Short salt ride

[arkyleo]

Yesterday (Wednesday) 2 of us decided to take a short ride to Jasper for lunch before the snow/ice hit that afternoon. The highway crew was aware of the impending slick roads so they decided to pre-treat the road with liquid de-icer and we were unlucky enough to wind up behind the truck with NO safe place to pass for about 6 miles. We finally pulled in to a store parking lot to check the bikes and my NC had almost no brakes and was coated with the white stuff. Promptly (gently) power washed as soon as returning home and I think I got it all. If that ever happens again, I will just pull off and turn around. A couple of pix;

 

[670cc]

Did you use the car wash on 7 on the south side of Jasper?

 

[arkyleo]

Did you use the car wash on 7 on the south side of Jasper?

No--I just went home and used my own P/W. Applied low pressure car wash (Turtle Max), let it sit, then gently rinsed. I usually don't power wash my bike, but this was absolutely necessary. That salt spray got on my boots, helmet. BTW, Ozark cafe has excellent cobbler with ice cream!

 

[davidc83]

Yesterday (Wednesday) 2 of us decided to take a short ride to Jasper for lunch before the snow/ice hit that afternoon. The highway crew was aware of the impending slick roads so they decided to pre-treat the road with liquid de-icer and we were unlucky enough to wind up behind the truck with NO safe place to pass for about 6 miles. We finally pulled in to a store parking lot to check the bikes and my NC had almost no brakes and was coated with the white stuff. Promptly (gently) power washed as soon as returning home and I think I got it all. If that ever happens again, I will just pull off and turn around. A couple of pix;

up here in southern Indiana, we call that 'brining the road'....local crews did that this week before the snow, but of course, it rained for hours before the snow started falling; thus, washing the dried brine off the roads...

 

[Deleted member 1183]

Ideally it is best to let the bike cool down completely before washing or rinsing it for salt purposes. If You wash a hot or warm motor then salty steam gets everywhere and that includes locations that You would not mormally get to while washing, such as up under the tank and bodywork. For that reason after a salt road I always let it cool completely prior to a wash or rinse.

Another downside of road salting is that the roads do not have the same level of grip as a normal, wet or dry, but especially when wet.

 

[bigbird]

Good thing I read your location.
When I saw the name Jasper, I thought you were in Alberta, Canada, riding up to the mountain resort town of Jasper, Alberta.
I would have said you were crazy driving in winter up to Jasper.
Here's pic of Jasper, Alberta, Canada

 

[arkyleo]

Hmmm--maybe they are "sister cities". Beautiful photo, thanks for posting--makes me want to travel there (not right now).

 

[johnakay]

I would never ride on salty roads. the salt is very corrosive.
like griff says let the bike cool down ..best cold the hose it down thoroughly.
the salt is hard to ride of unless you wash it afterward.
hosing it down isnt enough.
once I did hose the bike down thinking its all gone only to find it has turned brown.

 

[frog13]

Good thing I read your location.
When I saw the name Jasper, I thought you were in Alberta, Canada, riding up to the mountain resort town of Jasper, Alberta.
I would have said you were crazy driving in winter up to Jasper.
Here's pic of Jasper, Alberta, Canada
View attachment 43687

Wow, that, is a beautiful pic.

 

[Gripanimal]

Incredible picture.

Interesting about the salt and brine. I will be commuting in that mess until they clean the roads in April. I bought an extenda fender, skid plate, and rear mud guard hoping to mitigate how much salt actually lands on the bike.

Good advice about not rinsing off when the bike is hot. Does anyone find a pressure washer to be more effective than a sturdy hose nozzle?

 

[HarveyM]

I thought lot of UK riders give their bikes a coat of ACF-50 before winter riding. Ditto the guys going up to Alaska.

 

[Big blue]

Wash,wash and wash again

 

[Alias]

Good luck. That brine causes corrosion in the electrical connections. I know this from personal experience.

 

[Big blue]

Yes it will get everywhere
Wash,wd40 etc

 

[itlives]

I rode (fast) out on the Salt flats at Bonneville on my Super Tenere. You talk about salt! It was at least 1" thick in some places. It was dry too. Had to use a flat screwdriver to get it off.

 

[Big blue]

Salt is a killer..