Bike Cleaning Tools and other Favourites

[Spencert231]

well it's time for the bikes first proper clean down its had fresh water spray to get general splashes to get dead flies and such. This is my first BMW and the investment tells me I had better look after it properly (not that I haven't any of my other bikes). Gave it its first clean and definitely need the Air Master Blaster, so that is a must so many little nooks and crannies that water seems to sit in. Maybe a blast will dislodge some but those I can't see well anybody's guess.


What do you use and any tips about where and what to look out for:

1.  use Muc-Off wash (because it doesn't effect anodised, plastic or brakes
2. Micro cloth
3. Sponge
4. Wheel brush
5. Bug splat remover

Has I said the blaster is a must for me as I have hummed and arred for too long over this and will use it in the tractor to get dead grass off before it turns to mulch.

[guest2360]

DONT USE MUCK OFF.
Don't quite know what an Air Blaster is but if it works on a tractor its too powerful on seals etc on your bike.  A leaf blower is effective enough.

Cold unpressured water to loosen muck.
Ordinary car shampoo, sponge and a brush
More water out of a hose
Leather it all dry after a gentle blow dry
Wax polish  .
Anybody who tells you they use Muck Off and have never suffered any corrosion to alloy parts are very lucky.

[Royso]

I have been using Sdoc100, spray it onto a dry bike and leave for a few minutes to work, then hose off with cold water. It is a bit expensive but works really well, especially in around the engine were it can be difficult to get the dirt out from between the cylinders fins.


Chamois dry then on with the Naviwax, this is a canuba wax which you just wipe on and immediately wipe off again. Can be safely used on all surfaces including black plastics without turning them white. Easy on and easy off and gives a brilliant finish, water just beads on it then flies off. Put it your wheels and it makes them very easy to clean next time.

[stelyn]

Hi Royso, and  welcome to the Forum,  might just give that `Naviwax'  8)  a try out......

[Levisp]

Bilt Hamber Surfex HD diluted to 5% in a garden sprayer to degrease, followed by their car wash and then rinse with plenty of cold water using a hose at low pressure. Then dry with microfibre drying cloth and Airforce Blaster. The Blaster is a drier made for bikes, it provides low pressure high volume of filtered air to dry a bike very efficiently. Its the best bit of kit I have for Winter cleans. All paintwork including wheels are frequently waxed using either Poorboys Natty Blue liquid wax or Bilt Hamber Auto Balm. Both these are waxes and so contain no abrasive particles, unlike some combined waxes / polishes. They are for protection only. The BH Auto Balm has a unique property, it contains rust inhibitors and will prevent rust on bare metal. Both products can be used on a regular basis, they will not remove paint or scratch clear plastic. A well waxed bike adds protection and makes cleaning much easier.


I keep away from pressure washers. Also don't like sponges prefer fleece mitts less likely to trap grit. Always presoak to try to remove as much dirt before washing and if salt is about use lots of cold water.


Checkout Bilt Hamber products they make some good stuff and seem to have a good reputation in the car detailing world.

[Spencert231]

That's an interesting point made by RTman stay away from Muc-Off I have always got the results I was after which was a nice clean bike. However, I have never kept a bike long enough to see whether or not it was detrimental to the bike. It's actually advertised as being bike friendly particularly since it does not harm adonised (forks) parts and rubber where others do. Is there evidence of corrosion that you know of? My bike is a keeper and I want it at its best always.
Levisp wrote Bit Hamber Surfex HD which I have never heard of before, but having researched it it looks really good, except I am not sure about the effect on those parts I have mentioned also exposed electrics. I am going to drop them a line to find out more.
The other thing I came across was Airforce Blaster which I am seriously considering over a Leaf Blower as the AB has filtered air and the leaf blower doesn't could you imagine drawing in dust particles and firing them at your beautiful clean bikenot
There are some good bits in the thread, but do you use anything peculiar to you I have used several wheel brushes in the past but my last one was for spoked wheels and not user friendly with a big cast wheel, what do you use.


On the subject of cleaning is there a particular bit of the bike that gets dirty which is out of sight, but advisable to clean frequently.


Gave the bike a good clean yesterday even took the windscreen off  to clean it surprising to see how bird and splattered insects got behind the screen. The bike was gleaming took a ride to Limoges and when I got back it was as if I never cleaned it, oh well :enjoying:

[Levisp]

As far as I know Surfex HD is bike friendly. However either give them a call or email them and I'm sure they will answer any questions. I have phoned them a couple of times and they have been very helpful. It is however a powerful product neat, it must be diluted. I use 5% which will not strip wax so is safe but still very effective. As you can image at this dilution a 5 litre bottle will last a very long time and makes it cheaper than any other product like MucOff or SDoc100 etc. Its classified as an APC All Purpose Cleaner so can be used for all sorts of jobs. Works will on UPVc windows and even tried it on patio slabs with good result. I have heard a few people say stay away from MucOff. I have only used it once and could see no effect, their website says it safe, so I'm wondering whether they have change the formula. However I now use Surfex HD. All these cleaners are no good if they cannot attack oil/grease etc so in my opinion there has to be some chemical reaction going on, so I never leave any of these products on the bike for more than 5 mins. Spray a small area agitate and then wash off.


The Bilt Hamber Auto wash is good stuff too. A 300 ml bottle cost £9 will do 60 buckets of wash. Halford car wash 5 litres £10 and I never got 60 washes.


An area I clean regularly in Winter and ACF 50 is the exhaust valve. It gets all the road muck and if it rusts and seizes you have a problem. Just pop the chrome cover off 3 screws and then the black plastic cover 2 screws, give it a good clean and then paint some ACF50 on it.

[Spencert231]

Levisp I was hoping was not going to have to ask this question but my google search has come up with zilch Nader. Where is the exhaust valve as I am not mechanically minded. Do you have a pic or good description? Please.

[Levisp]

Levisp I was hoping was not going to have to ask this question but my google search has come up with zilch Nader. Where is the exhaust valve as I am not mechanically minded. Do you have a pic or good description? Please.

No problem. This is for LC bikes not sure if previous models have an exhaust valve. The chrome cover hides the join between the silencer and exhaust pipe that exits the Cat. In the pic you can see the two bottom screws, the third is on top behind the pillion peg. You will need a TX25 torx bit. When you remove this cover you will see a black plastic cover on top of the link pipe between Cat and silencer which is held on by two screws. You cannot miss this as two cables run into it to activate the valve. The exhaust valve is behind this.


I do not know if this is a problem area on the RT but I had a 2000 model R1 which had a similar sort of valve which would corrode and then seize if it wasn't  looked after. So on this bike I'm taking no chances and inspect, clean and ACF 50 the valve every couple of months in winter if I have been riding a lot. Hope this helps.

[guest2360]

RTs from 2010 onwards have this valve in the exhaust.  I suspect its mainly to comply with exhaust noise limits.  They don't seem to cause any problems at all.

[Spencert231]

Thanks Levisp it all part of my learning curve with the bike nice to learn something new. 8)

[CMB123]

Here's my routine and tools, for what its worth (smile).

I wash my bikes once a week during normal rides (I only use for pleasure, no work runs). On other days after a ride I do a cursory wash and wax by hand.

Weekly Clean:
Rinse off all loose debris, wash with MeGuiars Ultimate Wash, blow dry with the handy leaf blower. Let sit in the heated shop and then: Apply MeGuiars Ultimate Quik Wax (its so easy and I think this particular product is free from any nasty stuff) to everything and that's it.

Daily Use:
At the end of each ride I gently moisten a non abrasive chamois in a solution of warm water and small amount of Ultimate Wash. I clean off the surface dirt and then apply the Ultimate Quik Wax as done above. Note - I am not an off road biker so the only real dirt the bikes see are bugs and some dust. I do not ride in the rain either, unless I am caught out by the weather folks. If this is the case, then the daily routine would be substituted for the weekly :-) Once a season I apply pure wax, non abrasive, as a base coat of wax.

I do occasionally use the MeGuiars plastic cleaner, which is really good.

Tools:
Toothbrush
Chamois
Lint Free Application Cloths
Lint Free Polishing Cloths
Micro Fibre Cloth for finishing and walking around the shop dusting when bored ;-)
Case of Honey Lager, heavily chilled, is a must

[Spencert231]

My missus is bringing in from the UK some valeting lint free cloths from Halford.  My this retirement lack is hard going cleaning my bike and riding it or is it riding it and cleaning it? oh well i am sure that will work itself out. :))

[Bertie]

To wash the bike I use a 7 liter garden sprayer (Hozelock) with a large 4 or 6 inch soft paintbrush. This enables me to get into all the grooves and places that you can't reach with a cloth. The garden spray enables me to get around the swing arm, suspension areas and inside the fairing etc. without the risk of getting water into places it shouldn't. I use "Simoniz shampoo with Carnauba" mixed into the sprayer. Then spray with plain water.
Next I get the Wife to dry the bike off with a large towel bought from a car accessory shop.
The wax polish I find very good is Turtlewax Ice Synthetic Polish, it comes in paste and liquid form, I use both types. This doesn't leave any residue on the black plastic and can be used on all surfaces. It came out very well on the internet in many tests of various brands of finishing product and the water just runs off the bike after use!
Most important thing is to wash the bike regularly and don't let the dirt build up as it's harder to clean the bike then.

[Chad]

If the bike is very dirty, I use a foam gun attached to my pressure washer.  I coat the bike with an inch thick of foam (low pressure), let it stand for 5 minutes then wash the bike using a sponge & bottle brush for the nooks & cranny's if necessary. Rinse off & dry.  I then spray all the venerable areas with ACF 50 . Wheels, engine etc. gets a coating of GT 85. This just provides a coating to stop brake dust, tar spots etc. sticking & makes washing easier. If the bike isn't particularly dirty I use Castrol bike cleaner (as recommended) on everything except the paint work, let it stand for 5 minutes then rinse off. I don't need to leather off as my water supply is from a natural spring which is filtered/purified etc. so it dries without watermarks. It might be worth mentioning that I have to ride along an unsurfaced farm track, so my bike can get VERY dirty if it's been raining. When it's dry the bike gets covered in dust unless I ride along at walking speed. hence the 2 methods. I would highly recommend a foam gun & decent spray foam solution. Check them out on YouTube.