WD40/rust protection products; quick question.

TekNinja81

TekNinja81

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Hey guys, just a quick question.

I was looking for a product to coat my exhaust pipes with to help prevent corrosion/rust, particularly after riding through a nasty amount of salt a few weeks back.

In lieu of having anything else handy (products like Rust-Check were suggested), I was advised using WD40 would work, and some postings online seem to confirm this, so I tried it. It definitely helped clean off a lot of gunk that'd accumulated on the pipes, and gave it a nice clean look. *Note: The main question, what I'm not sure of, is whether WD40/any other product used to coat the exhaust pipes or any heated area with, need to be rinsed/wiped off before running the bike the next time?*

I was gearing up to take the bike out for a quick spin tonight, and had a fair amount of smoke billowing up from where the pipes were coated. I've been told that products such as Rust-Check will naturally burn off once the bike heats up, and that it's nothing to worry about, but if this is actually damaging anything/a fire hazard/going to cause the Earth to explode, I'd rather know before I cause it. ;P
 
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Thanks for the suggestion; I actually read through (most of) that thread, maybe I missed it but I didn't see any mention of whether or not one would need to remove the product from pipes etc prior to riding with it. The only thing I noticed was I think the S100 or AF50 (forget which one) did seem to state a rider could get 500km or something out of the product before needing another coating -- that being the case, I assume WD40 would be safe to leave on?

I assume most who coat their pipes etc, do so primarily during winter storage -- I'm looking to do this on a regular basis, so a product I can coat the pipes with while the bike's in use would be preferable.
 
Certainly I'm no expert on this, but. . . . WD stands for Water displacement, so it will do the job. As for washing it off, that would defeat the purpose that you used it, keeping the water (rust) off your pipes. As long as your pipe's aren't dripping with it, it shouldn't be a fire hazard, but you will have burn off when the pipes heat up. My question or concern would be, what residue will burning off leave? Will this tarnish the chrome or not. I don't know the answer, but that would be my only concern with using WD40.

My two cents worth. . .
 
I wipe all the exposed metal areas (frame, pipes, etc) of the bike with WD40 prior to winter storage. That being said, I spray it down into the exhaust pipes till it drips out of the weeping hole.

In the spring, the exhaust will smoke a little when I start it for the first time till the stuff is burnt off.

Nothing to worry about.


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Well, rode in to work this morning (as I also need to get gas at some point if I store the bike for awhile...) and while the pipes did have a bit of smoke coming off them, nothing blew up. :P

There's one nut near the front of the exhaust pipe that seems to be burning/smoking a fair bit even when the pipes have stopped, so I'll have to take a closer look at that, but otherwise it seems fine.
 
It's not the water that you need to worry about it's the salt. WD-40 will help protect a bit but once it's burned off there's nothing there. Worry more about cleaning every crevas and bolt that you don't want to rust after your ride. Spraying it with WD will help clean and slow the rust/corrosion caused by the salt.
 
dricked said:
It's not the water that you need to worry about it's the salt. WD-40 will help protect a bit but once it's burned off there's nothing there. Worry more about cleaning every crevas and bolt that you don't want to rust after your ride. Spraying it with WD will help clean and slow the rust/corrosion caused by the salt.
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Quite true; the pipes at least are generally going to burn off any moisture that gets onto them anyway, so I've never been very worried about water, but the salt definitely bugs me. I live in an apartment building, so no access to a hose or anything to spray down the bike at home; spending an hour and a half scrubbing everything down after riding in the salt kinda sucks. :P
 
That's why I stop riding when the salt is out. Spray and wipe what you can, it's better than nothing.
 
To follow up on this, I wound up having some light corrosion/rust buildup after the last few months of riding through salt etc. Mostly visible on some of the nuts & bolts, also along the bottom point of my oil cooler and a few other metal surfaces that would have been getting sprayback from my front tire.

This occurred even after having wiped down & coated these areas with WD40, likely because the salt had already gotten at it before doing so.

Over the past week I applied some Rust-Check to the affected areas, including the exhaust headers, and for the most part it completely remedied any build-up and has left a residual coating that should continue to resist corrosion.

It does give off a rather strong/noticeable smell from hot points like the pipes, but for the protection it provides, I do recommend using Rust-Check if you will be riding consistently through winter conditions, or anything wet really.
 
TekNinja81 said:
To follow up on this, I wound up having some light corrosion/rust buildup after the last few months of riding through salt etc. Mostly visible on some of the nuts & bolts, also along the bottom point of my oil cooler and a few other metal surfaces that would have been getting sprayback from my front tire.

This occurred even after having wiped down & coated these areas with WD40, likely because the salt had already gotten at it before doing so.

Over the past week I applied some Rust-Check to the affected areas, including the exhaust headers, and for the most part it completely remedied any build-up and has left a residual coating that should continue to resist corrosion.

It does give off a rather strong/noticeable smell from hot points like the pipes, but for the protection it provides, I do recommend using Rust-Check if you will be riding consistently through winter conditions, or anything wet really.
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Ensure you dont get any on your tire, or it doesnt fling off onto your tires ..

You may end up on your head. That stuff is like oil , slippery as hell.
 
infernobuster said:
Ensure you dont get any on your tire, or it doesnt fling off onto your tires ..

You may end up on your head. That stuff is like oil , slippery as hell.
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Good catch; indeed, I actually did manage to drip some on my rear tire and was a bit worried even after rigorously wiping it off. Learned quickly to keep some paper/shop towel held below any areas I sprayed it on to prevent further issue.
 
It's going to burn off on your pipes when the pipes are hot enough and leave a carbon deposit around which will not protect anything. If your pipes don't have any surface damage on them (chrome chipped etc) then there shouldn't be much rust but if they do you have to make sure water and air can't penetrate the damaged area or that will set up the cell that causes rust to form. Aside from rechroming not sure what you'd do there. As for bolts etc...you can probably replace those with stainless steel ones. You could always invest in a carbon fibre slip on to avoid this problem.
 
wd40 is a penetrating oil its not really ment for rust protection, its more for getting rusted or siezed nuts and bolts open. It's pointless spraying your exhaust with that stuff because it will just burn off. as for your frame you can use oil based sprays like the rust check one. to avoid getting it on your tires spray a rag and whipe it on the places you want to protect. as for your exhaust rusting there is not much you can do, unless you switch to a stainless steel exhaust, or if you want you can spray your exhuast with high heat paint, but that would change the colour of your exhaust.
 
js2021 said:
wd40 is a penetrating oil its not really ment for rust protection, its more for getting rusted or siezed nuts and bolts open. It's pointless spraying your exhaust with that stuff because it will just burn off. as for your frame you can use oil based sprays like the rust check one. to avoid getting it on your tires spray a rag and whipe it on the places you want to protect. as for your exhaust rusting there is not much you can do, unless you switch to a stainless steel exhaust, or if you want you can spray your exhuast with high heat paint, but that would change the colour of your exhaust.
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I think you better go read the history of the WD-40 company and inventor.

As for the original question>
I would wipe the bike down or even wash it.
If you have a pretty muffler, anything that evaporates from the heat of the pipe might leave some minor marks.
Shine her up and take her for a spin!
 
I just spray ACF50 all over the bike except for certain areas like the brakes, tires, seat, grips, etc. Never wipe it or clean it. Sometimes it burns a little but doesn't bother me. Often I get chain lube on the exhaust as well and it just smells funny for a bit.

Even when I change the oil it drains over the exhaust. If I'm feeling lazy half the time I won't even put anything to prevent that from happening and it just burns off as well.
 
huh your right, I always though wd40 was a penetrating oil, it explains why it sucks compared to real penetrating oil like pb-blaster or liquid wrench.
 
js2021 said:
huh your right, I always though wd40 was a penetrating oil, it explains why it sucks compared to real penetrating oil like pb-blaster or liquid wrench.
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First use was to keep the rockets underground from rusting.
One of the primary ingredients is fish oil, which is why it's highly illegal to have it on your boat in a fishing tournament.
And yes, it sucks in comparison to other penetrating oils for removing rustys bolts etc..

Most common mistake people make is using it for lubrication of something that requires a much heavier lube.
 
Anyone ever try using Fluid Film? I've been spraying my bike down before winter storage for years and it works great. Takes a decent de-greaser to get it off but no other issues.
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