Salty Roads

[spyder01]

Have any of you taken rides when there is salt on the roads.They use that brine solution around here that leaves stripes on the road,but its gonna be 65 deg tomorrow and Im itchin to ride.Wondering what it might do to the wheels and frame .I remember how it screwed up the back wheel of my GW and was pitted forever after a winter ride to Daytona.

[Wmoater]

If the roads are dry and the salt is dried on the roads you are fine. I would simply jack the bike up on a lift and spray the frame down and you are good to go. I put 400 plus miles on mine over christmas and I am in PA, NY and OHIO. I won’t take it into NY but right now PA and ohio we use a lot more brine than you guys have in the snow belt area. If the roads are wet, I won’t go out, or you’re asking for the salt to get in every crevice possible. Guys do it with sleds all the time but why beat them up. Dry go for it, wet NOPE!

[krakum1967]

A good wash once a week if you are winter riding so remove your brines and salts will suffice, just be sure to do extensive rust inspections each spring and clean up any little "cancer" bits that start, you will be okay. I know one rider that Flex sealed his bottom side as he rides year round in Minnesota, he even has studded tires....

[pegasus1300]

A good wash once a week if you are winter riding so remove your brines and salts will suffice, just be sure to do extensive rust inspections each spring and clean up any little "cancer" bits that start, you will be okay. I know one rider that Flex sealed his bottom side as he rides year round in Minnesota, he even has studded tires....

That just brings up some horrible visions...………….

[2dogs]

Studded tires? Yesteryear I would have seriously considered that but today I don't think so. At temps below 30 I don't flex as well as I used to. I could probably get on my spyder and go somewhere, but when I got there I likely wouldn't be able to get off of it. LOL

[krakum1967]

Not my gig. i am in that time of year where I run it long enough to get the mail, and do some shopping, warm it up good, but I really dont ride from Dec through January, and I like car heaters just fine....

[12tree]

The old rule of thumb here in Wisconsin, where there are 2 seasons, road construction and salt, one would not ride a motorcycle on the road until after the first serious rainstorm.
I always cringe when I see a $30,000 Harley out on the first warm day in April.
There are so many nooks and crannies on a bike ( and Spyder) that I do not believe that either can be properly cleaned from salt.
On a Spyder you would have to remove most of the body panels to get close.
I purchased my Spyder this past summer and had decided to not ride this winter until that first rain.
However, after giving it some thought, I decided that since I am 68 years old and have some physical issues ( If I didn't I wouldn't have a Spyder) I have a limited amount of riding years left.
I am going to ride when it's above 40 degrees.
I have a heated jacket liner.

Let it rust.

Another issue is the salt and sand are very slippery.

[PinkRosePetal]

Have any of you taken rides when there is salt on the roads.They use that brine solution around here that leaves stripes on the road,but its gonna be 65 deg tomorrow and Im itchin to ride.Wondering what it might do to the wheels and frame .I remember how it screwed up the back wheel of my GW and was pitted forever after a winter ride to Daytona.

The salt will get everywhere. Even on a dry day the salt dust will get everywhere just like normal road dust does. Salt is hygroscopic so if you don't get every trace off (impossible) it will become damp and active. All the fasteners will lose their plating as will the brake rods and levers, the unprotected aluminium rear wheel adjustment blocks, the cast iron rear wheel spacers, the abs inductor discs, the front suspension joints...you get the picture?
We did this on our first spyder and it took a lot of rectifying...well, it never got back to original because Spyders just aren't built to cope with winter weather.

However, get down to the auto motor factors and buy yourself a few aerosol cans of under body wax treatment. Saturate everything with the exception of the brake discs - then give it another coat or two. It will still suffer a little but you can then get out winter riding and double your riding season. There's some beautiful days to be had during the winter and if you've got a heated seat too, all the better.

[Deanna777]

I do not ride my spyder from Oct. to April here in VT. My spyder is in hibernation from Oct.to April, due to insurance purposes.

I am usually on the the sleds from Dec. to March, than back on the spyder in April.


The snow, salt, brine that is used on the roads here in Vt. would rust the parts of the spyder. I paid a lot for the spyder.

To me it is not worth taking the spyder out in the winter.


Don't do it!

Deanna

[Deanna777]

The salt will get everywhere. Even on a dry day the salt dust will get everywhere just like normal road dust does. Salt is hygroscopic so if you don't get every trace off (impossible) it will become damp and active. All the fasteners will lose their plating as will the brake rods and levers, the unprotected aluminium rear wheel adjustment blocks, the cast iron rear wheel spacers, the abs inductor discs, the front suspension joints...you get the picture?
We did this on our first spyder and it took a lot of rectifying...well, it never got back to original because Spyders just aren't built to cope with winter weather.

However, get down to the auto motor factors and buy yourself a few aerosol cans of under body wax treatment. Saturate everything with the exception of the brake discs - then give it another coat or two. It will still suffer a little but you can then get out winter riding and double your riding season. There's some beautiful days to be had during the winter and if you've got a heated seat too, all the better.

Deanna

[JP58]

I read an article that said salt brine is many times more corrosive than rock salt. My bike sleeps from November to first spring hard rain.

[Realtor]

I ride, Rode a little over a hundred miles today, but I live in Florida.

[Mazo EMS2]

Leave it parked. Here in southern WI they use both rock salt and the brine. Wet or dry, that crap is gonna get in every nook and cranny it possibly can. To me it's just not worth it. Now, if I had a nice big warm shop with a good drain and a good way to completely wash it after a ride, I MIGHT consider it. But the chances of getting ALL of the salt out of ALL of those spaces are pretty slim. That brine is as bad as, and probably worse than the rock salt....I hate it, and it is so over-used around here.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

A good wash once a week if you are winter riding so remove your brines and salts will suffice, just be sure to do extensive rust inspections each spring and clean up any little "cancer" bits that start, you will be okay. I know one rider that Flex sealed his bottom side as he rides year round in Minnesota, he even has studded tires....

I strongly dis-agree, even if you pressure washed it ( which is a Bad idea for many reasons ) you aren't likely to get it all off.... as others have said, is it worth it ???? …. not to me ….. good luck tho …. Mike

[spyder01]

Cant resist ,Im heading out for the day and will check it over and wash it tomorrow.Thanks to all who responded.

[PW2013STL]

A good wash once a week if you are winter riding so remove your brines and salts will suffice, just be sure to do extensive rust inspections each spring and clean up any little "cancer" bits that start, you will be okay. I know one rider that Flex sealed his bottom side as he rides year round in Minnesota, he even has studded tires....

He traded in that one for a F3 Daytona, and you can find corrosion on it everywhere. I think the dealer will be using it as a shop Spyder, or selling it for really cheap.

[PW2013STL]

The old rule of thumb here in Wisconsin, where there are 2 seasons, road construction and salt, one would not ride a motorcycle on the road until after the first serious rainstorm.
I always cringe when I see a $30,000 Harley out on the first warm day in April.
There are so many nooks and crannies on a bike ( and Spyder) that I do not believe that either can be properly cleaned from salt.
On a Spyder you would have to remove most of the body panels to get close.
I purchased my Spyder this past summer and had decided to not ride this winter until that first rain.
However, after giving it some thought, I decided that since I am 68 years old and have some physical issues ( If I didn't I wouldn't have a Spyder) I have a limited amount of riding years left.
I am going to ride when it's above 40 degrees.
I have a heated jacket liner.

Let it rust.

Another issue is the salt and sand are very slippery.

I road my Harley Road King one winter and the amount of damage from the chemicals used on MN roads was very costly.
Driving down the hwy on a dry warm day you could see the cloud of dust in the air from the dry chemical. That's got to go everywhere, so I no longer ride until the rain washes it off the road - no matter how tempting a day.

[spyder01]

Just got back from my 268 mile ride and I think I got lucky bc there was hardly any salt on any of the roads.Bike has just the normal black dust it usually gets on it.Ill wash it anyway.

[Mikey]

Have any of you taken rides when there is salt on the roads.They use that brine solution around here that leaves stripes on the road,but its gonna be 65 deg tomorrow and Im itchin to ride.Wondering what it might do to the wheels and frame .I remember how it screwed up the back wheel of my GW and was pitted forever after a winter ride to Daytona.

Don't do it!!! But if you do, wash , wash ,wash!!!!

[Revalden]

Way back in the olden days after a day out 4wheelin' in the mud i'd slip an oscillating sprinkler under the Jeep and let it run for about 3 hours. Then drive it up a long set of nearby stairs to shake off the loosened mud, then put sprinkler back under. But I still always got a face full of dried mud whenever I had to get under that bitch.