Triumphrat

JMart121 · 07-28-2006

Hi everybody,

Looking for some advice on how to clean the bike. I've been taking it to a self service car wash. A friend told me to hit the bike at the same angle as the rain would hit it. It works great but the rain doesn't nearly have the pressure of the car wash. I am worried about getting water where water doesn't belong and damaging the bike. Not to mention hitting hot metal with cold water. I live in the city and there's not really the option of using a low pressure house hose to wash the dirt off. I guess I could use a wet rag and go over the bike inch by inch. Can anybody confirm or deny my fears of using a high pressure hose to clean the bonnie?

Cheers
Jmart

Geoff · 07-28-2006

you are correct in your assumption. high pressure is to be avoided if you can. If you have no other options, do not direct spray at hubs, swingarm pivot point, carbs, electrics, handle bar controls.
With a hose you can pretty much just go at it, but high pressure will force the water into bearings and do more damage than good
Geoff

dazco · 07-28-2006

i posted about this a while ago, but i'll go again here. i recently found what i think is by far the best metod i've ever used. I took a spray bottle of AUTOMOTIVE type simple green and sprayed the heck out of the entire bike minus the onvious places likeup under the tank or anywhere electrical stuff can get wet. I sprayed it VERY liberally and you could see the dirt an grease running off. Then i hose it off, and i'm telling you the bike was so friggin clean it was awesome. Looked like it was just assembled BEFORE they applied cosmoline. It loosens all the dirt and grease in the nooks and crannies and the water fluses every little bit right away.

Then i removed any water spots with detailer, both regular car type and Maxima SC-1. (i think it's called SC-1) The maxima is equally amazing, especially for black like the engine and frame, and unlike other silicone cleaners i've tried it goes on evenly. It leaves a silicone coating that's too slick for dirt and grease to easiliy stick to, and i swear the bike looked sterile for weeks ! it's been 3 or 4 weeks now and the bike is just now starting to look like it needs a cleaning, and thats only if you're anal about CLEAN like me. I couldn't recommend the simple green/water and Maxima routine more highly. It's just perfection. The pic in my signature was right after i did this. Hard to see just how incredibly clean it was in a pic, but you can tell it's clean as a whiste.

On a side note, the maxima works great on most everything, but on things like gloss paint such as tank and fenders and chrome it takes some elbow grease to remove the excess that streaks. If you want to put the elbow grease into it tho it's worth it because of the way it reples dirt from sticking. Other wise use car detailer or such on those things. But on the black non-gloss things like engine, frame, plastic and such, the maxima is awesome.

[ This message was edited by: dazco on 2006-07-28 09:43 ]

HiVel · 07-29-2006

Other good stuff to clean wheels brakes etc.=Eagle One wheel cleaner is good and so is the X 100 stuff?? hope I got that right. Suzuki bike cleaner is excellent also. No reason for a dirty bike-just a squirt bottle and a hose will do the trick for most of the grunge and dirt.

joerockhead · 07-29-2006

What Daz, Geoff, and HiVel said, except it's called S-100. The Honda spray on/rinse off product is the same stuff. You spray it on, hose it off, then dry with clean cloth towels. I have been using microfiber towels for auto detailing lately and am going to try them out on the Bonnie today. Just don't use them on greasy or oily areas.

Before washing I cover the grips and switches (flasher, start, horn, etc.) and exhaust ends with plastic bags as recommended in the owner's manual. Also, there's no need to get carried away by spraying strong jets of water on yer bike. Look for a place where you can hook up a hose. You may be able to do so at the self service car wash that you've been using.

I am headed out to the garage for a Saturday morning bike wash as soon as I'm done here.
JR

OldSwede · 07-29-2006

I begin with some kerosene or naphtha to take away greasy stains on the rear wheel and surroundings. An old toothbrush is a good help here.

Then I use Insect Remover where applicable, this is the only thing that dissolves European bugs.

Finally I clean the lot with a sponge using water mixed with some detergent.

I use a watering can with hot water when I rinse, never a hose.

If the bike is really dirty the above can take up to two hours including polishing.

mybluett · 07-29-2006

These are the essentials I use, and the basic procedure:

Griots Car wash soap: Big bucket of warm water with car wash soap, with a mitt for the chrome/painted areas and a brush for the other bits. Rinse with large volume of clean water under light pressure (Watering can works fine if you don't have access to a hose. You should see if you can find somowhere local that would let you use their hose, like a friendly business or firestation)

Griots Wheel Cleaner: Awesome product, use with a brush to get them good and clean, rinse with lots of water (I love the smell)

Drying towell: For drying painted areas and chrome. Get one, use it only for this purpose, don't skimp and use a regular towell.

Compressor: Any small compressor will do, use this to force water from all the nooks and crannies in and around the engine. (Does not have to be very expensive, but get one with more than a 2 gallon tank. Also good for keeping the tires at the right pressure.)

Clay Bar: Use on the painted surfaces twice a year to remove old wax, and other deposits before waxing.

Best of Show wax: Apply 4 times a year (if you ride year round), use a dedicated wax pad for this.

Griots Speed shine: Magic in a bottle. Use after a fair weather ride to keep pained areas perfect. Get cotton cloths/rags for this and use nothing else.

Chrome Polish: Exactly what it sounds like.

Griots Bug Off: Spray the front of the bike with this, it really does work.

There is a detailing book available, or most of the tips can be found in the catalog or website ( griotsgarage.com) May seem like an expensive order, but most of your first order should last you 1-2 years, and if you don't like anything they will refund @100% I have been using them for years and I prefer over the "major" detail producers as Griots is US made in the Northwest, and tailored to proud owners of valuable vehicles.

[ This message was edited by: mybluett on 2006-07-29 11:42 ]

sweatmachine · 07-30-2006

Daz, I just went and bought some Auto grade Simple Green, and a big brush for wheels, engine, frame, etc.

Man, you were right about this stuff. I hosed the bike down, sprayed it with the SG all over liberally, then brushed off the bike then hosed it with water.

It looks freakin better than new! Especially the wheels. In the past I have put the bike on the jack and cleaned the wheels by hand, each spoke one at a time YUCK! I just hit it with the simple green and the brush yesterday, and the chrome looks better than new!

It looks amazing, thanks for the suggestion!

dazco · 07-30-2006

Cool SM, glad you liked it. I was as amazed as you, but i didn't even use or need a brush...it got that clean w/o anything but spraying. Like old swede i used to clean all the impossible to get grease in the nooks and crannies with a toothbrush and spend about 20 minutes just getting the front wheel hubs clean. (all the grease that gets in that embossed lettering and all around there) Now the entire bike ends up much cleaner in the time it took me to do that hub alone!

[ This message was edited by: dazco on 2006-07-30 15:06 ]

black-bonnie · 07-30-2006

dazco,

Thanks for sharing what you learned. I picked up Simple Green and now I have to get Maxima. I'll use the compressor to get the water out of places.

Thanks again for all your trouble of writing up your technique two times.

mybluett,

I'll write down your products for giving the bike the final touches.

What I'm afraid of is my same fear when I owned of Jeep Wrangler that was always dirty from taking dirt roads so often, and that is people will think my bike is a "wuss" bike because it is so clean. Still, clean is nice.