i`ve been told to douse my bike in wd40 in readyness for winter , is this right? is this safe? is there a better way?                                                                                                                                                                             

yeah its fine, just avoid spraying on to brakes!   Get some on a cloth and wipe over bodywork, wheels, spray the engine but obviously don't spray over your footpeg rubbers etc                                                                                                                                                                             

use it like brut splash it all over lol                                                                                                                                                                             

Yep the old boy who owned my bike before me swore by it he sprayed it everytime he washed it clean, (basicly every time he went out on it he'd come home wash it and then apply wd) not on brakes or tyres or foot pegs or brake foot lever or hand lever for either clutch or brake, or grips.   He even sprayed the mirrors and tank even got some on the seat lol but then he did ride every where in an old set of wax cotton belstaffs.                                                                                                                                                                             

There is nothing wrong with it Julie. WD40 is a penetrant, cleaner and protector, so it will work it's way into the nooks and crannies, degrease and then when it dries it will leave a protective film.   However, you also need to be careful around wheel bearings and so forth as it will work its way into these, degrease and dry!!   There are now some very good proprietary after wash treatments that do the same job but are more effective and don't have the degreasing properties of WD40 - things like Moto X-Treem Sheen or Pro-Clean Anti Rust After Clean - and because these are available in larger quantities (5 litres for example) they work out much cheaper.   I personally however, don't bother!!   It does depend on how often you expect to use your bike during the winter and in what conditions.  Those that know me will know that my work pay for all the diesel I use in the car, whether that's work related or not and so I ain't gonna ride through snow etc just to say I do!!   I used to, years ago before I had a car, but not anymore.   I do ride through winter however, but now I only take the bike if the weather is going to be nice.  It can still get dirty however due to salt on the roads and so forth, but a quick blast with the hose after each ride and then a proper wash on the weekend keeps it looking good.   It also depends on the bike frankly!  If like me, you own a new Honda, Triumph, BMW or even a lot of the new Kawasakis are pretty good, then they tend to be very well lacquered and protected from the factory.   If however you ride an old Yamaha or Suzuki, and I have and so I know, then you need to be fairly meticulous.   The final option of course, if you insist on riding everyday through winter, is to buy an old, cheap motocross or MZ style bike and then flog it again (or scrap it if it was cheap enough) come Spring.   When I bought my first ever nearly new bike, a 1989 VFR which I bought in 1991, I didn't have a car and so bought an MZ 250.  It was brilliant!!  Dead cheap to buy and run (cost me £200 to buy) and because everything was metal, if I dropped it on ice, which I did a couple of times, I would just take it home and hammer the side panels and mudguards back into shape!!  Come Spring and I re-sprayed it and sold it on for £250, so actually made a profit.                                                                                                                                                                             

Personaly I use ACF 50 which M & P and most bikes shops now sell. It was designed by the military to protect helicopters from corrosion and it most definitely works on bikes. I run an old KZ1000 and the alloy etc stays good...                                                                                                                                                                             

teflon sprays do same job[lubricate disperse water protect etc] my local shop does a huge spraycan fer about 3 squid but aint quite so sticky although nuffin worked on me harley alloy cept spray grease,its the salt i tells ya blame ricdude chuckin it abart !! as i aint no garage and i ferget to put covers on sometimes!!easy enought o get of come spring wiv some degreaser or sommat!!

CAN IT HELP FIND CAKE?                                                                                                                                                                              

Yes Oggy.... well, sort of - Go to Hein Gericke in Reading, intending to buy ACF 50. They will most likely offer you coffee, but sometimes they have cake too :D   WD-40, or Water Displacement formula number 40 is mostly used for that - water displacement. The water is put aside by the lube as it penetrates (fnar fnar). Several other similar products do the same. I use Muc Off's after-wash stuff, but only because it came with the Muc Off spray soap.   ACF 50 is probably the best formula, although Scottoiler's FS 365 is a close second, IMO.   I'd recommend ACF type stuff because it's designed specifically to coat the bike with a barrier to the road crap, rather than it being a side benefit.                                                                                                                                                                              

yrs ago when workin at the dockyard i coated me bike shiny bits in cheap axle grease for the winter looked terrible but protected it a treat!                                                                                                                                                                             

I use ACF-50 it is what the American navy use on their aircraft that are stationed on carriers. ACF-50 is not as cheap as WD 40 but i think better   http://www.acf-50.co.uk/                                                                                                                                                                             

M&P and Busters (I think) both sell 2 cans of ACF for £22.   Balance that against the cost of replacing rotted out pipes, frame and whatever else is on the underside of your undercarriage!!!                                                                                                                                                                             

I use ACF-50 it on my cans and forks. smells a bit for the first few miles but it is a bugger to get off without detergent. this makes it good for real bikers who ride in the winter. You just give the bike a quick hose down of an evening to get rid of the road gunk. then when you have the time wash the bike and reapply the ACF. Works a treat i find. After you hose the bike down she comes up a treat and ppl think you wash the bike regally lol