Bike Cleaning

[wkid_one]

Try Simple Green Degreaser - works wicked like.

Spray on, rub down with wet cloth....it is biodegradeable and smells okay......

[Coldkiwi]

Originally posted by wkid_one
Try Simple Green Degreaser - works wicked like.

Spray on, rub down with wet cloth....it is biodegradeable and smells okay......

You reckon? I tried some Simple Green bike cleaner out of a sample I got from motomail when I bought a tyre kit there and it didn't impress me much. It got the bike cleanish but it certainly wasn;t a miracle cleaner. I rate the pledge higher.

 

[XRNR]

Its great for running your diesel truck on though!.

Should be good in my bike then!

Diesel
its available free on a corner near you!

Ha! road bike riders, such luxury,

I will have to shovel a few bucket loads of sand off the track into my trailer, (or is that clean out my air filter) so I can take it home and press out the diesel then.

When I was a poor student I used to borrow mums car whenever it was raining..... I used to fill her car up with diesel, cos it's much cheaper than 96.

Good Idea!
Whish I had done that to my mums car... After my sister had been using it!


Well I can see their is plenty of experience on this site. So you guys can let me in on the secret of how those motocrosser blokes manage to keep their bikes looking like they just came from the showroom floor. Mine usually has mud stains or other crap embedded in / on it.
I don't believe that they spend hours with a toothbrush polishing & cleaning them after each ride. Although Diesel works well getting the stains off the crank cases I still have to use elbow grease.

What's the lazy way?

[Marmoot]

Careful waterblasting

[XRNR]

Careful waterblasting

Gets the sand & mud off, but don't get the clay stains off the crankcases or exhaust.

[Marmoot]

Careful waterblasting followed with brushing for stubborn stains.
Then, apply liberal waxing on plastics. Helps removing future mud sessions.

[Wellyman]

So in the end what do we reccomend for getting dirt stains of the motor?? I have that problem on my 230 and need to fix it. i'm doing plenty of cleaning

[NordieBoy]

One word...

Steam.

[tlronny]

I just use any car cleaner first out of a spritzer bottle - let it soak in for a few mins and then waterblast it to hell.
Works just fine and I'm reknown for detailing my rides.
Finish off with some kind of silicon type product ie - 'Warehouse' tyre shine $3.99 or 'Supercheap' is even better at same price and voila -Done !

The waterblaster is the secret though

[et al]

I recommend Mr Sheen - available from Supermarkets, this is similar product to Pledge but comes in plastic spray bottle so is more cost effective and environmentally friendly. I use it to clean everything on the bike eg
paint/plastic/chrome/seats and is also great for helmet visor and bike screen - deals to road kill no worries. If you use it liberally there is no need to give bike (talking about road bikes here) a wet clean unless really dirty. It will
also remove grease but I tend to use either CRC or Kero for heavy stuff like chain grease on rear wheel rims.

[XTC]

To clean the MXer I waterblast the chunky bits off. then use washing a scoop of washing powder (lemon fresh?) in a bucket of water to remove the stains with a brush. then wash off. WD the bare metal bits and the chain/footpeg pivots/chain rollers etc and use crc808 silicone on the plastics... looks like new. Then I go get it dirty again....... semms pointless really but at least when cleaning it you see all the bits that are falling off.

[Motu]

Getting the mud of cases seems to be a scrub job,and I'm just not interested in that...the lime on Northland roads is the hardest stuff to clean off.I painted my header pipes on the XT with flame proof black,then went for a ride off road...into some nice deep clay mud ruts - the pipes behind the guard are no longer black ofcourse,but where the mud splashed along the side of the pipes is still there over a year later,a repaint is the only way to get rid of it.Next time I'll HPC them like I did my Honda.

[Beemer]

My husband uses diluted Dynamo (for washing clothes) in a spray bottle for cleaning his dirt bike. He gently waterblasts it first to remove any clumps of dirt and crap, then he sprays it all over with the Dynamo and leaves it for about 10 minutes before waterblasting it again. Works a treat and the plastic bits come up really well.

Pledge is good for helmets and plastic fairings too. Has anyone used Rain Off (they use it on windscreens when rallying) on a helmet visor? Haven't tried it myself in case it's corrosive, but figure it could work in beading rain off a visor.

[Groins_NZ]

My husband uses diluted Dynamo (for washing clothes) in a spray bottle for cleaning his dirt bike. He gently waterblasts it first to remove any clumps of dirt and crap, then he sprays it all over with the Dynamo and leaves it for about 10 minutes before waterblasting it again. Works a treat and the plastic bits come up really well.

Pledge is good for helmets and plastic fairings too. Has anyone used Rain Off (they use it on windscreens when rallying) on a helmet visor? Haven't tried it myself in case it's corrosive, but figure it could work in beading rain off a visor.

Dynamo - that's a new one.

Don't use Rain Off on your visor - it makes it go cloudy from my experience (some kind of chemical reaction with the plastic material I guess).

[Eurygnomes]

I can't figure out what I like best: the idea of sampling supermarket cleaning products to clean my bike or the "lemon fresh" query from XTC above! *giggle*

Seriously though - my GN250 arrived yesterday (HOORAY!) but it is in need of a serious clean. I haven't even taken my car to a carwash in 2 years - so I'm not your average suburban 'car-cleaning' chick. So tell me...do I use normal carwash and a hose (seems to be how I remember doing a car). Or do I put on a bikini and ride through a car wash?

And what should I NOT clean? Chain? Engine etc.? Assume I know NOTHING in your answers please.