area.

When your battery dies, usually due to sulphation (‘sulfation’ is the US spelling), it pays to replace it with a good quality one. Cheap batteries are definitely false economy…ask me how I know! Sulphation occurs when a battery is left undercharged. Lead sulphate crystals form on the negative battery plates, reducing the battery’s capacity, and ability to take a charge too. Desulphation is often possible, if you catch the sulphation early enough.

Are you thinking of starting your motorcycle periodically? Personally, I would resist the temptation to run your motorcycle over the winter…it may cause internal condensation which results in a water/oil emulsion that can damage bearings and more. By all means turn it over a couple of times, but don’t start it.

When the good weather returns, wipe the ACF-50 off anything that gets hot…and any other parts if you wish…and you should be good to go. After checking the tyres again and doing your normal start of season recommissioning.