| Author | Message | ||
     Vaneo1 |
Just curious, What are some of the ways you guys keep your bikes clean. Not so much how to polish plastic but how to get the grime build up on the engine and chin spoiler, best way to clean exhaust, and transmission case, and wheels? What types of agents used, drying methods. I use simple green on all the metal, and scrubby brush's of diff. sizes with hot water to get into the nooks and cranny's. Later I take her for a ride to dry her off. In short I am asking for cleaning advice because I seem to be running into grime spots that will not lift from the engine or wheels. Suggestions?  | ||
| Rageonthedl |
I use simple green....BAD IDEA, I used the ready to use kind on my wheels and it Funked them up. | ||
| Vaneo1 |
hmmm havent had any problems w/ simple green. It works for me but I wanted to know of some of the OTHER ways to wash the bike... | ||
| Diablobrian |
Hand wash, never pressure wash your bike. Besides being better for the bike it is a good chance to notice little details that might need attention you'd miss otherwise. Use a mild detergent, not dish soap, I use an automotive wash for wash down. A soft brush can be used on the motor cases to get the nasties off of there, but be gentle. Avoid wash mits. I use an automotive wheel cleaner applied to a cloth, not the wheel to get the nasty stuff off of the wheels. I just got a dog dryer given to me (okay, my dog Ginger got it) which is essentially the same thing they sell as a bike dryer. blows warm air to dry the bike. Do not use high pressure air. It will force water in where you don't want it. The (non abrasive) wax of your choice comes next. I like Meguires gold class liquid. For touch-ups I like plexus spray, or honda's spray cleaner/polish. Is this what you were asking for? (Message edited by diablobrian on March 12, 2006) | ||
| Vaneo1 |
Awesome Brian thats exactly the type of stuff I was inquiring about. I know there are diff. ways to wash a bike so I wanted to hear some of the routines.  (Message edited by vaneo1 on March 13, 2006) | ||
| Vaneo1 |
BTW how do your wheels get F'ed up Rageonthedl? | ||
| Doughnut |
Ride in the rain.  | ||
| Diablobrian |
more like a ritual than a routine  | ||
| Rageonthedl |
all the powder coat looks cracked/spider webed | ||
| Henrik |
Someone has previously mentioned a "washing attachment" that you put on a garden hose to (I think) soften the water and avoid water spots. Typically sold for cars, but it was reviewed in one of the bike mags recently. Anyone know the name of said gadget? Thanks Henrik | ||
| Kenney83 |
your talking about the Mr clean cleaning thing. i use that on my truck works good. but make sure you use the soap that comes with it for it and change the filter reguraly. other than that it work great. kenney | ||
| Mb182 |
The Mr clean was designed to sell the soap - it flat eats it up. I hand wash with a bucket, brush and a soft cloth. I just use the Mr clean to rinse only - this keeps it from water spotting before I can get it all dried off. Be very careful with the hose - it dosesn't take much pressure at all to blow water into electrical connection or wheel bearing seals. 90% of the time I use the Miguars (sp) spray wash. It is great for everything but cleaning the grease off the motor. even works great on windshields and visors. I have heard of Simple Green eating parts from several people but have used on motors with no problems. I usually dilute 2-3 oz in a gallon of water and rinse off right away MB | ||
| Gowindward |
Simple Green, Liquid carwash soap in a bucket of hot water and a lambs wool mitt. Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax Paste (This wax doesn't leave a white film on the black plastic, like frame pucks...etc) Meguiar's ScratchX (A little bit less abrasive than Novus 2) Meguiar's Cleaner Wax (Keeps the frame and swing arm looking good.) Mother's Back To Black (On the black plastic trim on the bike...frame pucks, head light bezels...etc) Elbow Grease Mr. Clean Rinse system. The soap I don't feel does that great a job and doesn't foam much. Hand dry with a natural chamois (Message edited by gowindward on March 13, 2006) | ||
| Spike |
My basic wash procedure is to spray the nasty stuff (wheels, motor, etc.) with S100 first, then hand wash with a sponge and a bucket using auto soap. I usually go over the front wheel two or three times using this method. When finished I rinse the heck out of the bike to get excess soap/S100 out of all the places it may have gathered. My next step up is to focus on the wheels and the front of the engine. The front of the engine is hard to scrub, so I give it a good coat with S100 or Engine Brite and scrub the areas I can with a rag or a small sponge. For the wheels I'll use a rag or brush and a heavy application of S100. For the really bad spots on the wheels I'll use a toothbrush and brake cleaner. If I have time to polish/wax I'll go over all the bodywork using Novus plastic cleaner and Harley Glaze. From time to time I'll go over the wheels with Harley Glaze, but it's such a tedious process that I rarely do it. The results are excellent though, and it makes the wheels easier to clean in the future. As an extra touch I'll occasionally go over all the black plastic (mirrors, signals, etc.) with Armor All. *Edit - Forgot to mention that I always let the bike air dry unless I'm going to polish/wax the bike afterward. (Message edited by spike on March 13, 2006) | ||
| Jkhawaii |
I dont use water on my bike. I like waterless washes. | ||
| Bomber |
H -- Griott's Garage sells an in-line water softener -- odn't know anyone that has one, but their quality is generally very high (matches prices)-- I agree on the Mr Clean thingie -- works pretty darned well, but eats supplies at a prodigious rate Simple green WILL hurt aluminum, but many years of use tells me that spray, brush, rinse within a couple of minutes will be fine (unless it's highly polished) -- never used it on any anodized surface, though | ||
| Wo1sjb |
I have been told by the powers that be at work, that Simple Green causes aluminum to become brittle. Take that for what it's worth, but we were banned from using it on our aircraft. | ||
| Nedwreck |
Go slow and be careful when you hand wash your bike. They BITE! Something up under mine opened me up pretty good. Bob | ||
| Dmextreme |
yeah i hate getting opened up.. it sucks.. not the greatest thing. i take mine to the car wash and use the spray, then my wife tags along so she can wash her car.. i detail the bike at the car wash. yeah, it turns heads.. wife doesn't like that.. lol | ||
| Vaneo1 |
wow this is all great advice, I WAS using Simple Green on everything. Im sold that its the greatest stuff in the world to get the grime off the engine, and I was using it on the frame followed by a quick rinse. Guess Ill start using just water on the frame, and keep using S.G. on the engine casings followed by a rinse. Spike the fron of the engine is hard to scrub, I havent ever been able to get it to look like it did when it was in the show room. BTW that was a glorious day, I walked into the dealer and there she was up on the pedestal. Had I arrived 5 minutes later she would have belonged to someone else. The people where waiting to see if I was gonna leave. | ||
| Misato |
this is the best way...  |
