Maintenance

[Bigboy3000lbs]

What do you guys use for rust prevention on bolts and screws on your bikes?

[John A]

If I can find it, I like to use battery terminal protectant that is gold in color.  Almost all of it is now red in color, not much use.  For external protection maybe one of the anti corrosion sprays like ACF 50.  Internal is antisneeze , I like the nickel based stuff just because the color of the excess looks better around exhaust fittings.  Otherwise spray silicone or WD40 is useful.  If you are near an ocean, you'll get surface corrosion on the part of the fastener nicked by a wrench.

[Sasquatch Jim]

Hope. That's heavy oil prevents .

[Beowulf]

Maybe not the finish you want but i thought this was neat.
https://youtu.be/CTMUEmQbniM

[Bigboy3000lbs]

I use nothing and have never had a problem. Ride the bike in the rain, yep. Wash the bike with soap and water, yep. I do when I have time blow the bike off with the shop vac. Other times it dries naturally. Still no problem.

 


I live by the ocean and the salt air eats stuff like crazy

[kfz]

Replace all the common fasteners with cheap EBAY A2 stainless. SS is so cheap these days and you can order small amounts of common bolts for so little its not worth messing about with.  Makes maintenance so much easier knowing it will come apart easy. Ive spent my time impacting cheesehead Japanese philips screws off, after 20 years in British weather thanks,  Stainless allen heads now.  I got out to the Guzzi I know i can remove the rocker covers or wheels in no time with no drama.

Kev

[sign216]

Replace all the common fasteners with cheap EBAY A2 stainless. SS is so cheap these days and you can order small amounts of common bolts for so little its not worth messing about with.  Makes maintenance so much easier knowing it will come apart easy. Ive spent my time impacting cheesehead Japanese philips screws off, after 20 years in British weather thanks,  Stainless allen heads now.  I got out to the Guzzi I know i can remove the rocker covers or wheels in no time with no drama.

Kev

I agree, replace what you can w stainless.  And on exhaust bolts use the grey nickel based anti-seize, like John said.  For other metal I like Dupont's Teflon spray. 

As an aside, for blued firearms and carbon steel knives (i.e. non-stainless) the tubs of brown RIG (rust inhibiting grease) are the best.

Joe

[Dilliw]

If I can find it, I like to use battery terminal protectant that is gold in color.  Almost all of it is now red in color, not much use.  For external protection maybe one of the anti corrosion sprays like ACF 50.  Internal is antisneeze , I like the nickel based stuff just because the color of the excess looks better around exhaust fittings.  Otherwise spray silicone or WD40 is useful.  If you are near an ocean, you'll get surface corrosion on the part of the fastener nicked by a wrench.

I've done an ACF 50 treatment the last 3 springs and it does seem to help.  And I also use anti seize; Kim gets mad at me though as I've never not made a mess with the stuff .

[Rick in WNY]

Ya beat me to it with the stainless comment... one point to consider... do not use a stainless nut on a stainless bolt or thread a stainless bolt or screw into a threaded stainless hole. The term you're looking to avoid is thread galling, also known as cold-welding.

Little bit of metallurgy here, so hang on!

Stainless is, well, stainless, because of the high level of Chromium in the steel. Chromium oxidizes in air and makes a protective coating on the stainless that prevents any further oxidation. If scratched, the newly exposed chromium oxidizes and the non-rusting coating is maintained.

The issue on fasteners is that when the mating threads scrape past each other, the oxide coating gets scraped off both the nut and bolt. As long as they're in motion, this is fine. But once they stop, that raw chromium on both faces binds together, effectively "cold welding" the bolt and nut together. Or SS bolt and SS tapped hole. Point being... there's no way to remove that fasteners short of cutting it.

However, there are other options. Stainless bolt into a carbon steel nut or hole is just fine. Same with aluminum. Stainless into a nickel nut, or silicon bronze nut, or a brass nut, all fine. When I put new exhaust baffles in my wife's Harley, I used stainless bolts and silicon bronze nuts... or the other way around, I can' recall exactly which. Point being, if I ever need to remove them, the fasteners are high temp, non rusting, and won't gall.

Just fun facts to pass along here.

Rick

[John A]

Stainless metric bolts use a different marking system than the familiar 8.8, 10.9etc. It is marked 50,70,80 etc. only use 70 or better,  on brake discs 80 or better.  If it doesn't get Locktite (rare) or Vibratight it gets antisneeze

[Groover]

ACF-50 I think is probably what you need. The A4 grade is stronger than the A2 when it comes to SS bolts for the US grading naming, but they are not as easy to find as the A2. I was going all SS when I restored my G5, then I had a case of Galling, read up more on SS bolts, realized I was actually downgrading strength, so reverted back to the original nuts/bolts and/or matched proper grade where I replaced things. I think the SS is OK for valve covers and such, but anything that is critical to strength and safety, I'd stick to OEM grade. That's just my paranoia, you don't have to live it.. but passing this a long as information here.

[kingoffleece]

ACF-50.  The Brits coat their bikes in this stuff for winter riding.  Works a treat.  Works on my snowplow fantastic and your bike will never see exposure like that.

[Bigboy3000lbs]

ACF-50.  The Brits coat their bikes in this stuff for winter riding.  Works a treat.  Works on my snowplow fantastic and your bike will never see exposure like that.

Yeah I might try that stuff