Cleaning/Detailing a bike ?

pudzey101

Hi probably a stupid question but anyhow ....

how does one go about cleaning a bike etc ? Well use to cleaning previous cars with wax and a sealant and polish , but what advice would u give to a newbie for bikes ?

looking at cleaning the overall outside look of the bike ( fairings , seat , tank , handlebars etc .... , giving the engine a clean ( without dismantling it lol )

any help appreciated thanks .

arybvtcw0eolkf

Soap and warm water!..

Its easier to say what NOT to do.. Be VERY careful if you're going to use a any kind of high pressure hose, most will tell you never to even consider it ~ I used them for some jobs but I'm doing it a very long time and know where not to go near.

In short, best not to use a high pressure wash.

Don't use any kind of polish on your saddle, seriously!. It'll make braking a nightmare (same goes for Son of a Gun or any of those interior polishes).

Don't let oils near your brakes including the disc.

After your cleaning start the bike, check your lights, indicators etc.. Also your cleaning day is a chance to check all those things including chain wear, oil and fluid levels etc.

listermint

I use the pressure washer everytime it's not an issue at all people have a fear of them but it's unfounded unless you sit there blasting it at your fuse board or electrical connections then you'll have no problems.

I would get a good wheel cleaner Iron X from detailing shed is unbeatable ive found and any wax you have for the car will do for the plastics

CJhaughey

I like to do it manually, I got a 5l bottle of bike cleaner from Hein Gericke and I still have half of it left after 5 years!
I pour about 200ml into a container and use a 2" paintbrush to brush it on and agitate it where the dirt is sticking, then rinse off. I do a small area at a time and keep rinsing and if the dirt is still there go back and do it again.
This allows me to keep an eye on the area and make sure all electrical connectors are still good and connected, bolts tight and everything still good.
If you stand back and just blast away you may miss something that has worked loose and is about to give problems.
Once its clean inside and out start it up and give it a good run to blow all the water out and get it hot so it evaporates.
Putting a bike away wet will lead to problems in my experience.
I am not really one for polishing bikes but I did buy a bottle of Yamaha cleaner and polish from Cotters last time I was there.

gerrowadat

I use a power washer, but mainly to get rough stuff off, medium sprinkler setting from a few feet away. Then detergent in the power washer, get it covered and leave it a few minutes (I got a big drum of some auto glym shampoo stuff for cars, same deal).

Then sponge and two buckets, pick up a wheel brush and maybe a few small detailing brushes (with rubber surrounds so you're not knocking off things). Then either wipe it off with rags or wipe off the seat and get up on it and hooer around for an hour.

pudzey101

pudzey101 wrote: »

Hi probably a stupid question but anyhow ....

how does one go about cleaning a bike etc ? Well use to cleaning previous cars with wax and a sealant and polish , but what advice would u give to a newbie for bikes ?

looking at cleaning the overall outside look of the bike ( fairings , seat , tank , handlebars etc .... , giving the engine a clean ( without dismantling it lol )

any help appreciated thanks .

On the frame, forks, mudguards, swingarm, engine and wheels I just use diesel on a rag. I'm sure you can pay for muck off degreaser or something but diesel is cheap and handy. It also leaves an oil residue which gives a shine.

Fairings just wash as you would a car and you can use wax then if you want.

I use wd40 all over except the brakes obviously. It gets rid of all dirt and grime. Leaves the bike sparkling, great for cleaning crud off the wheels as well.

listermint

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I use wd40 all over except the brakes obviously. It gets rid of all dirt and grime. Leaves the bike sparkling, great for cleaning crud off the wheels as well.

But smells like ****.

listermint

listermint wrote: »

But smells like ****.

For a few minutes yeah, but it does the job, smells better than acf50 anyway!

stewygriffin

For a very quick detail on a bike that just needs a quick wipe down....................
A cheap micro fibre cloth from Dealz for 1 euro 49 cents and an aerosol can of multi surface polish/cleaner from Lidl or Aldi for 2 euro.
Does the job perfectly.Dont use it on the seats though,just the bodywork and wheel rims.
For pollycarbonate or plastic screens,get a dedicated screen polish that wont dull the screen.

And dont waste your money on Muc Off,over rated and too expensive.
This is just as good,if not better.1 euro 49 cents from Dealz.

pudzey101

thanks everyone

Hotblack Desiato

WD40 is ridiculously expensive to use as a solvent for cleaning a bike, even diesel is much more expensive than kerosene/marked gas oil/paraffin which is just as good for cleaning purposes.

Hotblack Desiato

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

WD40 is ridiculously expensive to use as a solvent for cleaning a bike, even diesel is much more expensive than kerosene/marked gas oil/paraffin which is just as good for cleaning purposes.

I just cleaned my whole bike with 60 cents worth of diesel and I still have half of it left. Who would be bothered going to buy kerosene when 30 cent of diesel will clean a bike. I dont even know where you would buy kerosene? camping shop or something

I agree on the wd40 madness cleaning a bike with it.

gerrowadat

Zaiden Eager News wrote: »

I just cleaned my whole bike with 60 cents worth of diesel and I still have half of it left. Who would be bothered going to buy kerosene when 30 cent of diesel will clean a bike. I dont even know where you would buy kerosene? camping shop or something

I agree on the wd40 madness cleaning a bike with it.

Go live in the sticks and it's sold at the pumps of a few stations. Or get a length of hose and your heating oil tank and try not to swallow any :-)

gerrowadat

gerrowadat wrote: »

Go live in the sticks and it's sold at the pumps of a few stations. Or get a length of hose and your heating oil tank and try not to swallow any :-)

Think Il stick to my diesel in a milk carton haha

Hotblack Desiato

Woodies sell paraffin, they do a 2 or 3 litre bottle iirc

A good number of garages in Dublin have a kerosene/MGO pump.

Zascar

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

A good number of garages in Dublin have a kerosene/MGO pump.

Anyone know which ones, city or south? I would like to get a litre of it.

Hotblack Desiato

Topaz at Newlands Cross for one.

There's a minimum sale on pumps though, it might be 2 litres?