Cleaning our bikes

Is there a thread that talks cleaners etc and results? I once in a while come across individual posts or threads but nothing all-in-one.

Plastics:
On of my previous bikes had a plastic "tank" and I used Novus for it. There are three bottles, two to polish and one to finish it off. Worked great, got ride of smaller scratches and the plastic got nice and shiny.

I also like to use auto cockpit cleaner for black plastics.

General:
I used to use it for my hands, but discovered that it works perfectly on the bike as well: heavy duty cleaning wipes. Their degreasing power is great.

Exhaust:
000 steel wool:
Used it to get my exhausts all shiny again. Doesn't leave any scratch marks

Found a thread where someone talked about the great results he had with neverdull:
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/never-dull.95137/

 

The 3 bottle Novus kit works great for restoring plastic. I've restored pinball machine parts with it along with xbox games for the kids.

 

I like the Never Dull on the wheel edge and Mop'N'Glow floor polish on the spokes. Spray detailer on most everything else. A black sharpie on faded threads in the seat makes them look new

 

Anything good for this frame, especially the bottom part by the foot pegs?

 

I only use 0000 steel wool

 

I prefer 000000 gold-pressed latnum wool.

 

I use a paper towel with a little rainX soaked on it.
Seriously, I clean my face shield with rainX every so often, (like usually when rain is forecasted) then I take the paper towel and rub on the shiny bits of my bike. (I did do the aluminum foil and H2O trick a couple years back.)

I admire those that have showroom quality bikes, a clean bike is pleasant to view and reflects pride in ownership. My XJ is kept clean enough so that any leaks are easily recognized and dirty enough that no one thinks they want to make her their own.

P.S. I did meet a guy up here that is what I would call a 'master painter' (careful Matti) and it is tempting to have my tank redone as there are a couple scratches / chips from wrestling with the cap after the lock broke . . . But then why stop at the tank?

 

My new accessories this year are rust and bird poop. Is there anything that really brings out the shine on bird poop?

 

Fresh bird poop.

 

I use Simple Green on motor parts. Rinse it real well as I can potentially dissolve some paints if left on.

Dawn dish soap and water to clean rest. Dry with a soft towel to avoid water spots.

Vinyl treatment in seat and rubber parts (except tires....).

Murphy's Oil soap and water with cloth rag makes the plexiglass windshield shine. Windex may fog some plastics.

Mothers aluminum polish as needed in the rims, chrome, etc.

 

Ride in the rain. Done.
If I'm going to a show I'll break down and wash with a lambswool mitt, Meguiar's soap (or ss100 if I have it), and finish rinse with distilled water (lots of dissolved lime here). Everything gets dries wiht a shammy and black plastics get hit with Mother's Back-to-Black.

 

Once a year, I'll come back to the house and park the bike I've been using in the yard, bring out the others, and give them all a dousing with a soapy sponge and play a hose over them. I usually do that about end of April into May, so that the rest of the dry weather doesn't get them manky and there's no point in cleaning in the winter, as mankyness happens immediately.

 

I use Pledge furniture polish (aerosol can) between proper cleanings, it was a tip I got years ago from a dealer, keeps the bikes shiny and picks up the dust. For the crinkle black finish on my wheels I use a rag or paper towel soaked in WD 40, cleans off the crud and chain lube fling and leaves a semi-lustre (luster for k-moe) shine.

 

Well what do you know?
I had to Google it.
Manky really is a word: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/manky
I learned something new today, now I can go to bed. Thanks Dave!

And now I will use said word soooo much that it will drive my wife nuts!

 

Doesn't that make your seat a bit slippery?

 

For a short while. It has helped preserve the shine on the vinyl over the years.

Don't use it on the tire treads. Makes them look good, but traction?????

 

I'm not really sure of Mr Sheen. I used it for years, with good results, but every seat cover I ever had that I used it on, eventually succumbed to cracking and falling apart, some of the them quite quickly ie, when it started to happen, it happened to all of it, at the same time. I didn't really think much of that at the time, just putting it down to the normal life expectancy of a seat cover.
Oddly, the oldest seat I have at the moment, that I re-covered more than 20 years ago, has never been cleaned with that stuff, and is still in very good condition. The cover was a decent quality, but not OEM. Come to think of it, just about every bike dealer I've known has used Mr Sheen or Pledge Furniture Polish on vinyl seats for as long as I remember, so that means probably every (or most) OEM seats have been exposed to Mr Sheen or similar. You can be sure the majority of bike dealers won't have spent any money on proper vinyl cleaners, when there's a cheap hardware store solution available.

 

Sounds a lot like the horror stories of our Armor-All. I refuse to use it for the same reasons

 

I've gotten really good results from riding donuts down at the dog park. That greasy brown patina on the back fender is just....so phenomenal you can smell it.

 

Pledge was only ever used on tins or plastics, I used a product called Urad for years on vinyl and leather. I used to get one every year at the January bike show. It would add a nice shine to the seat, leathers, boots but would not leave a slippery finish, if anything it was almost sticky, so good on seats. Still have a little left but haven't been to any shows for a while. Going to look online to see about availability.

 

Any concerns with spraying (foam) degreaser on bottom of engine, letting it soak and then rinse it off? Just as a first step to get the major stuff off?

 

None. Just don't let it set for too long. 15 minutes should be enough. If it's really crusty you'll need to use a brush on it since gravity is working against you.

 

I done a 3 week trip that had all kinds of road grime stuck to the bike. I could not get it clean. I took some hand cleaner, I used gojo hand cleaner, and an old soft paint brush to the bike. I brushed it on everywhere. Even under the seat. Rinsed it good and washed it again with dish soap. My bike was back to a beautiful shine again!

 

Nice.
I need to clean it up a new to me bike to check for oil leaks. It's pretty filthy around the bottom of the engine. I am suspecting a leak somewhere and need to see whats going on. I want to use degreaser first and see how it goes. Your option sounds good too.
I have a wheel (rim) brush somewhere, I'll try that. Not to concerned about minor scratches though.