Salt on Roads
+1. Yeah, that's just about me to! That salt just kills everything, starts with all the bolt heads then just moves on to everything! Just get a dirt bike for winter months or just an old thing not to care over?
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,482
Likes: 631
From: NorCal Rocklin
I think it sucks that these bikes offer no corrosion protection whatsoever. Maybe I should come up with some type of BS undercoating for bikes like car dealers offer when you are in the finance office.
Hmmmm
I would suggest wash it from the inside out and get a blower and blow all that crap outta there.
Hmmmm
I would suggest wash it from the inside out and get a blower and blow all that crap outta there.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 7,439
Likes: 884
From: 'Noke, VA
I've never thought twice about taking the bikes out during the winter. The Night Train's gonna be 7 years old in April, and it's got no corrosion, the Limited only saw 2 winters (but a ton of road salt) and it had no corrosion.
They're machines meant to be ridden, I mean to ride them and not treat them like delicate flowers.
They're machines meant to be ridden, I mean to ride them and not treat them like delicate flowers.
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 381
Likes: 1
From: East Coast
After the salt is put down on the roadway, traffic begins pulverizingit. Days (weeks if you don't get significant rain) after it's laid down you can see that stuff swirling in the air like smoke as vehicles pass. Anywhere air can enter, so can the salt powder. A wash/rinse just doesn't get it all out. At worst you will wet down and activate some of the salt dust hidden everywhere - like the guy who found it corroding the interior of his floorboards. You can easily get if off the visible parts but you'd have to almost dismantle the bike to ensure it's out of everywhere it likes to collect. If you trade every few years, it becomes someone else's problem.
Once the salt hits our roads, I put the bike away until they're clear again.
Once the salt hits our roads, I put the bike away until they're clear again.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,268
Likes: 8
From: Detroit, the asshole of America
Looking at the used bikes in dealers around here you can tell which ones were ridden in the salt. It's most apparent on the front forks. If they haven't been converted to a chrome front end the stock aluminum fork tubes look awful in 4-5 years. The pitting shows up on the wheels, too.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,169
Likes: 9
From: Southern Illinois
Like i tell my brother, I don't spend 25000 dollars on something to let it sit. My 02 Monte SS just turned 256000 miles and has never seen the inside of a garage, my 01 Ultra just rolled 43000 and has been ridden year round since i bought it in 07 with 4000 miles and my 07 Altima just turned 114000 without ever seeing the inside of a garage. His 02 Durango just turned 50000 and his 2000 RKC just turned 12000. Can't see it just sitting.
