BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

I'm not so sure.  I have owned RTs since 1996, a total of 8, and except for a bit of corrosion on a telelever part they have been corrosion free.  I never use any type of cleaner except cheap car shampoo and ordinary car polish. I never jet/pressure wash, just an ordinary hose pipe.  I treat non stainless connectors with BMW wax spray applied with a very small paint brush once a year.   

Do you use your bikes through the winter RTman? I ran a new F800st through 2 winters a few years back and there was virtually no paint left on the engine! I washed it regularly but didn't treat it with anything. My 2010 RT TC suffered terrible too, the engine fins, from cover, final drive unit & alloy side trims corroded badly, and I really looked after that bike- washed, polished etc. religiously. It had 14k on the clock when I sold it with a full dealer service history.Bizarrely the one that  showed least corrosion was my 55plate (FSH 16k when sold) I used it just the same, cleaned it the same & it weathered pretty well. My 52 GS weathered well too (6k when sold). I'm now wondering if BMW have changed there painting process over recent years?!
By the way I've just used that Castrol bike cleaner on the wheels of my Range Rover to see how it managed the brake dust. It's unbelievably good. It even cleaned the inner rim where the brush don't reach! I'll let you know if they start corroding;-)

My bikes are used year round but not for commuting.  So they have all seen salt which I always remove as soon as possible with cold water and nothing else. I had a 1600 GTL over 2 winters and they are famous for shedding engine block paint, but again it stayed unmarked. Maybe I'm just lucky. As Iv fitted the weather protection kit I have very few shiny bits in view so its now out of sight, out of mind.     

RTman10 wrote: My bikes are used year round but not for commuting.  So they have all seen salt which I always remove as soon as possible with cold water and nothing else. I had a 1600 GTL over 2 winters and they are famous for shedding engine block paint, but again it stayed unmarked. Maybe I'm just lucky. As Iv fitted the weather protection kit I have very few shiny bits in view so its now out of sight, out of mind.   

Interesting. I like you use my bike all winter but only for pleasure, so always have time after a ride to wash off any salt. The result is that the bike is always put away clean and dry. I have zero corrosion. I'm guessing if you commute and wash once a week the factory finish is not up to the job. ACF50 is great stuff but remember it will wash off over time. If you use chemical cleaners and power washers then its going to get cleaned off pretty quick.

I do use my bike for work- both to and from and to various hospitals for meetings etc. in the region. However, I gave up using bikes in the winter 2 years ago, not because of the potential damage to the bike, but more so for safety/comfort. In fact now I avoid going out even if it's just wet so my bike should stay corrosion free also! I've given it an extra dose of ACF50 this evening too:-)