On the IMZ Ural Message Boards, Jon wants to protect the paint on his Gear-up. He takes a bit of ribbing from the guys, who believe “Ural” and “clean” are mutually exclusive, but there are also some good points made about treatments that can protect your rough-riding Ural from getting rusted and pitted up:

The main recommendation is a treatment called ACF-50. Their product page has some great breakdown of the benefits of the treatment, though I’m still a bit unclear on how the layman can put on this stuff in the comfort of their home garage:

ACF-50 was developed 15 years ago and has amassed a record of performance unique in the aerospace industry. Here are some of its unique properties

Do you need it? As with all things motorcycling, your mileage may vary (YMMV). If you live and ride primarily in a region where corrosion is an issue, such as a maritime area or a cold-winter area where road salts are in heavy use, you’ll probably want ACF-50 or a similar protectant for your paint and metal. If not, well, it might not be a big deal.

As for me, Svetlana and I reside inland, and Eugene has very mild winters. At this point, I’m thinking Sveta won’t need a protectant like this, but I’m going to keep looking into it.