Daily Commute : Bike Preparation

[OxMan]

Hi all,

Am just about to move house and that means I will be doing a daily short hop to the station on my K13R.

Have invested in a top box (I know!) and cover, plus some waterproofs etc...

...the question I have is what particular preparations I should make to the bike... both in terms of fettling and also corrosion protection - my front hub is spotless, my rear has a little bit of bubbling... am wondering if there's a product you would recommend to apply to those and other vulnerable areas to minimise the spread of the plague.

May as well also ask for great cleaning products - currently I mostly use Vulcanet wipes but expect I will need something more heavy duty when I use daily but clean weekly...

Thanks in advance all!!

[raesewell]

ACF 50 put it on and leave it until the better weather then wash it off.

[OxMan]

Thanks Rae - ACF50 was the thing I was expecting would crop up - should that go for hubs and the swing arm...? Any other particular areas...?

[black-k1]

I have commuted from Suffolk to the South Bank for 7 months a year for the last 7 years. Once a year I get my bikes professionally coated with ACF50 through All Weather Biker and follow the advice to wash it rarely and let the ACF50 do it's job. (That's pretty easy advice to follow!)

Both my K1300Ss did 3 years/50K+ miles and still looked like new (excluding the "corrode from the inside" paint BMW apply to various components like the final drive!)

[Phmode]

Definitely ACF50! All Weather Biker did a great job on my K12S which sat out on the drive under an Oxford and various other covers down the years. It wasn't used to commute but got used all year round as and when the fancy took me.

I actually took all the panels off before taking it along to a public treatment session but the guys had really long lances to get into the engine bay and all points south and I needn't have bothered.

If you do it yourself then make sure you cover your tyres with sheets or take the wheels off; there's a vid on Utube of a guy slathering it all over his GS and then riding off with the tyres smothered in the stuff. I guess he survived as he posted the vid but I'd be more cautious   

Oh, and make sure you have a decent security set up...

[OxMan]

Fab - there's an All Weather Biker down the road from me so it's booked in there for Saturday.

Security wise - I have a mahoosive chain; 2 mega-locks and a cover; plus it's got Datatag... so that should do the job methinks... unless there's any other particular things I should have...?

[Matt]

I'd only add to google or youtube your chain and see if it's easily done in.

As per possibly the trip thread there's Almax and the one I've forgotten again... oh I have the tab open still, Pragmasis. And only at certain diameter links.

Do you know what you'll be locking it to? There's a bunch of info about chain placement, avoiding laying it on the ground etc.

Disc lock with alarm maybe? Not that mine did much!

[Phmode]

C'mon Matt, it's a K13S, no one wants to steal that. Yours was an S1000 and everyone wants one of those 

[Matt]

C'mon Matt, it's a K13S, no one wants to steal that. Yours was an S1000 and everyone wants one of those 

Haha I know

8 years of K ownership, nothing. 3 weeks of S ownership... something .

Let us see how R goes.

[Phmode]

A bloke who lives over the road from Swimbo in west Swindon leaves his GS out on the street or taking up one of two car parking spaces, day in, day out and has done for years with no cover, no lock and not even the alarm set.

It is still there.

Unfortunately

[OxMan]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[richtea]

8 years of K ownership, nothing. 3 weeks of S ownership... something .

Let us see how R goes.

Just make it look like an old 70s bike. Oh.