This an experimental thread. Perhaps it is too broad or remedial. I'm looking to see if it's possible to create a guide to aid in the task of choosing a proper solvent when working on your VFR. Obviously there are hundreds of different solvents for sale, but I'm guessing that much of the variation is redundant. I'd wager that even a well-supplied shop would be fine with fewer than twenty key solvents and most of us could manage with half that. But which key solvents and what are their mission profiles? Specifically, I would love to see 5 questions answered for a given solvent:
1. What are its aliases?
2. What are its key uses?
3. What are its strengths?
4. What are its weaknesses?
5. Any special cautions?
Here is what that might look like for the most common solvent and the only one I really know anything about:
Water
Aliases: H20
Uses: Light cleaning of dirt and grime
Strengths: Every shop has it; completely non-toxic; safe on plastics, paints, and fabrics
Weaknesses: Not effective on petroleum-based greases or oils
Cautions: Extended contact can corrode exposed ferrous metals
No need to follow this exact structure if that's not your thing, but that's the gist of what I'm trying to assemble.
See also: choosing a proper lubricant
I would also like to see opinion vs fact well noted.
For a sense of where I'm trying to go with this: There was a thread a few months back and somebody was trying to clean something and mentioned the solvent he was using. SEBSPEED commented something like "Well, [solvent you're using] is really just [some tetrahydro-chemical-sounding name], which isn't what you want in this case. Try [some other solvent] instead."
Which got me thinking. In my medicine cabinet are bottles of many things many of which have confusing names and redundant claims of purpose. But I know that Advil is no different than generic ibuprofen and that Excedrin is really just acetaminophen and caffeine (i.e. Tylenol and a cup of coffee).
I don't have this kind of understanding of solvents. In my garage, I currently have a can of carb cleaner and I have a can of brake cleaner. Do I need both? Can I use either of them for other purposes? Which purposes? I don't know. I'd like to not need to buy a can of foo-cleaner for every foo on the bike I might need to clean.
I could probably research this independently, write up a draft reference document, and submit that doc for comments, but I was hoping to crowdsource the material -- probably(!) out of laziness, but also I thought the resulting discussion might be interesting. I'm not looking for a comprehensive catalog of every solvent (or lubricant in the other thread), just the ten or twenty you would buy first if setting up a brand new shop.
I use Brake Clean for initial hard grime removal along with prepping a surface for paint. Personally Carb cleaner is the same thing just not as harsh.
WD40 main ingredient is heavy naptha which, according to Ari Henning of Motorcyclist Magazine, is basically kerosene; good cleaner and water displacement but not a lubricant.
This sounds a bit too much like work...
Lol
While I do have an array of chemicals on my shelves, my most common go-to items are WD40, and brake cleaner.
I use WD40 primarily for cleaning old grease and grime, and as a coolant when cutting aluminum on the lathe. Brake cleaner for degreasing and light cleaning, sparingly.
solvent for what ? cleaning a bike ?
its called shampoo! from the 1$ store.. use the whole bottle if you wish!
pour it on those nasty caked up blobs of gunk anywhere .
let it sit and rinse off!
i use it to degrease motors. :beer:
shampoo has a plethora of chemicals that are made to strip grease out of hair, makes sense it works on engines. I would worry about it attacking the clear coat and rubber parts.
ChiefGodzillashampoo has a plethora of chemicals that are made to strip grease out of hair, makes sense it works on engines. I would worry about it attacking the clear coat and rubber parts.
washing this with strawberry baby shampoo says otherwise..
you think i would i risk messing up a customers $75,000 bike ?
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If you have questions about a chemical simply look up the SDS (formerly MSDS) it will tell you pretty much all you need to know.
Been cleaning my leathers with shampoo for years. Haven't ruined them yet.
ChiefGodzillashampoo has a plethora of chemicals that are made to strip grease out of hair, makes sense it works on engines. I would worry about it attacking the clear coat and rubber parts.
And then spray cooking PAM on the engine and the lower plastic's . It's an old dirt bike trick and it works !
This month Motorcyclist magazine tests WD40 for harm to O-rings. They declare it does not harm O-rings. However they point out that it's not a proper lubricant.
Here is a link:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/mc-garage-video-will-wd-40-destroy-your-motorcycle-chain-o-rings
For degreasing bike parts and other things, I have using Simple Green for 35 years without any problems. Don't know why they have to use such a strong scent!
For around the house, getting rid of rubber cement, labels and small grease spots, I keep a can of lighter fluid handy. Been using that all my life, again without any problems.
SEBSPEED
While I do have an array of chemicals on my shelves, my most common go-to items are WD40, and brake cleaner.
I use WD40 primarily for cleaning old grease and grime, and as a coolant when cutting aluminum on the lathe. Brake cleaner for degreasing and light cleaning, sparingly.
I've been pondering this. This surprised me. If even a sophisticated shop can get by on (mostly) just a couple solvents, one of which is WD40, then maybe I've mis-judged the situation and, absent some niche tasks, the "toolbox of solvents" one needs is rather modest.
in the shop i work in..
shampoo for cleaning bikes. works better than 99.99999999999 %of the other stuff out there.
windex for chrome only!!! never on paint!!
carb cleaner for carbs. this stuff eats paint..
brake cleaner for brakes and other stuff. is not supposed to eat paint but may..
wd40 for light cleaning and lube
goo off mainly for stickers
The only solvent at the BLS is gasoline because it works fast and it's always
handy... not to mention it will not harm paint or plastic...
Busy Little Shop's no garden hose 3 step method of bike cleaning:
1) At the end of day soak a wash cloth in HOT water and remove bugs
and road grime... repeat as necessary...
2) Add plastic polish fairings and gas tank and buff to a shine...
3) Add a little Gasoline to the corner of the rag and degrease
wheels... plastic polish to add a nice luster...
After 10 years and 50K miles of perverted highway I've never once hit
Mr.RC45 a garden hose... it's bike abuse because it promotes corrosion
in all the little nooks and crannies... why just look at Pat's RC30 and Jim's
VFR800 axle after repeated sprays with the garden hose... pitfull as the
metal is etched for life...
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Purple power is great because you can get it in concentrated form. I use it in a parts washer as well as an ultrasonic cleaner, seems to work great for the price.
1. What are its aliases? Purple Power, similar to Simple Green or the Awesome Orange from threads i've read
2. What are its key uses? Degreasing/cleaning. I use it in aprts washer/ultrasonic. Manual cleaning it works well just spraying on, agitating, then scrubbing off and rinsing with water. Repeat until you are happy with results.
3. What are its strengths? Cheap, works well at degreasing, doesn't take a ton of space up on the shelf
4. What are its weaknesses? Wash it off of aluminum quickly as it can etch polished surfaces, smells terrible
5. Any special cautions? See 4. Rinse the parts off with water to remove all residue. Test for yourself on scrap pieces to see how long you are willing to let it soak.
I use a concentrated degreaser (Sam's Club) only for cleaning the chain lub gunk from the chain area. Hand pump spray, wait a bit, gently remove with a screwdriver blade and then toothbrush.
Bucket wash the rest of the bike with dish soap. I like the shampoo suggestion and will try that next time. Gasoline for the wheel rims sounds like a winner also.
My first fifthe gen got to 105,000 miles (101,000 by me) and never had the rear hub apart, never touched any bearing except the steering head bearings, and never noticed any problems with any of them.
However, I may pay more attention to bearings on my current fifth based on what has been presented here lately.
Try the WD40 on that chain gunk. You will be amazed.
What is recommended for the removal of the stator cover gasket since it glues itself to the cover VERY well
I tried Petrol, WD40, Goof off, eucalyptus oil, carb cleaner, and any other chemical I could get my hands on including gasket remover
All of these had limited success and I painstakingly used a new scraper blade very carefully so as not to scratch the mating surface of the cover
The bike had 54,000 km's and 11 years old ( 33500 ish miles ) on the clock when this was done
BusyLittleShop
The only solvent at the BLS is gasoline because it works fast and it's always
handy... not to mention it will not harm paint or plastic...
Busy Little Shop's no garden hose 3 step method of bike cleaning:
1) At the end of day soak a wash cloth in HOT water and remove bugs
and road grime... repeat as necessary...
2) Add plastic polish fairings and gas tank and buff to a shine...
3) Add a little Gasoline to the corner of the rag and degrease
wheels... plastic polish to add a nice luster...
After 10 years and 50K miles of perverted highway I've never once hit
Mr.RC45 a garden hose... it's bike abuse because it promotes corrosion
in all the little nooks and crannies... why just look at Pat's RC30 and Jim's
VFR800 axle after repeated sprays with the garden hose... pitfull as the
metal is etched for life...
Some of us ride in the rain, leave our bikes in dusty, gritty areas, etc.
Just sayin'...
By the way, when you use the wash cloth to take off the dust and grime from soft surfaces like plastic without the help of a surfactant, you're pretty much sanding the plastic.
Same here I ride rain , hail or shine if it gets dirty it gets washed if it gets greasy or peppered with tar it gets a kerosene clean and then a wash and polish
luckily we do not get a winter season cold enough to put the bike away or have salt/saline brew spread allover the road where I live
But I would if I was fortunate enough to own an RC45 or other exotica maybe just maybe I would try and try and avoid rain or leaving it outside
In General bikes like the Vfr , cbr etc etc are meant to be used and get dirty and wet especially when riding is a way of life not a hobby and they are waterproof
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