Having completed 4500 miles on the new DVT since May (without any reliability issues :smiley, I'm now thinking about retiring her for the winter. I plan to give her a good clean and lube but, depending upon the type of winter we have, my garage can get very damp. Last year I sprayed the bike with WD40 to protect against the damp but I was wondering if there are any better products available at preventing discolouration and furring up of the metalwork. Any advice is much appreciated.
Get the large 0.95L bottle (example Nippy Normans - Search Results & you then recieve a fine spray bottle. So that you can really take your time covering the metal zones. There is also the cheaper GT85 but I prefer acf-50.
I use a compressor and spray gun and buy the stuff in 4L bottles. The aerosols are handy though. Used with the little tube they are good for spot spraying awkwardly placed fasteners without over-spraying everything else. Don't know it the hand sprayers can be adjusted to deliver a fine jet? If not, worth keeping a can on standby as well.
ACF50 is best in class for that purpose, as others have said. If you have power to the garage it's worth treating the cause and considering a dehumidifier. I have one of these - Ruby-Dry DH600 Dehumidifier | Car Storage | Dehumidifiers - which keeps the garage a perfect 55rh from c.Oct-March. (It also means you can use the garage for storing other things for which it would ordinarily be too damp.)
The cause is the floor. It's made from bricks which appear to be loose laid. I struggle with the motivation (and time) to dig it out, lay hardcore and concrete it over. Hence I'm treating the symptoms.
And therein lies your problem, you can't beat nature, and trying to will cause the pissing away of lots of dosh in electricity or some product to combat the symptoms The worst thing you can do is to take the bike out on dry but salty roads - the fine salt coating will then suck the moisture from the air and leave the bike soaked in brine, which will rot it in days Fix the root cause, not the symptoms!
You can buy a giant plastic bag for about £40 and vacuum the air out and they have some water absorbent gel in that keeps any moisture away. I did a thread on here a few months back but Google will find it.
I feel like I've been scolded by my old primary school teacherpenmouth: The bike won't be used for the next few months so salted roads won't be a problem. I know the floor needs attention but it ain't happening this side of April.
I get condensation in my garage and just use a cotton sheet and run a 40 watt light bulb in a clip on light bulb holder clamped onto the trellis frame so the bulbs next to the rear shock. Costs pence to run and the low ambient heat from the bulb under the sheet stops condensation
If you do get around to digging the floor up. Lay down think builders membrane/rubber sheet & then cement it over(making sure it doesn't get holes in). It will stop moisture rising up from the ground.
Can't beat a Bike Bubble for keeping a bike perfect in a damp garage, you can get secondhand ones for a two or three hundred pounds, and still be worth that if you want to sell it in the future.
Just bring it into the house! Sorted! Something nice to look at on cold damp nights,nicest ornament you'll ever have! Gives you the space and time(1 day) to dig,lay the membrane and pour concrete then time l to cure!
