Waterproof grease?

[doc47]

Sittin' here cogitating. (No, it won't ruin my eyesight...) Back when I had a boat I used to grease the trailer wheels with Marine grease that resisted salt water and supposedly protected the wheel bearings on the trailer. The trailer, of course, would get repeatedly backed into salt water to launch/retrieve the boat.

 

Would that type of grease be useful on our bikes?

 

I was thinking about this after reading the saga of a corroded swing-arm bolt in Florida's salt-water environment.

[Guest Kakugo]

I think you'll have better luck with aircraft anti-corrosion treatments.

There are a number of good products on the market and I am sure our pilot/aircraft technician members will be happy to share their firsthand knowledge.

I have used ACF-50 (made by Lear Chemical) for many years, mostly because it's easier to source in Europe than other products like Boeshield: not live near the sea but road are effectively coated in salt from November to April and I haven't had a "furry" bolt ever since despite riding all year around.

The big problem is getting whatever treatment you choose on the surfaces you want to treat without making a mess of things:this page provides useful tips about applying it to a bike.

[Selden]

I suspect the answer depends on the application. For semi-exposed places like the shift bushing and dogbone sockets, I use marine grease. I have no idea if the stuff would be appropriate for, say front wheel bearings. This winter I (after years of searching) found a small pump grease gun at Harbor Freight with a pointy tip, just right for the side stand grease hole, and I used generic bearing grease for that; not sure why didn't use the marine grease. For the caliper pins, a very light coating of silicone grease designed for that application. Input splines, moly paste.

 

Eagerly awaiting D.R.'s observations on this question....