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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | I have never ridden my Vision in wet; salt laden conditions on the road; since I have had it (12,500 miles now)... however I have ridden it often when the roads are dry and there is a powdery salt dust being kicked up by other vehicles. Not real heavy powder, but enough to see a dusting of it on the bike. As long as it was dry; i was not overly concerned.
I just finished washing it today and blew it off with the leaf blower, wiped it down and took off on a nice; hard run down the Interstate and back. Getting off of it; I saw a lot of white; dry residue that apparently came out of the spark plug wells. So I pulled the leads and looked inside of the wells; seems I have a lot of whitish looking crud in the wells and around the spark plug wrenching surface. I hope it is not corrosion; I'm waiting for the jugs to cool down so I can remove the plugs and try to get into the spark plug wells and clean them up somewhat/somehow.
We are supposed to possibly get another snow this coming Monday... I'm thinking about parking the Vision until after a couple of rains come buy and wash the roads off.
Edited by willtill 2013-03-23 2:48 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 825
, WI | Did you blow dry the spark plug holes? They will hold a lot of water and soap. | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 785
Mt. Vernon, WASH. | Aluminum is just like Iron, it's missing an element and will whore itself out to attract an oxygen molecule to bind with, on iron you get rust, on aluminum you get various types of corrosion, filiform, fretting (usually from loose items chaffing under vibration), and depending on the chemicals used to make the aluminum part (copper, tin, manganese, carbon, tungsten) different typres of galvanic corrosion, now, lets put it under heat and next to a strong electrical impulse and DING-DING-DING!!!!!
Remember aliuminum is basically electrified dirt (Bauxite ore) which is why a lot of it is made in the Northwest where abundant electricity is cheaply available. It's not attractive but shouldn't be an issue unless you ignore it and it progresses onto the cylinder fins where it will pit and eat at the metal giving you, after a few years, that galvanized milk bucket patina. A stiff bottle brush and some elbow grease a couple times a year should keep it well in check.
HOWEVER!!!!!!!! DONOT use muratic acid (aluminum brightner) or grocery store Simple Green (both will attack and dull out shiny aluminum), there is an aircraft version of Simple Green that won't attack aluminum but you'll need to visit the local airport repair shop service counter to get it or hit the AMAZON machine. | |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 16
Oregon | Been there, done that. Minerals left after pooling water in the holes evaporates quickly from the heat. In the future, after washing the bike, blow the water out with compressed air (and then air dry) BEFORE starting it. | |
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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | Thanks guys... yes, I blew dry the bike but did not concentrate on the spark plug holes. Before I removed the plugs; I lightly scraped around them with a very thin screwdriver to break up the dried junk; then had a can of compressed air that I used to blow it all out.
Spark plugs were a nice color and in good shape. Put a little anti-seize on them; and then a little dielectric grease in the spark plug boots; and reassembled.
Next time.. I will pay more attention to those spark plug wells when I wash it. They are pretty deep.. I see how minerals and stuff can sit in there undetected... | |
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Amazed at the amount of corrosion in spark plug wells