I just finished up an oil change and spilled a small amount down the side of the engine case, which is black on my 1994. When I wiped it up, I realized it really blackened the engine casing and gave it a decent shine.
Now, I work on helicopters and part of our maintenance program is a corrosion control schedule where we spray the majority of the chopper down with a product called LPS which is a petroleum based lubricant and protectant. We spray it on very near every component, including the engine. That said, when the turbines light off, the LPS is pretty much instantly burned off but on other components it keeps a decent shine.
Back to my original question; since the engine case temperature on a hot bike is far below the flash-point of the oil, would it do any real harm to try it?
I've had good luck with Pam cooking spray. Richens the blackness of the paint, and makes the engine easier to clean.
Perfect, so at least I know I won't be flying down the road and spontaneously light off into a fireball.
I may be strange but I use normal car wax on my engine case. works great.
Forgot to add: I first heard about the whole cooking spray thing from a dirt bike/ quad magazine. They sprayed it on a "demo" model so it could be washed easier before being returned.
I swear i took a rag with WD-40 and wiped down my entire engine and it looked shiny and nice all through winter. Spring came and i washed it with soap and it looked like ass. :dunno_black:
Whatever you do, do not spray oven cleaner on or even near the bike.
But Pam ... man you cannot believe what I've done with Pam, man she loves to ge tall oiled up and ... aaaah pam. Oh wait ... women and children are here ... what ...
Cool.
buddha.
i suppose the process is similar to seasoning cast iron with oil.