Cleaning tools, tips and products.

[StormingHonda]

I was out cleaning the X11 today, and got pretty angry as the engine is black and even tho I used a low power jet washer and s100 there was ' Road dirt ' Still over the engine, grrrr, secondly my bike has acquired black bits and they notice a lot on the chrome parts, what the hell is this and whats the best way to get it off without attack the stuff with a chrome scratching pad?.

Any tips to be shared or products worth their weight in gold?, for bike cleaning?.

If anyone puts tips up I will add them to this post if thats ok.

Cleaning engine - Halfords engine degreaser, and own brand car wash shampoo with some elbow grease and dish brushes. Wouldn't rely on pressure jet as they can lift the paint and wash the grease out of bearing areas. ~ Wicky

black spots on chrome - Use Tabasco sauce or lighter fluid and a non-scratch scourer ~ Wicky

Engine Cleaning - Halfords engine degreaser, and own brand car wash shampoo with some elbow grease and dish brushes ~ Wicky

[Wicky]

Halfords engine degreaser, and own brand car wash shampoo with some elbow grease and dish brushes. Wouldn't rely on pressure jet as they can lift the paint and wash the grease out of bearing areas.

Or simply take the bike to a Polish car wash where they usually charge only £2 to spring clean and valet the bike.

Re black spots on chrome - Use Tabasco sauce or lighter fluid and a non-scratch scourer.

[chric]

CLEANING GUIDE FOR A STORM

POLISHING-
1-Get yourself a nice polish this one was random I had in my box
2-Get a means to apply it by these round micro fibre pads are great




Only a small amount is needed too much your wasteing time and product


Then apply by circles straight lines what ever it's going to be cleaner than when you started

Get your self a half decent micro fibre these from costco are good enough and well cheap


Leave to dry to a haze then wipe off and one shiney tank will appear


STAGE TWO-
Adding a glaze make it bit more bling

Black hole
Things you will need
1-Microfibre pad
2-Micro fibre cloth




Same again little is better too much wasteing product



Apply it by circles and leave to dry to a haze or wipe on wipe off
You may notice a difference or may be not so entirely your choice should you wish to use it.



Very nice now and clean

WAX STAGE-

Things you will need
1-A over priced wax to make you belive it's better than all the others It's not but this is good it's more of a show wax
2-A spounge applicator buy good by once
3-A micro fibre cloth



Trick to this is thin layers and leave at least 15 minutes for it to cure bond to paintwork then remove via your microfibre cloth.



No wax on wax off it's a myth set by karate kid so grow up mac before you say owt

One fully finished tank



So there you have it you have
1-Polished it(Made it shiney)
2-Glazed it made it more shiney and added some fillers at the same time
3-Waxed it protected and trapped the shine in

TIP-LEAVE 15 MINUTES FOR ALL THE GASES TO ESCAPE BEFORE EACH STAGE

Maintaing the Bling Factor

So this should be good now for a at least 12 week lets say
But if you want to keep a nice shine at all times use a QD quick detailer
The one I only use now is this



It's nano gloss paint sealent stroke qd by ARTDESHINE from singapore via matt in oldham.

Just spray on wipe with one micro fibre then buff with a other dry microfibre



Leaves a nice gloss and only qd I've ever bought again after I've run out

It's the same process for the plastics as the tank

[chric]

CLEANING GUIDE FOR A STORM SHINEY BITS

Now im no expert on this so just my way and it works

STUFF YOU WILL NEED
1-METAL POLISH OF COURSE
2-MICROFIBRE PAD



So what I do and works for me just fine apply a little to the edge of the pad as shown


Then wipe lightly over the entire bit your cleaning



Nice even layer all over


Then i carry on useing it flat and giveing it a good rub all over till much cant be seen.Straight lines up and down is my way if possible
Then I simply just wipe it off with a microfibre cloth maybe two at a push if the polish is black bright.

Leaveing you with a mucky pad


And one clean can



Then I hit stage two sealent



THIS SEAL AND MAKES STUFF BEAD
So wipe on with a clean microfibre pad
Tiny bit goes a long way



Then leave at least 15 minutes



Then just wipe off when its gone to a haze



It adds protection and removes any residue from metal polish aswell

[Jamoi]

Subscribed! Well done Chric, good write up and a handy reference.

i just need to muster up the enthusiasm to clean the old dog now

[kenmoore]

If your anal like me never let it get dirty.

I never wash my bike!

Also I use a tooth brush for hard to get at areas on the engine, and petrol works a treat on stubborn marks, but only on metal.

When the engine is clean I spray it with WD40 and wipe over.

That way any grime wipes of with an old rag, and then the process starts all over again.





End result using this method.

[seb421]

I do love a clean bike but unless your a dry weather guy its a bitch to keep them that way sometimes

Chris id love to ride up yours one day and pay you to do a makeover on my paint work its not looking to great right not

i need to get my self a lockable case for the garage, anything i get the car folk in the house seem to use up

[StormingHonda]

I ride all year round and to be honest sometimes its like your fighting a losing battle, the best thing to do I think is to AC50 a bike you intend to ride over the winter during the late weeks of November I done it to the Hornet and when I Jet washed the stuff off the bike looks better than clean before I had even bothered to clean it.

[ging500]

I know the feeling!! I'm cleaning my bike nearly every week Band covering in acf50 and feel like I'm having a losing battle!! Isn't helped by Suzuki outstanding build quality!!

[StormingHonda]

I know the feeling!! I'm cleaning my bike nearly every week Band covering in acf50 and feel like I'm having a losing battle!! Isn't helped by Suzuki outstanding build quality!!

Once you covered you bike in AC50 dont wash it, just maintan the chain and then in the spring jet wash it off, you wont get the stuff off without a jet wash, its the whole idea.

[Mav617]

For the "black spots" on chrome it's often tar (bitchumen used on road top-surfacing) - try Wonder Wheels "Bug and Tar Remover" - these tend to be small, circular blobs that defy attack with a range of other products, also good for dead flies on your screen.

[Mav617]

If your anal like me never let it get dirty.

I never wash my bike!

Also I use a tooth brush for hard to get at areas on the engine, and petrol works a treat on stubborn marks, but only on metal.

When the engine is clean I spray it with WD40 and wipe over.

That way any grime wipes of with an old rag, and then the process starts all over again.



Can you give me first dibs if you ever decide yours is for sale?


End result using this method.

[ging500]

I know the feeling!! I'm cleaning my bike nearly every week Band covering in acf50 and feel like I'm having a losing battle!! Isn't helped by Suzuki outstanding build quality!!

Once you covered you bike in AC50 dont wash it, just maintan the chain and then in the spring jet wash it off, you wont get the stuff off without a jet wash, its the whole idea.

I've had the bike professionally acf50 by allweatherbiker!! I'm cleaning it with a mild detergent and giving a spray of acf50 for good measure!! All in all not too bad but the right engine case is suffering but its corrosion from under the paint it looks like!!

[StormingHonda]

I know the feeling!! I'm cleaning my bike nearly every week Band covering in acf50 and feel like I'm having a losing battle!! Isn't helped by Suzuki outstanding build quality!!

Once you covered you bike in AC50 dont wash it, just maintan the chain and then in the spring jet wash it off, you wont get the stuff off without a jet wash, its the whole idea.

I've had the bike professionally acf50 by allweatherbiker!! I'm cleaning it with a mild detergent and giving a spray of acf50 for good measure!! All in all not too bad but the right engine case is suffering but its corrosion from under the paint it looks like!!

Still I would just let all the crap build up then wash it in march, and I mean a full on clean up, just wipe number plate, brake and front light and clean chain and your done.

[MacV2]

Still I would just let all the crap build up then wash it in march, and I mean a full on clean up, just wipe number plate, brake and front light and clean chain and your done.

That's what's known in the detailing trade as the ''Half Tony Mons ''

For the full ''Tony'' just leave out the wipe number plate, brake and front light and clean chain.