ACF-50 Application

[COLZO]

Been using Scottoiler FS365 but have now got some ACF-50 as I've read it will last longer. My main question is does the bike have to be dry before applying the ACF-50 or can it be applied to a wet bike like the FS365?

[zsv650]

can you apply fs365 wet didnt know that.

[COLZO]

can you apply fs365 wet didnt know that.

Got the FS365 from HG and thats what they told me. Also it says on the bottle apply after washing or after a wet run. I'm new to all this so don't take my word for it. ;)

[zsv650]

thats just me not reading instructions again ive been using the stuff for years too hahaha got to admit the acf-50 stuff looks temptingly lazy have they got a website.

[zsv650]

http://www.acf-50.co.uk/motorcycle.htm there you go bud.

[SV-net]

The FS365 can be applied wet, it repells water and you can see it working as you spray it on. Never tried the ACF but I hear its good and also used by those who ride shiny chromed up yank machines. And they are always clean eh;-)

[zsv650]

i'll do that next time it'll save ten minutes waiting for it to dry.

[SV-net]

Thats it just clean and rinse the bike and just spray all over and see it working. Im still riding (yup nutter me) and I might try the ACF and see what the deal is on that one. Im using about a fiver of FS365 every two weeks so its getting costly. Could be the ACF is not so expensive afterall at this rate.

[zsv650]

tip to anyone if your washing your bike in this weather spray the hose where your not going to ride the next day little disconcerting to set off and have a big ice rink to career over the next morning ha.

[COLZO]

http://www.acf-50.co.uk/motorcycle.htm there you go bud.

Cheers for that. Had a wee read but no mention of wet/dry application so will leave it to dry first I think. The ACF-50 cost me £12.72 compared to £6.99 for the FS365 but you use far less of the ACF-50 (so I've been told) so will last ages. Good reviews and comparisons with the 2 products on the link.

[zsv650]

the thing is in winter i dont really care what the bike looks like cause it gets wet and crapped up by the end of my road anyway so i may invest in some of this stuff just for winter then switch back to the fs365 in spring summer time when i want a clean bike.

[COLZO]

tip to anyone if your washing your bike in this weather spray the hose where your not going to ride the next day little disconcerting to set off and have a big ice rink to career over the next morning ha.

Nearly fell on my ar$e putting something in the wheelie bin the other night due to ice after washing the bike. No one saw me so all was good. Had a wee chuckle to myself though! :D

[zsv650]

hahaha it's never a good thing i was powersliding my pushbike this morning there was that much ice i really didnt fancy taking the suzook out in it i have no crash bungs before anyone says ought hahaha.

[COLZO]

Know what you mean, there's days you look out the window and think its just not worth it. Safe riding mate. :smt023

[zsv650]

it's good for me cause i dont have too works a good distance away but still cyclable ice is the only thing i dont like riding in used to do it on my old mx bike but then i didnt care if i dumped that yeah anyway you stay safe bud.

[Dangerous Dave]

You can apply ACF-50 when the bike is wet, for a better effect apply when the bike is dry. As for FS365, it is water soluble so every time you ride in the damp it will come off, kind of makes that a little pointless to apply to a wet bike. ACF-50 will last an entire year on your bike, to remove it you will need a degreaser and some elbow grease.

ACF-50 is safe to use on plastic and rubber, the fact that both plastic and rubber do not rust answers any question on whether to apply it to those areas. To apply ACF-50 I spray it on directly from the can, avoid the brake discs, pads and tyres at all costs! When it comes to hard to reach areas I spray some into the lip and dab a paint brush into it and apply. To treat your forks/wheels/cailipers spray some ACF onto a damp cloth and wipe onto the component.

[Nobbylad]

I put ACF-50 on my bike a few weeks ago....it's been through some bad conditions since and is absolutely caked in filth, however, I rest safe in the knowledge it is protected (you can still smell the ACF-50 on it when it gets hot).

[northwind]

That's why ACF50 wins ;)

(apparently, the reason they recommend spraying FS365 on when wet is precisely because it's water soluble, as the water evaporates the FS gets left behind and gives better coverage. Seems plausible enough, it certainly works better when sprayed on wet anyway. But the lack of lifespan makes it too irritating for me.

[Phaelok]

Let me put it to you this way chaps and chapettes.

Cleaned my bike and applied ACF-50, left for one or two months, that included letting all the crap build up and riding to and from london every weekend. The crap LITERALLY built up ALL over the place, grit and salt, everything. The bike was caked in the stuff.

When i had some time off work and i finally had enough of the bike being caked in crap, i cleaned it. The exhaust and engine + all other parts were absolutely PRISTINE. I cant rate this stuff enough :cheers:

Its amazing stuff, it really is - such a good product and an amazing investment to keep your bike looking shiny every winter. Look at most other SV's around who dont use ACF, their pipes are rusted half to hell. Look at mine, not looking bright stainless steel, but still shiny!

[Dave20046]

No one on here says it's £15 a tin!!!!
Is it worth it I just bought a can on the basis of this thread...

[northwind]

I got my tins for a tenner, and something like £15 for the huge bottle. Still well worth it at £15, it's such a timesaver.

[Dave20046]

I got my tins for a tenner, and something like £15 for the huge bottle. Still well worth it at £15, it's such a timesaver.
It's a really tall bottle 370gr? Think it retails at £19, guy in the shop apologised about the price and said it'd gone up £2. £19 for a bottle though! jeese

[northwind]

It goes a very long way, don't worry about it- I used a 5 litre pot of FS365 in about the same time as it took to go through an aerosol of ACF

[Dave20046]

It goes a very long way, don't worry about it- I used a 5 litre pot of FS365 in about the same time as it took to go through an aerosol of ACF
Cool :)

I'm especially frugle these days what with all this redundancy ****. Just gonna get my bike sorted, try not to crash it again and have some fun :batman:

[bigup]

sorry to bump an oldish thread

had ACF50 in my cupboard for ages and just used it last week end,

washed the bike with muc off bike cleaner (pink stuff in bottle), used wool wash mitt, rinsed off with hose, dried with microfibre drying towel, sprayed ACF50 all over engine and hard to reach placed (think i sprayed a bit to much lol).

the shine is makes on the bike is stunning,

looking forward to riding in some rain to see if this stuff works.

so i take it i dont need to reapply the ACF50 again then untill a few months time?

when i wash the bike, i just dry like normal yeh?

thanks

[wizurd]

Just to check then - this ACF-50 stuff only needs to go on to the mechanical metal sections. No need to go on the plastics, but also it won't hurt the plastics ?

[northwind]

Just to check then - this ACF-50 stuff only needs to go on to the mechanical metal sections. No need to go on the plastics, but also it won't hurt the plastics ?

Well, keep it off brakes, and it's wasted on the exhaust as it burns off (and can leave an ugly burnt-on mark, which cleans off easily but easier just to not have it. It might hurt some plastics but it seems fine on everything on the SV.

so i take it i dont need to reapply the ACF50 again then untill a few months time?


Not til winter strikes, unless you clean it with a chemical cleaner- muc off etc takes ACF off, so you end up either not washing it and not having to reapply for ages, or washing it and reapplying more frequently. If you wash with a hose it'll last though (powerwasher can probably remove it too) I just don't wash mine.

[Stig]

ACF50 gets my vote too. It justs lasts longer through the winter. Unlike FS365 which seems to need more applications to keep the protection going. Which in turn means more winter bike cleaning.

[wizurd]

cool - cheers for the advice - will be getting some of this in the future

[charlie13]

i've always slapped on the acf50 when the bike is dry, usually just before the onset of winter and road salt. then it stays like that til the sun comes out. bike looks well grotty over winter but when you scrub it all off it comes up like new (or secondhand, depending on what condition your bike was in when you coated it!)

[hindle8907]

if you use acf50 on the chain do you still need to lube the chain .

[charlie13]

would you still need to use chain lube? would have thought so. acf50 is designed to be a corrosion inhibitor and will help to stop any rust or corrosion from starting or getting worse, but it's fairly thin runny stuff and will be easily flung off a chain, thinner than the oil used in a scottoiler which is constantly drip fed onto the chain. the spray on chain lube is usually very thick viscous stuff that's very tacky so that it sticks to the chain so it doesn't need such regular application unless it's being washed off by wet weather. i suppose you could use acf in a scottoiler but it'd be more expensive to run than normal scottoil and isn't likely to have the same properties as scottoil for lubrication/minimising chain wear. guess it wouldn't hurt to give the chain a thin coat of acf if you've just cleaned it tho.

[Alpinestarhero]

Dont bother putting ACF50 on the chain' if you use lube correctly (sideplates and rollers) then that'll be the corrosion protection :)

[dizzyblonde]

If your bike is stood for a while, it is worth just 'painting' a bit of ACF50 on your chain. Either of my SVs can be parked up for any length of time, as it depends which one is in favour to play out on. I have noticed, even though my chains are regualrly cleaned and oiled, sat in my metal shed, they do tend to get rusty spots on the chain from the condensation that the shed collects. ACF50 really does stop it, while they are stood up, then I just lube up the chain as normal when the bike comes out to play.

I don't spray ACF50 liberally on my bikes, as I don't like them looking like a mud magnet! I get a paintbrush, spray some in the aersol lid, and paint it on.

[charlie13]

i generally like mine filthy . . . giggity