UK Monster Owners Club Forum » .: Technical :. » Engines, Clutch, Gears » Winter commuting questions

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 19-07-2022, 09:20 AM   #1
jamminbmx
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: oxford
Bike: M600
Posts: 131
Winter commuting questions

Hi all!

Bit of a weird question during the heatwave but...

I use my Monster 600 in the summer and DR800 in the winter for commuting.

Need to take the DR off the road and use the Monster in the winter this year.

Does anyone have any tips for winter commuting? I'm worried about electrical issues and corrosion in the rain!

Cheers

Ben
jamminbmx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-07-2022, 02:29 PM   #2
Nickj
Too much time on my hands member
 
Nickj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Forest Of Dean
Bike: S2r
Posts: 3,187
If the temperature is down towards zero and the humity is just so you can get ice forming in the intakes, possibly heightened with the potential water content of E5/10 fuel.
You just need a bit of fuel additive to stop it happening.

Corrosion, ACF50 will keep that at bay.

Water proof electrics ... well my 750 got me home though some floods >> pics etc here << If you scroll down there's the main grid station for the county which was on my route home, spot the road on the right, half a mile on your off the embankment and it got to be real fun
Didn't miss a beat in water up to knee level, that's knee level sitting on and riding (make a bow wave and hope it gets shallower and DON'T STOP!!) the bike so it's probably less of an issue than you think. Just make sure your connecters are clean and lube with some suitable grease.

Hopefully not one you'll find but given reasonable tyres you'll be OK in snow up to 10 - 20 cms deep, the forest was always a bit carp for winter weather, well OK depends on how you ride but the motors doff along nicely and the flat torque curve means it rarely snaps out on you.

The motor casing paint will fall off anyway, salt will make it happen faster and the cases can get messy, again ACF everything.

No problems Jamin, good gear and it'll be a doddle.. not enjoyable but a doddle.
__________________
"The final measure of any rider's skill is the inverse ratio of his preferred Traveling Speed to the number of bad scars on his body." Song of the sausage creature

Last edited by Nickj; 19-07-2022 at 02:32 PM..
Nickj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-07-2022, 02:58 PM   #3
jamminbmx
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: oxford
Bike: M600
Posts: 131
Holy moly! I was just thinking of a light downpour...not riding home via the nearest river Good to hear its more robust than I think it is!

ACF50 sounds like a plan. Will have a look at fuel additives and contact grease as well.

Thanks for all the info. Put my mind at ease. DR800 needs a piston and with my mechanical abilities this could take a few winters
jamminbmx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-07-2022, 05:50 PM   #4
spuggy
Registered User
 
spuggy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Farnborough
Bike: M900sie
Posts: 171
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamminbmx View Post
Does anyone have any tips for winter commuting? I'm worried about electrical issues and corrosion in the rain!
Clean your electrical connections and apply dielectric grease liberally before the winter.

Check your battery is up to snuff/charging works well (as cold temperatures will kill a marginal battery quicker). I fitted a lithium battery and will probably never buy another lead acid battery - tired of them needing a tender, or even just not holding a charge anymore at a year old.

Tyres. If they're a few years old, even with good tread, putting fresh rubber on for the winter might be a really smart move. The ones that came on my S4 looked fine and really weren't high on my list of priorities in the dry. But they quickly moved to the top - they were absolutely horrifying with any moisture at all.
spuggy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-07-2022, 08:23 PM   #5
jamminbmx
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: oxford
Bike: M600
Posts: 131
Got new tyres the other day…man what a difference! Got a motobatt too which is great.

Never used dielectric grease so that will be a Youtube video!

Cheers all!
jamminbmx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-07-2022, 09:05 PM   #6
spuggy
Registered User
 
spuggy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Farnborough
Bike: M900sie
Posts: 171
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamminbmx View Post
Got new tyres the other day…man what a difference! Got a motobatt too which is great.
Cool. Hope the AGM works out for you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jamminbmx View Post
Never used dielectric grease so that will be a Youtube video!
It's a non-conductive grease, usually silicon-based. Clean your electrical connectors if/as necessary- and then apply dielectric fairly liberally. and re-connect. The pressure of remaking the contact displaces the grease - and then the connection is sealed from the air/moisture.

It just prevents air or water getting into the connector causing them to oxidize or otherwise corrode/degrade the connection. It's probably not so vitally important for the WeatherPack/SuperSeal connectors on the main harness (these should be weathertight anyway, if in good condition) - but that cheesy alternator block connector? Bullet terminals on the indicators? Pack that stuff in there, you betcha... LOL

I'd do battery terminals, multi-plug connectors, handlebar switches, spark plug caps etc. are all candidates. I'd probably also do relay bases etc and anything else I could find while I was at it for good measure. Basically everything on a bike is exposed to the elements, especially at any out-of-town speed...
spuggy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-07-2022, 10:12 PM   #7
Nickj
Too much time on my hands member
 
Nickj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Forest Of Dean
Bike: S2r
Posts: 3,187
The looms are usually OK it's the connecters that are the weakest spots, just make sure everything is lubricated and it'll be fine.
Oh and on one deep long wade on my way home a cheeky bugger on a BMW offered me a squirt or two of WD, hmmm who was misfiring when we got to the other side
__________________
"The final measure of any rider's skill is the inverse ratio of his preferred Traveling Speed to the number of bad scars on his body." Song of the sausage creature
Nickj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2022, 07:27 AM   #8
jamminbmx
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: oxford
Bike: M600
Posts: 131
Yeah I went past a massive mint BMW GS type thing broken down on the hard shoulder yesterday in the heat. My old DR800 loved the 40 degrees...probably because the carb is set up for desert conditions or something I don't understand.

Mind you my DR800 sounds like it is about to let go of all its metal bits so I should not be too cocky

Thanks for all the tips!

Last edited by jamminbmx; 20-07-2022 at 07:29 AM..
jamminbmx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2022, 12:56 PM   #9
Zimbo
Too much time on my hands member
 
Zimbo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Stonehouse, Glos
Bike: Multiple Monsters
Posts: 2,077
Should be fine in the winter, but you may run into carb icing when the temps are 2 or 3 degrees, causing the bike to die on you but be fine after a few minutes of being stopped. Addition of Silkolene Pro FST to the fuel prevents this. Suggestions above on ACF50 and protecting electrical connections are all good!
Zimbo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-07-2022, 08:42 AM   #10
jamminbmx
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: oxford
Bike: M600
Posts: 131
OK will make up all the connectors with this magical grease! Will have a look at the fuel additives as well...but might wait to see if I have issues first.

Cheers all!
jamminbmx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2022, 08:21 AM   #11
jamminbmx
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: oxford
Bike: M600
Posts: 131
First ride to work in cold conditions today! 2 degrees and damp. Bike was not really happy even after running for a while. Had to keep the rev's up and it was a bit jerky when throttle opened.

Could carb icing be the issue here? Might have a look for the Silkolene Pro FST...
jamminbmx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2022, 09:40 AM   #12
alan s4
Registered User
 
alan s4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Glasgow
Bike: S4 challenge
Posts: 447
Any excuse for my favourite monster in the winter video. I thought I was brave yesterday going out for a ride in 5 degrees.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4irRAZ8hkgQ
alan s4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2022, 11:02 AM   #13
jamminbmx
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: oxford
Bike: M600
Posts: 131
What a nutter! Might stop complaining about my jerky throttle...at least I didnt need to brush the snow off my number plate
jamminbmx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-12-2022, 07:43 AM   #14
jamminbmx
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: oxford
Bike: M600
Posts: 131
-5 degrees today and apart from requiring lots of choke for the first few minutes the Monster worked well!

My fingers didn't though! Absolute ice blocks! Soooo...heated grips tips? I have Oxford on my other bike and they work well. Anyone know which type fit the Monster?
jamminbmx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-12-2022, 08:53 AM   #15
Kato
Dismantled
 
Kato's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: East Molesey
Bike: Multiple Monsters
Posts: 2,219
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamminbmx View Post
First ride to work in cold conditions today! 2 degrees and damp. Bike was not really happy even after running for a while. Had to keep the rev's up and it was a bit jerky when throttle opened.

Could carb icing be the issue here? Might have a look for the Silkolene Pro FST...
Almost certainly carb icing addition of Pro FST will help enormously, try not to use E10 if you can.

https://www.mandp.co.uk/products/pro-fst-1-litre-544454

A cap full in every full tank

When it's cold, miserable and wet like now the best recommendation I have is UBER
__________________
"Political correctness is just intellectual colonialism and psychological fascism for the creation of thought crime"

Kato is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 02:22 PM.

vBulletin Skins by vBmode.com. Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.