A Warning About Pool Chemicals and Motorcycles!!

A little over a week ago I made a custom bracket for my Corbin seat so I could use the stock seat prop rod (on my 78 KZ1000 A). I noticed a few days ago that it has badly rusted! Since I had cut and ground it into the shape I needed, I didn't think too much of it, but did think it seemed a little weird that it rusted so quickly. It was also kind of weird that the brand new prop rod had rust in spots.

I went to the garage earlier tonight to treat the parts with a rust converter prior to painting. As I worked in the garage, I noticed that my key ring was also badly rusted. Then I noticed that my brake rotors were rusted. I panicked and started checking my MKII for rust. Sure enough, I found it on the brake rotors and the brand new brake bleeders. I also noticed green oxidation on several chrome parts (brake fittings, turn signals). The oxidation cleaned off pretty easily but the rust won't come off. It seems that anything made of iron has rusted or oxidized on both of my bikes!

To make a long story longer.....I realized that I had moved a large container of chlorine tablets into the garage recently. As a matter of fact, they were about 2 feet from the 78 and about 5 feet from the MKII. I think the chlorine leaking into the air is what caused the sudden oxidation! Don't store pool chemicals in the same building as your motorcycles or parts. What a bummer! Looking back now, I had been smelling chlorine everytime I went into the garage but never thought it would hurt my KZ's. Just wanted to pass along the information.

Also if you have a freezer or refrigerator in the same room as the bike(s), the Ozone produced by the compressor motor will attack the rubber bits of the bikes.The same goes for if you have any electrical motor driven device in close proximity to a parked,stored motorcycle.

Would also store muriatic acid outside as well.

Running a washer and dryer inside the garage also creates a moist condition which may foster rust.

Good Fortune!

Oh nooooooooo......... :ohmy:

Seriously speaking, that royally SUCKS on any KZ... but especially on your beautiful build...

Hope it works out where you caught it early enough....

OMR

Depends on the pool chemicals. I store sodium sulfite in my garage. This should help reduce rust. :silly:
But I also store sodium thiosulfate and citric acid, so that probably counteracts any good effects.

Good tips...never thought about those things either.

I'm sure it was the chlorine tablets in my case. Much of the chrome has green oxidation on it (if steel) or white oxidation (if aluminum). I spent hours cleaning it up the other day....there were even more parts rusted than I had initially realized: brake rotors, chain pins, the triangle tabs that hold on the seat cover, several nuts/bolts,etc... Some of it wipes off pretty easily but some doesn't.

I haven't even started cleaning up the '78 yet. I think it's worse. This sucks!