Cleaning products?

[p.dath]

Btw bogan, if you can, avoid dishwashing liquid, and use a car or bike based type instead.
DW liquid can damage clearcoat and paint. I cant remember why however.
This is about as far as my knowledge goes

Wow, I didn't know that. I use dish-wash liquid on my bike to clean it, because I know it is free from wax, and I don't like it to be slippery to ride when I am on it.
Fortunately my bike is already old, has a few battle scars, and the paint work is in average condition.

Looks like I'll have to go down to Repco and get some simple cheap wash now.

[scumdog]

Wow, I didn't know that. I use dish-wash liquid on my bike to clean it, because I know it is free from wax, and I don't like it to be slippery to ride when I am on it.
Fortunately my bike is already old, has a few battle scars, and the paint work is in average condition.

Looks like I'll have to go down to Repco and get some simple cheap wash now.

As baffa sez, dishwashing liquid will right royally fuck-up your paint - ok if you want a dull no-shine look.

Oh, and it will very likely perpetrate rust/corrison on any bare metal.
Do as you sed and get some wash'n'wax stuff.

[caspernz]

The main ingredient is elbow grease...

My choice of detergent is Grapewash from Pacer, or CT18 from SuperCheap, both being neutral detergents.
Pre-wash spray with kero to take off oily mess around chain area, kero also helps loosen up them baked on bugs after a serious roadtrip.
A couple of times a year I do the polish thing with a colour coded wax to get rid of minor scratches.

And then every few years just trade the bugger in for a new one seems to help as well...

[puddytat]

I use diesel on a rag to remove tar , grease etc, but to bring out the shine im a lemon Pledge fan.....'tis also really good for hiding scratches on perspex & visors.....

[caspernz]

I use diesel on a rag to remove tar , grease etc, but to bring out the shine im a lemon Pledge fan.....'tis also really good for hiding scratches on perspex & visors.....

The way to fix scratches on perspex is to use a fine polish, such as one for paintwork in good nick, and simply polish the scratches away. Visors, screens, headlamps etc. Showed a mate recently how to tidy up the monsoon on his car, and the headlight covers, came up like new.

[cowpoos]

Ok tidy kiwis, what do you use to clean and polish your bikes?

Some of the bikes I see at work constantly have clean paint and shiny wheels, and it makes my bike look like it's just been through a sh!tstorm in comparison.

Porn....gets everything off!!