Aluminium corrosion on handlebar mounts and top yoke

[vonny232]

Hi all,

I live in Ireland so the climate isn't great much of the year.

I mostly keep my bike in a (wooden) shed though it has been left out in the rain perhaps 10 times in the last 3 months.

I took a close look at the aluminium handlebar mounts and top yoke and can see the beginnings of corrosion working its way from the edges of the aluminium (presumably from a small flaw in the lacquer).

Thankfully the lower front forks have already been powder coated black so that isnt an issue.

I know from my previous bike how damaging the damp climate can be on bikes, so I intend to store the bike in my Dads garage (block built and insulated) for the 3 worst winter months.

However, for the rest of the year I will be keeping it in my shed as usual.

I guess my question is - how do people keep on top of the inevitable corrosion of the aluminium parts? (i.e. preventing future corrosion, stabilising existing corrosion and repairing it where necessary).

I would be worried that trying to sand away the lacquer and re-coating it could turn into a horrendous job and I dont want to botch it.

Any advice appreciated!

[Hooli]

I don't bother, but I'm sure others will have a lot more useful answers.

I'd get some ACF50 & spray it with that at least, that should stop the water getting in & claims to kill current corrosion.

[grog]

Mate, take them all off, polish them. just a tiny bit of upkeep then. others say its too hard, not me. poiished is much easier to keep nice than standard laquer sprayed bits. all i do is a quick autosol rub, lots of wax/sealer. lots of spray wax options, very easy. micro fibre towells are your friend. otherwise, paint them or powdercoat. i like polished, just a bit biased i guess.

[vonny232]

I was thinking of gently sanding the area where the white corrosion is starting to bubble (its only started, so is only 3-5mm each area I need to treat).

I have ordered an airbrush, I was thinking of using a small nozzle to spray lacquer onto the sanded area to build up the barrier again.

The airbrush is capable of spraying an area of just a few mm if properly configured.

Thoughts?

[seth]

Your idea of repair but I'd guarantee the corrosion will come back .
Only 3 ways to sort this are 1 strip polish the whole parts and re-lacqure the whole thing (the corrosion will still return in time)
2 strip and polish and then keep polished
3 get them powder coated (metalic silver is a good option)
Good luck

[Del]

take all the parts off and remove all the old lacquer - then with a scotchbrite pad scuff the parts going on one direction to get an machined kind of finish then you can clear coat with either gloss or Satin clear coat - jobs a good un and no more polishing

[KiwiCol]

Your idea of repair but I'd guarantee the corrosion will come back .
Only 3 ways to sort this are 1 strip polish the whole parts and re-lacqure the whole thing (the corrosion will still return in time)
2 strip and polish and then keep polished
3 get them powder coated (metalic silver is a good option)
Good luck

4th way, Hooli's anti-theft coating

[gsxbarmy]

In respect of sanding the bits starting to corrode and then relacquering, 2 things, first it could just be delaying the inevitable, second ordinary lacquer does not stick well to polished alloy, you would need to acquire some alloy lacquer - which works better.

Given your storage situation, your best option would be powder coating, or optionally spraying with a similar finish paint. Many alloy wheel companies now use a paint for touching in damaged laser cut alloys, it may be worth going down one of your local vehicle paint suppliers to get them to match a colour close to the current alloy finish.

The other aspect is what to do once it's all done. For your shed situation, i'd cover your bike with a cotton sheet or bike cover, and then put a nylon or similar cover over the top of that. This would enable the covers to breathe and allow air circulation, rather than let it hang. Corrosion in storage is often due to the lack of air flow, maybe put some small air vents in your shed, one at the top and another diagonally opposite at the bottom to create a gentle flow of air when the bike is stored.