Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy Ziggy Lives!!!  on the 3rd push of the button my little 125 started   Now the shameful bit.... I have left him outside, he was covered but the bike cover had gotten ripped in high winds, leaving him exposed! and under 3ft of snow (yessss we had it pretty bad oop norf!)   I was going to go for a little ride out today, but I think I should give him a mini service first...and I've noticed theres a bit of rust forming...   So what's the best advice?   I know I need to check the oil, lube the chain, check lights, fuel, brakes etc...but anything else?  What about getting the rust off? Its not major, just around the wing mirror nuts, rear springs a bit and the side stand.   I promise i will get him sparkling, on the road and then under cover again asap!                                                                                                                                                                                   

Oh my ...poor zigster .... report to the RSPB (Royal Society for the protection of Bikes)  

If its on chrome .. auto sol is good, then a drop of paint on top of where the pitting is the waxyoil it.

if not chrome ... Tcut then cure rust till metal then paint it & waxyoil it 

Hope he is just a wee bit bruised as he sounds .. I guess rust cannot be cured with gaffa tape 

**runs & hides real fast**                                                                                                                                                                             

hi kaz no point in spending to much time on cosmetics on the bike as its to cold to put any paint on her and she will be still outside in the bad weather so just give her a good scrub up and rub over with an oily rag should do you till the warmer days and check over for any parts ready to fall off lol

Oi Shell and Jp... are you implying that my Ziggy has bits dropping off now and again??  hmmmmmm   welll you might be right, but it all adds to the fun   Thanks for the advice.. I reckon a bit of WD40 and a soft cloth is in order, I probably wont be doing any serious biking for the next couple of months anyway.   As for the gaffa tape...I think a change of colour may be in order... does it come in purple???                                                                                                                                                                               

For bikes that are ridden throughout the year, this is your best friend.

http://toolmonger.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/post-wd40.jpg

Spray it all over the engine, literally. Although once the engine gets hot, most of it will get 'burnt' off, the bits that stay cooler with still be coated.
You need to pay particular  attention to the HT lead(s), plug(s) and coil.
Try and squirt a bit into the starter  on the handlebars , if you have one and anything else electrical.

I did this for years with my smaller bikes and never ever had starting problems.

I know you wont be doing much riding, but I would hate for what is now a little rust to when you look at it in 2 months need a weld.

I know ziggy is noy a £20,000 bike, however you love him like he was & would not want it to get worse through the cold & wet winter.

You could always invest in a lil shed to put him in security & protection                                                                                                                                                                               

I personally wouldn't use autosol on chrome as its abrasive. any good silicon based polish will keep the weather out. once the chrome has pitted your just prolonging the inevitable as chrome plating is porous you need to keep it sealed.   Don't forget throttle and clutch cables as they'll dry out. A light oil like 3 in 1 will sort those.                                                                                                                                                                             

If you can scratch chrome with autosol,you must have muscles like Arnie

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AUTOSOL-CHROME-ALUMINIUM-METAL-BRASS-POLISH-CLEANER_W0QQitemZ190406880652QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=183569826257&rvr_id=183569826257&cguid=e2559dc91220a0aad5944eb4ff35a1c9

Chrome is microns thick. you wear it down not scratch it. why do you think it makes aluminium shiney. There's no need to use an abrasive on chrome.                                                                                                                                                                             

Coke and aluminum foil for chrome work a treat and you can sip it as you go so no dehydration problems lol just grease the moving parts and bit a 3 in one oil down cables etc lube chain and use it then if your gona leave it stood spry it libraly with oil but not the disc brakes though                                                                                                                                                                              

For winter protection I use ACF 50, Its better than WD40 at keeping moisture out.  It stops rusting of exposed steel/welds and furring on aluminum.                                                                                                                                                                              

I agree with Hellraiser. ACF-50 is the wonderful bits of various animals. Spray it on to a cloth then wipe over all of your chrome including your  exhaust and it will keep off all the road gunk and you just need to hose the bike down.   www. acf-50.co.uk/motorcycle.htm                                                                                                                                                                             

Just spotted this thread If you are going to "store"  a petrol engine..  bike/lawn  mower/ generator etc the petrol in the tank will (lose it's aromatic hydrocarbons) go off and create problems with gumming up of carbs etc and also leads to poor starting an easy way to help avoid this rather than drain everything down is to put an additive in the fuel one such product is called Fuel Fit which is a Briggs and Stratton product available from lawn mower outlets it's about 3 quid ish  for enough to treat 8 litres of petrol for over winter it's  ok for 2 strokes too hope that helps   Twin                                                                                                                                                                                

 WD-40 does have its uses,.. for me its the first choice for cables, but it will dissolve the oil on your bike, ok, it does leave a really thin film, but if you use it on your chain it'll destroy the O-rings.  I've just used some of that ACF stuff on my Deauville, and if the engine has allready had a dose of (soaked in) salt on it when it was put away, its next to useless. This thing of mine has salt crystals forming through the ACF and dropping onto the work bench from the alloy motor, the rad and the steel fan. Under this bike there's a 5mm layer of salt every two weeks, but it has been used in a winter or two, and not washed enough.   It may be a bit late now but the anti-freeze level/strength should be checked too, because it does your summer cooling also.  Have a good clean round the battery terminals, they can corrode on their own in winter, and give em a light coat of copper grease to stop it happening again, the grease can also help the nut stay in place while you re-connect the leads.                                                                                                                                                                              

ACF-50, but clean the bike thoroughly before giving it a good soaking!   That is the stuff to use folks, moisture and dirt 'falls' off it once it's applied rather than sticking to it like with WD.