VFR Discussion Group -> Best way to clean up and detail your VFR

I have not washed my bike since I bought it 6 months and 500 miles ago. Any advice? Can I just use car soap and hose her down like a normal car or are there parts I should try to keep dry.

I like to use the Honda Spray Polish.. Just bought two more cans today at my local dealership for $6.99 a can. Works great!!

UVA_VFR_NOOB, Apr 19 2005, 11:19 AMI have not washed my bike since I bought it 6 months and 500 miles ago. Any advice? Can I just use car soap and hose her down like a normal car or are there parts I should try to keep dry.

I wash mine using the wash'n'wax from the car.
It pays not to use too high a pressure with the hose (and don't use a pressure washer or steam cleaner) as it could force water past bearing seals etc.
Also, be careful what you use on the chain and wheels: the chain spooge is difficualt to shift, but some intensive cleaners will damage the o-rings, so stick to kerosene or the like. And some wheel cleaners are caustic, so if left on to dry they will wreck the paint on the wheels. Once again, you can use kero, or even WD-40 will remove chain muck without damaging the paint.
Oh - and don't use Armorall on the seat!

Cunch, Apr 18 2005, 04:50 PMI like to use the Honda Spray Polish.. Just bought two more cans today at my local dealership for $6.99 a can. Works great!!

I agree! That stuff rocks!!!!! :thumbsup: I use it on everything except the seat and footpegs, including my helmet... :wheel:

Don't forget Simple Green for the rims!

UVA_VFR_NOOB, Apr 18 2005, 04:19 PM
I have not washed my bike since I bought it 6 months and 500 miles ago. Any advice? Can I just use car soap and hose her down like a normal car or are there parts I should try to keep dry.

Mercy... I never hose my bike with soap and water... water will seep into
every nook and cranny promoting corrosion... soap is harsh and will dry making
spots... The professional way to bring back a bikes luster is...

First I soak a wash cloth in steaming hot water to dissolve all the bugs and to
erase road grime...

Next I employ non scratch polishing cloth sprayed with Meguiars
Detailers Mist...

Finally I buff all the paint and wheels with one of DuPonts Sontara Cloths along with Cee Baileys premium aircraft cleaner and polisher...
http://www.ceebaileys.com/

To remove chain lube I use gasoline a white cloth...

The trick in keeping your bike looking new is to buff it to a luster after every ride...

UVA_VFR_NOOB, Apr 18 2005, 11:19 PMI have not washed my bike since I bought it 6 months and 500 miles ago. Any advice? Can I just use car soap and hose her down like a normal car or are there parts I should try to keep dry.

Let the bike cool, hose off, spray parts with S100, maybe take a nylon wheel brush to the here and there, hose off again.

Go for a ride, aka "blow dry."

Get a clean rag and some Lemon Pledge. Yes, Lemon Pledge. Spray pledge onto the rag, careful that overspray does not go near brake disks. Rub down everything you want clean and shiny (and lemony fresh!).

Repeat: no pledge on brake disks. Ask me how I know.

my bike's a daily driver... she's seen salt, rain, hail, snow...so getting water on her and worrying about corrosion isn't about to happen.
i use either automotive type soaps or even dishwash soap. works great. for getting chain gunk off, i'll use brake cleaner sprayed onto a rag.

For bugs splatter...409. I promise, it works like you can't believe. A buddy of mine that worked at an amblance service turned me on to, it's what they use on the ambulances. What does 409 cut through, according to the commercials? Grease and protein. And what are bugs? Pure protein. Anyway, hose the bike down with gentle spray. Squirt on the 409 and let it sit for a few. Wash the rest of the paint with a washmit o some such. Then come to the bugs and they should wash off fairly easily. If not, give 'em some more 409 and do again.

I use Castrol SuperClean on the wheels and stuff (just don't breath it, you'll cough up a lung)

To get the water outta the nooks and cranny...airhose. That's what bike shops use to get the great shine.

I use Meguiars Carnauba wax on the paint, and Meguiars Leather treatment on the seat and grips. It protects them, but doesn't leave any slipperiness at all. Then I also have some Back-to-Black, I think from Meguiars also, for the trim around the gauges and the black top part of the uppers

Cambelloni, Apr 19 2005, 12:17 PMDon't forget Simple Green for the rims!

I got a free sample bottle of that to try, and it was next to useless! Not only was it worse than anything else I've tried (including just dishwashing liquid), it is also caustic, so wrecks paint if you leave it to soak.
The best stuff I've ever used was Wurth "Intensive Rim Cleaner" - brilliant stuff, and it's a gel, so it stays put while it works. It also smells really nice.
Unfortunately, it's damned expensive. :huh:

Heh... once I was running late for an organised group ride, and the bike was a MESS. I needed to clean it in a hurry, and the only useful-looking thing in the garage was a can or aerosol engine degreaser. Awriiiight!!
So I sprayed the change spooge on the rims with that, gave the rest of the bike a quick wash, then rinsed the rims off with the hose. Whoops - time to go.
At the end of our street, there's a T-intersection with traffic lights, where I turned right. It's also very off-camber and the road was damp from an early-morning shower. I powered gently around the corner and did a MASSIVE slide on the degreaser/chain spooge mixture coating the rear tyre, but luckily it was slippery enough that it didn't turn into a highside. Very exciting, it was... :blink:

What you need is Simple Green Automotive Formula, Works great on everything!

Richie, Apr 19 2005, 03:41 PMWhat you need is Simple Green Automotive Formula,  Works great on everything!

I suspect that's what it was, seeing as I was given it by a shop that sells motorcycle parts and accessories.
Apart from the Wurth (which was $NZ19 a litre), nothing I've tried has worked, including Armorall wheel cleaner, Simple Green, Mr Muscle Orange grease remover stuff, Turtle Wax wheel cleaner, and a few other things.
Must keep trying...
With two cars and a VFR with silver painted alloy wheels, there's a lot of road film and brake dust to remove...