Erskine Motorbike Meet 2013

[Miti]

A good friend of mine, Mike, came down from Montrose on Saturday.  He was "shaking down" his '85 Honda Sabre (VF1100S) after its winter "rebuild".  We had arranged to attend the Erskine Motorbike Meet together, so starting off at my place was far more convenient.

It's only 18 miles from my place to the meet, so I set a route that exploited the country lanes and brought us over the Erskine Bridge, so we could completely avoid Glasgow and enjoy the view:

We set off in good time and, as we exited the village, I upped the pace a little as the twisties began...

As we entered the next village/30mph zone, Mike began sounding his horn frantically.  I pulled over and he parked just ahead of me.  He came back, exclaimng that the Hesketh was "puffing like a steam train" from the right exhaust...  His look of absolute amazement was priceless, when I told him; "That's OK... That means here's still oil in it..." and "When it stops leaking and burning oil, that'll mean it needs more oil..."

When we arrived at the Meet, I explained some of the common Hesketh idiosynchracies... He's spent all winter freaking out over carb adjustment, paint finish and panel fit and struggling to get a model specific carrier onto his mass-produced marvel...  He now clearly thinks that I'm absolutely out of my mind to even consider owning something as potentially problematic as a V1000...

I'm completely unaffected by his concern... The V1000 was, as usual, the subject of many admiring (and critical) comments and provided reliable and enjoyable transport to and from the event... Especially from, when the roads were unusually quiet and I was quite enthusiastic with the "loud" control...

So, now she's leaking oil from both 'socks' as well as the exhausts... Won't be long before I'm up for taking her out in the rain...  Clearly a case of familiarity breeding contempt, eh..?

Jeff

[Will F]

Had mine just over a year,if i waited for sun i think she would still be in kingswood,they dont seem to mind the odd shower,i dont bath her though just wd40 n rags

[Miti]

OoooH...!!  WD40..?!  It has it's place, but I'd be VERY careful to avoid any rubber parts with it... I've seen cracked inlet stubs, ruined caliper seals and distorted fork dust seals through inappropriate use of WD40... I use Scottoiler's FS365 on the engine parts... A couple of pals use ACF50 spray, but it's a bit like buying another bike to save the first one (expensive stuff!!).

I also use Simonize Wash/Wax to clean the old girl and Turtle wax to protect the shiny parts...

Next outing is the Ayr Classic M/C Show - Sun 9th June... Better not be wet, I've entered the old girl as an exhibit (the things I'll do to avoid paying an entry fee..!)

Miti

[Rob B]

Personally I don't like the stuff but I know it has a great following.

WD40 is Hygroscopic and causes rust. WD stands for "Water Displacing" and it is not a lubricant. It should never be used for cleaning guns for example because they will turn to rust before your eyes as it is acidic. It is great for cleaning things and that is what it was invented for in the 1950's for cleaning ATLAS missile components but it must be neutralized properly and replaced with a lubricant, wax or silicone almost immediately.

WD contains petroleum distillates (thinners) which is why it is great for short-term cleaning jobs but it also destroys anything that paint thinners will.

I prefer Duck Oil which is a proper lubricant and doesn't effect butyl, nitrile or Viton rubbers etc.

EB

[Will F]

Ok sacked the wd 40 is parafin any good?

[Rob B]

Ha Ha!

Now on the Series-2 Land Rover Forum they warn against using Duck Oil because it is paraffin based and causes rust!

I think the best options are either:

1. Never ride it

or

2. Never clean it!

I am leaning towards Option 2, as anyone who has seen my bike will testify!

Cheers,

Robert

[Julf]

Now on the Series-2 Land Rover Forum they warn against using Duck Oil because it is paraffin based and causes rust!

Odd one that - my experience with Series Land Rovers is that as long as you use them regularly, they leak enough oil to keep rust at bay. I guess the same applies to Heskeths.

[Scott]

works on my V1000 and makes it easier to wipe down!

Scott

[David S]

On the subject of preventing winter woes, can anyone tell me more about ACF50?

It has a strong following (including me) but I ask myself, what does it actually do other than create a nice oily surface. Is there more than that to it? What is it actually made of? And what are its characteristics.

It is quite expensive so is there more to it than just thin oil and purple dye.

DWS

[Miti]

There's LOADS about ACF50 on this website CLICK

This stuff has been around for donkey's years... It was used on aircraft to prevent corrosion between rivets/screws and panels and especially in areas where heavy use lead to the paintwork being eroded away... During my days with the RAF we used it everywhere - even on the aircraft!   
I'ev not used it for quite a few years though, as I'm very cheap and it isn't...

I don't use my bikes in the winter any more (for various reasons) so I tend not to use such products any more... But I do have a bottle of Scottoiler's FS365 which I've used to good effect...

There's a forum thread on Visordown.com discussing the relative meris of both products, here:

Hope that helps.

Jeff