General Bike Cleaning

Smuggy

XS650 Enthusiast
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Hi there,

I am sure this is probably well known, but upon extensive searching, I only found info on carb and engine cleaning. I was wondering what products people are using for their whole bike when it needs a bit of clean to get off that old grease and general muck. A lot of people have recommended Muc-Off but I am wondering what is safe to use on old paintwork and metal and isn't going to corrode parts.

Thanks in advance
Smuggy
 
I don't think Muc-Off will damage paint or metal. I use it to clean my bikes - road dirt, insects, etcetera - and I'm happy with it.

Used to use Gunk to clean the dirty areas, where there is build up of oil and grease. Ah, the smell of Gunk as the engine heats up! But then I read that Gunk is mostly paraffin/kerosene so now I use that instead. Saves money but I still miss the aroma.

So to wash a bike, I spray some Muc-Off all over but concentrating on the dirty areas, then wash with a bucket of hot water and a soft cloth. Old toothbrush to get into the nooks & crannies. Then, if feeling in the right mood, I use some auto wax on the tank and side panels.

Some people get really excited about cleaning motorbikes and use different products for different areas, such as silicone wax for the seat. It's a good idea to avoid wash-up liquid because it's slightly acid and takes the wax off. And you need to avoid using a rough cloth which can leave tiny scratches. Mud needs to be rinsed off gently for similar reason.

The paraffin/kerosene is more for when I need to remove splashes of tar, or when I'm dismantling areas like the rear wheel and chain.

Will be interested to see what other people say.
 
My go to for greasy dirt is mineral spirits (stoddard solvent) in a squirt bottle. It smells less, a bit less oily than kerosene/ paraffin. The only trick is finding a good squirt bottle. In the US the Farnam brand works very well, some of my bottles have been in use for years. Some of the window wash type bottle squirters don't hold up long at all. I also use a lot of paper towel, a clean rag made of anything scratches less than your wife's best bath towels once they are dirty, and may prolong your life! For shiny paint, windshields, face visors, chrome etc I use the spray "touch up" wax and micro cloth towels. I carry this with me on the bigger touring bikes woith storage or the in the tank bag. I seldom wash the micro fiber clothes just kind of let them slide down the scale of areas being cleaned til they are wiping road grime off the bottom or being used with blue magic to clean/ polish aluminum parts. I've recently started using TSP (trisodium phosphate) in hot water for shop floors, walls etc. It can dull paint a bit no worry about flammability other solvent concerns.
Seats any vinyl, leather rubber get a bees wax based leather care product at irregular intervals. On thick and sit in the sun, then towel off excess. This will bring back even old dry, stiff vinyl.
Blue magic metal polish also will work WONDERS on old dull oxidized paint.
 
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Thanks for all the replies so far, some great detail, I appreciate you all taking the time. I will give everything a go and see what works best for me :)

Gary, we don't get Farnnam brand here but will try find a decent squirt bottle. I also love your analogy of scratching less than your wifes best bath towels :lmao:

Raymond, congrats on the thousandth reply :) I will give Muc-Off a go, it's one of the big name brands we can get here, so it is worth a try, thanks so much for the step by step guide, I will be taking notes.

I use S101 on my whole bike, never had any issues, this is also what the HD dealership I worked at used.
This looks great, when I am doing an Amazon order again I will make sure to add it to the list :D

I seldom wash the micro fiber clothes just kind of let them slide down the scale of areas being cleaned til they are wiping road grime of the bottom or being used with blue magic to clean/ polish aluminum parts.
- I love this sliding scale :D Speaking of blue magic, I ordered some, just waiting for it to clear customs, but I am really excited to give it a go :) Do you find hand polishing works well enough, or is it worth using a small buffer/polisher?
 
Initially, it's going to take some work to bring back the aluminum parts. That will most likely need to include some sanding and buffing. After that, occasional hand polishing will suffice to keep them looking good. Here's the fork lowers from my '83, "before" and "after" .....

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The factory put a clear coat on the aluminum parts after they polished them. That stuff has turned all yellow now and is flaking off in spots .....

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First step is to apply paint stripper to remove any remnants of the clear coat. Then the polishing can start.
 
Recently, I purchased a 5 gallon kerosene can from Lowe’s. It’s blue, rather than red. I have places around that dispense it like gasoline for cheap. I believe it to be safe for all surfaces on my motorcycle. It removes bugs to grease.
I also buy mineral spirits by the gallon and keep it handy. I’m leery of getting it on rubber parts.
Last, I have Superclean by the gallon. It makes short work of grease and oil, but it’s tough on aluminum and it will strip some paint.
To wash my bike, I use car wash soap.
 
I've been using kerosene as my main "do all" cleaner since the late '70's. I got the idea from a buddy of mine who used it on his whole bike, paint and everything. He wiped the whole thing down with it. It was a brand new '75 Triumph Trident, beautiful bike, and deceptively fast. I don't normally wipe down the painted surfaces with it, unless they are greasy, but I know I can without any harm coming to them. Same for the rubber parts. In fact, I just cleaned up some wheel seals in some hubs yesterday, in preparation for spoking up some "fresh" wheels.

I too have a 5 gal. kerosene can that I fill from a pump at one of the gas stations on the local Indian reservation. That lasts me a couple of years usually.
 
I use mineral spirits on the heavy grease, also WD40 works well on the heavy stuff. The worst part in getting an older bike is the cleaning. Once you get it clean from the 40 years of crap its not to hard to keep it clean.
 
Wow 5T your results are amazing, I think I have some paint stripper in the garage somewhere, so will make sure to get the clear coat off of them before tackling them. I have seen lot of people talk about it on the forks and on the engine, so will make sure I deal with that before hitting everything with some elbow grease and blue magic. I wish I could grab some Kerosene from Gas Stations, you guys have it great over there in the States ;)

I have been meaning to get some shop air/a compressor for a while now, so maybe I will use this as an excuse to pull the trigger on one.

I have picked up some Muc-Off, a couple cans of WD40 and some general car soap. I am also going to tackle the chain so I have got some lube and chain degreaser for that job. I also bought a bunch of rags and microfiber cloths. Will send some pics with the results and share my findings with you guys.

Thanks for all the advice and replies :thumbsup::cheers:
 
. . . I also bought a bunch of rags and microfiber cloths . . .

Bought some rags? Wow! Money never hides. I make do with tearing up old sheets, old shirts, t-shirts, dusters. Got a basket full of old stuff in the garage, you can never have too many rags. Mrs knows not to chuck out fabric, comes over to the garage first.

For wiping off the odd dead insect in a place where bikers meet up, an old pair of ladies delicates makes a kind of statement.
 
For wiping off the odd dead insect in a place where bikers meet up, an old pair of ladies delicates makes a kind of statement.
Hahaha noted :D

Bought some rags?
My mistake I started by typing bought microfiber cloths and added rags as an after thought not realizing - I will make sure to proof read my messages going forward :oops:. Mrs is asking me to donate a bunch of my old shirts, so will make sure some get donated to the garage :thumbsup:
 
Last winter I got several new flannel shirts and then proceeded to cut up a few old ones. They now live on in my rag bag, lol. For most of my grease and oil clean-up, I use paper towels, but I do use rags on the painted areas because they're softer.

Yes, get a compressor. I don't do much sanding on my aluminum parts anymore. Instead, I use Roloc discs in air powered die grinders. The medium grit (maroon) will quickly remove deep scratches and casting flaws, followed by fine (blue) and very fine (gray) to remove the scratches. When you get a good, close look at your fork lowers, you'll see the factory didn't do a very good job removing all the flaws. The Roloc discs will make short work of this. Here's a few "before" and "after" shots .....

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