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What do you use to clean your bike

C

cjny01

Training Wheels
So its time to give the bike its once a year cleaning and finally get off all the road salt, so Sunday I dragged out the hose and the cleaning supply's only to find I had no S100.

The bike is in bad shape due to the fact I ride all year round and cant take the hose out until late spring to wash anything.

Since it was Sunday the motorcycle shops are all closed and NONE of the automotive places carry motorcycle wash.

So my question is this, what do you use to clean the dirt, rode salt and every day debris off your bike?

Thanks
 
pledge ...stuff works great !!!! on plastics and painted surfaces .good for bugs to and windshields  i carry a can with me
james
 
Why not just good old soap and water?  If I run into tuff stuff, I use some kerosene to clean it off and then wash some more.
 
james said:
pledge ...stuff works great !!!! on plastics and painted surfaces .good for bugs to and windshields  i carry a can with me
james
Click to expand...
Pledge Wipes are now available too.  Handy product with no overspray. :)
SPEdQBe5rwAWHad_c7SdBzZUDnPLPfD8fRDXouOg2hKDjXEt_yFrhvt5XIaxH-1UDu9xFoKdqAPTjuBJ2RYulCO4TPkINnFhRFfIyGO-HnEDsjSxaFzKa_6KZL0K3_WGq7woR2v9odVKMe-2mnAG-CGkC0accPQu6E3GN74NezYBVjHD0YnxcQc3m2jTxYY
 
I only wash it with the hose when there is to much grime for the Honda spray cleaner and polish to get off. When it does, it gets plain old TurtleWax car wash soap.
 
I also use the Turtle Wax car wash soap and a sponge in a bucket of water. I have also used Pledge wipes out when I travel and I'm out on the road. They are nice to use in hotel parking lots at the end of a day.
 
I ride in the rain, frequently, and when on road trips, those motel complimentary mini-bottles of shampoo, and liquid shower soap are mahhhhvelous, my bike smells sooo nice.... :))
 
I used S-100... til the dealer near me that sold it closed  :(

Just made it easier.  But without, just regular carwash soap... in a bucket... with a sponge...  all old-school like.
 
DISCLAIMER: I am a little OCD, and fanatical about keeping my fleet clean (or at least trying to). I prefer not to use products that contain any silicone.

I have been impressed with the results from any of the Griot's Garage line of products. Really well thought-out products,and their guide to detailing is excellent. I like to wash the bike with boar's hair brushes or microfiber mitts (never use nylon or plastic brushes!) and rinse thoroughly, "blow dry" with a dedicated portable car vac/blower, then towel with chamois or microfiber. I use less soap than recommended in warm (not hot) water. If paint is already great, or a new bike, there is no need for polishing. Polish always removes "something", so unless you already have swirl marks or scratches you won't need it. On a new bike I'll start with Paint Prep to remove dealer-applied silicone-based treatments--they can contribute to haziness or poor adhesion of "better" products. Next I'll go over all painted surfaces with Speed Shine and paint cleaning clay to remove the micro-contaminates that don't come off with washing (!). On bodywork I use a 100% carnuba or Best of Show wax. On the wheels I use Paint Sealant which seems to last longer and makes it easier to clean wheels between rides. One of Griot's tech advisors turned me on to their Engine Bay Dressing, which I DO NOT spray on my motorcycle engine (like I do on the cars), but spray underneath the (cleaned) fenders--makes for easy rinsing throughout the riding season. I'll lightly wipe the Engine Bay Dressing on the hoses and cables coming up to the cockpit from the triple clamps, which helps them shed grime all season. This stuff does not stay wet and gooey like Armor-All (which I dislike). (*If you spray anything under the fenders, make sure to clean your tires real good!). Unpainted plastic surfaces get the Plastic Cleaner and Plastic Polish (use the polish with a very light touch, "less is more") with 100% cotton wipes and towels.

For the windscreen, I like the Cee Bailey's plastic polish and I only use the Dupont Sontara wipes--aerospace-grade polishing.

I'll do all of this and more (typically) at the end of the season, before hooking up the battery tender and putting on the cover (carefully--covers can and will scratch your paint and windscreens), and I'll do it again mid-season. Unless I get hit with a rain ride, I can just hit everything with the Speed Shine and microfiber after a ride and be ready-to-go with a seriously shiny and fast bike that stays clean looking for weeks on end. With good prep and detailing, I can do quick washes throughout the season as needed, then use the Speed Shine or Spray-On Wax as needed.

Products like Pledge and Armor-All seem to actually attract more dirt and grime, and end up making a real detailing more difficult. Just my 2¢ worth.

A clean bike is a fast bike! A clean fast bike is a social magnet. When my bike is clean and shiny, I look 20 pounds thinner!!  ;D

"Free advice on most any subject -- worth every penny" as Grandpappy used to say.
 
While we are on the subject of cleaning, there is a new product out by Armor All called Wheel Protectant. While I don't generally like most Armor All products, this stuff really does work to prevent brake dust build up. I use it on my car, and it really helps keep the wheels clean. I haven't (yet) used it on the bike, but I probably will. The only caution I'd give is to be careful not to spray it on the rotors. It seems to last about a month or so and then you have to reapply it.

http://www.armorall.com/products/view_product.php?product_id=33&main_group=3&category_index=wheel

r_arm_wheel_protectant.jpg
 
joe in calif said:
I also use the Turtle Wax car wash soap and a sponge in a bucket of water
ry%3D400
Click to expand...

I'll have to remember this photo Thanksgiving weekend 2011.  Last year it got cold on black Friday and stayed that way.
 
No one is going to like this answer.......  :mad:

BUT, it's love bug season here in South Florida. Dried on bug stuff is like concrete! I used WD-40 and a micro fiber cloth after a good soaking of the front end and leading edges of the saddlebags. After I finally got all the bug goo loose, I sprayed down the bike with a 50/50 mixture of Dawn and water and again with a micro fiber cloth. Sprayed it down with the hose and blow dried it. Tomorrow evening I'll wax it with Maxima  Spray & Shine. This is the only product I've found that actually contains carnauba wax. Worked for me, your mileage may vary.
 
Suzuki Motorcycle Wash is pretty much the same as S-100. But it's cheaper and comes in a bigger bottle. Available at a Suzuki dealer.
WD-40 and a soft bristle brush is pretty good for brake dust on the wheels too. (also gets chain oil off the wheel/swingarm on chain drive bikes)
 
I use regular car wash soap when I'm doing a full wash. I have a custom leather seat so I put it in a large trash bag and then put it back on to keep the seat and everything underneath it dry. I use Eagle One all in one wheel cleaner to get the wheels clean. If I'm just touching up a few spots (bugs etc.) or the windshield I use Plexus.
 
I use Mr. Clean car wash gun and soap. I was off  any dirt. Turn on the soap. Spray the bike. I use a sponge to get off any caked on dirt. The turn gun on to rinse. There is a built in water filter that removes any minerals. I let it dry without using a towel and it drys spotless. I then use S1000 spray on wax. Bike looks great when I am done.
 
^^ Ammonia will actually etch plastics. Glass too. Pro photographers never use any ammonia-based products for lens cleaning because of this. Just sayin'. . . 
 
I use the same thing I use on my car, Blue Coral.  Cleans up the bike and leaves a no streak finish.
 
A lot of good ideas  ;D But right now in New Mexico they are calling it exceptional drought and asking for self imposed water restriction.
Gotta oblige . Pledge wipes help ,maybe a bucket of water for da bugs,plexus on the windscreen. Some places in southern NM are 7 months and counting no moisture
So wash when you got to but conserve when you can .....ya never know :great:
 
ProfessorKonk said:
^^ Ammonia will actually etch plastics. Glass too. Pro photographers never use any ammonia-based products for lens cleaning because of this. Just sayin'. . .
Click to expand...
Particularly clear plastics can be easily "fogged" just from ammonia fumes.  Even glass cleaners with traces of ammonia need to be avoided on the windshield stuff and instruments.  It can also create some whitening of black interior plastics.  Painted plastics will not too likely be affected since most paints can tolerate the ammonia and they satnd between the plastic and the chemical.  Color impregnated plastics can/will, however, be affected since the plastic will be directly exposed.
 
I use Meguaires ULTIMATE QUIK DETAILER  as my everyday type cleaner & most of the time I'll mist it on and wipe with a micro fiber towel. I ride pretty much everyday of the year (Texas winter weather  ;) ) so if is extra dusty or a little dirty then I'll wipe the bike down with plain water first before applying  the
ULTIMATE QUIK DETAILER.
When the bike is really dirty like riding in the rain it's hand washed with Meguaires DEEP CRYSTAL® CAR WASH then waxed with Meguaires NXT GENERATION TECH WAX® 2.0.
  For removing lovebugs I have found that wetting the dried bugs down with Simple Green and letting them soak for a few minutes and they'll wash off with very little effort, of course you'll need to re wax but it beats fighting the dried bugs.
 
Turtle Wax ICE spray detailer. Best stuff I have ever seen. Wipes clear, takes off bug guts like a champ.
 
Mad River Marc said:
Mine gets rained on occasionally :)
Click to expand...

Beat me to it. Rain works ok for me  to get the dirt off.

I do wash it once in a while though. I use Zaino stuff to wash/polish the bikes/cars.
 
I use Meguiar's car wash soap from their professional line when I'm doing a full bath.  Otherwise I generally clean the bikes down weekly with Sprayway Glass cleaner, its awesome stuff.
 
You mean we can wash 'em????!!!!!  8)

Twice now with carwash n a bucket with softcloths.
Once with spraywasher at the carwash. softcloth dry.

I mostly ride lots, and really fast to keep the dirt blowed away!  :))
 
water and soap.  If I let it go too long, car wash on the big plastic bits to get the millions of caked on bugs off.  I suppose one of these days I'll wax with something, maybe.
 
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