F*k sake. Having 'restored' my engine cosmetically last year, and feeling quite proud of what I'd managed to achieve using elbow grease, etch primer, paint and lacquer etc . . . . . ONE season in the garden shed has done this (nowhere else to store it) - It looks like salt has come to the surface, or moisture has permeated the paintwork. At any rate it's bad enough to have to start all over again. The third photo shows the results of going back to the bare casing, as the primer/paint came off quite easily, and it actually looks ok. But other areas of the casing just look really shitty, and I'm not convinced that any kind of polishing would bring those areas up to the same standard. So back to square one. Question is what to do. I'm not taking the engine to bits for the following reasons. 1. Its in good working order 2. I can't afford cerakote etc (but probably the only solution worth bothering with) 3. I don't have the tools and mechanical knowledge anyway
Keep it in an airtight plastic bag, with a pack of drying crystals. Then you can leave it out in the rain without fear. Alternatively spray ACF50 all over it from time to time.
Id have to say cerakote.....you might find that if you do pull it apart theres stuff that can be done (preventative maintenance) - when mine went down to the cases the main bearings were a known failure point (change) and i got to do some light head work too, plus the crank that went in mine got balanced making it smoother to ride...
I have bikes in a shed, which provokes these sorts of concerns. Does yours have power ck_uk? I run a dehumidifier in mine from Sept to about now and it's a game-changer, keeps everything at the perfect 55%RH.
I’d second using a dehumidifier, my garage doesn’t even seem damp but it’s surprising how much water that thing collects, it has the extra benefit of keeping everything else in there, tools etc, bone dry, they cost very little to run and a really good one is less than £200.
I use a small electric fan from set low on the thermostat, cover the bike over and you have a warm, maintained eco system
A nice big gap under the back door of the garage and a gap at the front ensures good circulation...its round the side of the house so its a bit of a wind tunnel round there which helps..
The killer is the condense - evaporate cycle in winter, especially in brick or stone sheds / garages. I keep my bikes in a wooden shed and under dust covers (old sheets) for the winter and that does the job. There is not much heat, just the trickle chargers, but it seems to be enough. As for the damage to the surfaces it looks like you'll have to "suck it up" as the Americans say, and do the good work again.
Thanks all for your kind replies, some useful tips there. Unfortunately the shed doesn't have power, but I think the whole setup will be changing this year anyway. I guess my concern now is what to do next. Is it possible to actually polish up the metal of these casings, so that there is no coating and no paint to ever flake off again? It would it become grubby looking in no time? Probably an impossible task anyway I guess, unless dismantling. Or re-etch and paint again?
I've certainly seen others polish their Ducati engines of different eras, I don't however know how this stands up to regular use on UK roads. Some of the ones I've seen are show bikes so not used much.
One commercial version of plastic bag/dessicant as described by Pete above is called VacBag. I've used a couple every winter for a few years now. Any tears can be 'repaired' with duct tape and replacement dessicant, when eventually needed, is available from VacBag and elsewhere.
