Keep corrosion at bay with the best rust-prevention products for your motorbike

Rust is the enemy of the motorcyclist, especially if you ride all year round, whatever the weather. Once corrosion sets in it is extremely hard to get rid of and can make a once beautiful machine look decidedly second-hand in a remarkably short space of time. But help is at hand with a variety of motorcycle rust prevention products.

Rust-prevention sprays are a simple and effective way to ward off corrosion before it sets in. A quick application of rust-prevention spray (taking care to avoid getting it on the brake discs) should ensure that the metal parts stay rust-free, the plated areas resist corrosion and furring up and fasteners remain unseized.

• Top tip: Keep rust preventer sprays away from touchscreen TFT dash units as we’ve heard of instances of damage that resulted in replacement screens!

Why do I need to use rust-prevention products?

It’s a fair question. In a world where commercially available motorbikes are technological marvels crammed with componentry that was beyond the reach of most race teams just a couple of decades ago, why do they still go rusty?

The real answer is that the majority of the time and in the majority of places, they don’t. Painted or powder-coated areas should stay rust-free on most modern bikes left to their own devices. The problem is that, unlike cars, most of a motorbike’s components are at least partially, if not entirely exposed to the elements.

A small stone chip you’ve barely noticed can expose the bare metal beneath and then, over the course of a winter, oxidisation sets in. Before you know it, a piece of paint flakes away and then you’re on the slippery slope.

The other places motorbikes are susceptible to corrosion are the cheapest metal parts you can think of. Bolt and screw heads, metal fasteners and catches, caps and clips; like with any bike maintenance, the cheapest component in a system is the first place you should check for failure.

Applying a thin coating of rust preventer after you wash your bike can work wonders in preventing this from happening. It’s a great idea to do this if you store your bike over winter so you don’t get any nasty surprises come the spring.

And if you ride all winter then regular cleaning and rust prevention are a must. But the good news is that the rust treatment acts as a barrier between the winter grime and your bike so the next wash is always much easier.

What is rust?

Rust is iron oxide and is the result of the oxidation, or corrosion, of iron. To form, rust requires three ingredients – iron, oxygen (in the air) and moisture (water). Remove either the air or moisture and it can’t form, which is what rust prevention attempts to do, in the absence of paint or a protective finish. Salt makes rust worse as salt water is a better conductor of electricity, so the electrolysis reaction that causes corrosion takes place much faster.

Other metals such as aluminium are less susceptible to corrosion but that doesn’t mean they don’t oxidise at all. You’ll have seen a white fur on the surface of aluminium bolt heads before, that’s corrosion.

So which are the best rust prevention products on the market? Here are our favourites:

How MCN tests rust prevention products

At MCN, we want to make sure that when you buy a rust preventer (or any product for that matter) it really works and is worth the money you pay.

We haven’t tested these rust prevention sprays in a lab, we used them exactly how you would – in the real world and through all riding conditions. As-well-as the team running their own bikes, many of us are also lucky enough to run long-term test bikes on the MCN fleet and these are a great place to test rust protection sprays.

Our testers are asked to consider whether the product works (does rust form) but also how easy it is to apply, whether it leaves a residue, how long it lasts and how many applications you get from a can.

We also ask them to consider whether the product is thick enough to last several washes (or a whole year as claimed by some) or seems to come off at the first sign of a hose and brush.

To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

In order to be included on this page, a spray must achieve at least four stars overall. Here’s a guide to what our star ratings mean:

• 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A product with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
• 2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A product with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement.
• 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A product with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
• 4 stars – A product has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A product with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
• 5 stars – A product has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A product with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.

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