Cleaning

Hello peeps,

I was just wondering what your cleaning regimes are (Rosco, you're exempt from this topic! :p)

I've been riding mine in slightly dirtier/wetter weather recently due to doing my IAM course - cant do it just on dry sunny days unfortunately.

Naturally, Kitty is getting dirty.

How do you guys and girls clean your bikes when they're dirty? Down pipes etc, hard to reach areas etc?

My bikes been treated professionally with ACF50 but I still worry.
Im thinking of getting some SDOC100 but worried it would remove the ACF50.

My current regime is:

Hose
Very Mild Snow Foam
Rinse
2 Bucket Wash
Rinse
Dry
Retreat more exposed areas with ACF50 such as bolts etc.

Regards

Mike

I cry discrimination, excluding Rosco like that and not me

Some of us have all the theory, but not necessarily put it into practice.

Mine has ACF50 on it, I let the muck build up (I have quite a high dirt threshold). If there has been exposure to salt though I'd either do a lick and promise of rinsing down with cold water or if the energy level is great, MucOff type sprayed on, car shampoo stuff in a 8l Hozelock pump spray gizmo, faff about with a sponge and brush. Rinse and chamois dry.

Seriously though, I don't tend to use the foam/shampoo in winter, just a rinse down and the odd squirt of ACF as you say.

SteveCat wrote:
Seriously though, I don't tend to use the foam/shampoo in winter, just a rinse down and the odd squirt of ACF as you say.

Ditto - you need to get the salt off a.s.a.p., but I can't see the point of cleaning it much more than that if it's going to get filthy again next time out.

I do like to give it a spray of Scottoil 365 around the engine inside the fairing area, as you can put that on straight after, while the bike's still wet. But unlike ACF50 it does wash off, so it has to be done regularly.

I hose/ light pressure wash down, then cover the bike in muc off, i have got some sdoc100 to but I feel that muc off works alot beter and is much cheaper and I dont go through it as quickly as the sdoc, but saying that on really stuck on bit the sdoc100 does work well once left for a while then scrubbed at.

once thats been hosed off, a bucket of shampoo goes on which I then sponge and hose off, chamois then auto glym super resin polish.


then I go out on the bike again and make it all mucky again.....

Check out this guy!

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There's a whole series of videos and by the end of them that bike is spotless!

very interesting videos but all looks like alot of work there!!! dont think I am quite that committed but picked up some useful tips from it

I don't do Anal.

Dirt Bike Dave wrote:I don't do Anal.

Glad to hear it!

Dirt Bike Dave wrote:I don't do Anal.

Not what I've heard.....

SteveCat wrote:I cry discrimination, excluding Rosco like that and not me

Ha, I'm sorry! I do apologise

bobh wrote:

Ditto - you need to get the salt off a.s.a.p., but I can't see the point of cleaning it much more than that if it's going to get filthy again next time out.

I think I do it in the hope that it'll be dry next time!

MrNutt wrote:I hose/ light pressure wash down, then cover the bike in muc off, i have got some sdoc100 to but I feel that muc off works alot beter and is much cheaper and I dont go through it as quickly as the sdoc, but saying that on really stuck on bit the sdoc100 does work well once left for a while then scrubbed at.

Interesting you find the muc off better than the sdoc. Nearly all the reviews say the other way round. However I'm yet to try either. Are they harsh enough to remove ACF50?

BeardedThunder wrote:Check out this guy!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There's a whole series of videos and by the end of them that bike is spotless!

Yeh I saw that one on YouTube. It is a lot of work though removing the fairings etc. although I was planning on doing that this winter. Maybe I will in spring.


So how do people get to the nooks and crannies then?

Regards

Mike

mikeyzf600 wrote:


So how do people get to the nooks and crannies then?

Regards

Mike

Are we back to DBD's anal again

Eddie990 wrote:Are we back to DBD's anal again

That guy in them vids has WAY too much time on his hands, then again I agree with most of what he did. I have a selection of various brushes similar to him. Wouldn't have WD40 anywhere near my chain though. Decent HH or similar chain cleaner or in an ideal world parafin for the chain, the WD can get in to the seals and bugger then up.

It ain't perfect but I find there's nothing better than a bit of petrol On a cloth for tar spots/built up oil deposits etc, just be sure to rinse it off and clean with soapy water straight away.

Wouldn't use a pressure washer anywhere near my bike, that's just asking for trouble!!

I also think its nice to occasionally get the fairings off and give it a damn good deep clean, I'll be doing it when the weather improves.

clean bike with petrol? are you serious? i gat paraffin from B&Q last week
i can take fairing off easy i want to clean bike last week but i was to scared what to use so i dont damage any seals.
so clean down pipe with paraffin ? and clean it down with soup and water?
i have friday saturday and sunday to clean it
and where i can get that round brush?
and what is hh ?

Dirt Bike Dave wrote:I don't do Anal.

So Germany didn't happen then

I'm gonna try mulligatawny I think.

so is the parafine really good to clean bike? will that no make any rust or damage any seals. ?

I am going to say no here, for cleaning the bike I would have thought parafin with eat away at the paint and metal...

Paraffin, bike NO. Chain YES.

TomCom wrote:clean bike with petrol? are you serious? i gat paraffin from B&Q last week
i can take fairing off easy i want to clean bike last week but i was to scared what to use so i dont damage any seals.
so clean down pipe with paraffin ? and clean it down with soup and water?
i have friday saturday and sunday to clean it
and where i can get that round brush?
and what is hh ?

I would keep the soup in the kitchen myself but you can try it!

Rosco wrote:I'm gonna try mulligatawny I think.

TomCom wrote:clean bike with petrol? are you serious? i gat paraffin from B&Q last week
i can take fairing off easy i want to clean bike last week but i was to scared what to use so i dont damage any seals.
so clean down pipe with paraffin ? and clean it down with soup and water?
i have friday saturday and sunday to clean it
and where i can get that round brush?
and what is hh ?

Meant HG (Hein Gericke) chain cleaner

Petrol on a cloth just to clean off tar spots etc, NOT whole bike

Use parafin for the chain only, not the whole bike and defo not the down pipes!!

I wouldn't recommend cleaning with soup either

Rosco wrote:I'm gonna try mulligatawny I think.

I think batchelors do a great "cream of simoniz" !!

omg so what to use to sleen down pipe?
that man on youtube clean whole bike with WD40.
i dont know what to do now. i think i am to stupide

How do you normally clean your bike Tom?

mikeyzf600 wrote:

My bikes been treated professionally with ACF50 but I still worry.

Who did it, All Year Biker? Might be an idea to ask the co who applied it.

All year Biker did mine, they have their own rage of cleaners, so could be biased into getting you to buy theirs though.