Spring Clean

[Timbollew]

Hi guys, so I'm pretty ashamed of my bike at the moment, it's bogging and needs a good clean. Some of the bikes on here look amazing so I'm wondering what do you guys use to clean your bikes and any tips for getting the awkward places like engine and wheels cleaned?

[His Dudeness]

I use my bike most days so I'm not too fussy about having it spotless but I do clean it once a week with cheap degreaser and paper towels. Does the job. An old toothbrush is good for getting into tight spots.

[mickvp]

I use one of these for wheels. soft enough to not mark wheels, big enough to get round quickly, but small enough to get into the crevices.

http://www.vikan.com/uk/retail-supermarkets/products/detail/?id=992&gid=7821

This same brush is also handy for getting deep into the cooling fins on the engine.

to get into REAL tight spots ive a set of these:

http://www.envyvaleting.co.uk/products_info.asp?id=151

and then a wash mitt for painted surfaces.

In terms of cleaning, I use a good polish on the painted surfaces and frame (Autoglym SRP is my go-to polish for hand use as it cleanses paint, and has filling and protection properties).

Once polished and cleaned, I go over top with CarPro HydrO2, its handy as its water based and works through a spray bottle so you can just spray it into crevices and tight spots and rinse out the excess, gives a good month of beadin protection which helps stop dirt buildup.

Good protection of your paintwork is the key to keeping it clean, it stop dirt sticking and so makes regular cleaning quicker and easier

Ill stop rambling now

[Frosties]

Anyone used this CarPro HydrO2 on their visor as it beads so well?

[bigbluebear]

I would get some "Muck Off" to start with and give a good soaking all over and give it 15 minutes to soak in.....then its bucket and sponge time....then repeat the process. Get the autosol and WD40 and use a tooth brush for these hard to reach areas. The chain will clean up great with a soaked rag in WD and again use the tooth brush......If you do this every week it will soon clean up.

[mickvp]

Anyone used this CarPro HydrO2 on their visor as it beads so well?

Yup, I do that too. Here it is on my helmet (I used a different product on the seperate visor for this video.):

http://youtu.be/0iclN83z0sE

[Chris]

Make sure and always use a really good shampoo and never use fairy liquid to wash it with as fairy liquid contains salt and can induce scratches while washing and corrosion if any of it isn't rinsed off properly.

Gwash is a very nice shampoo and can be diluted a lot so lasts a long time: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/car-wash-shampoos/gtechniq-g-wash-shampoo/prod_959.html

A small point but I do not use an ordinary sponge as sponges can be bad for inflicting tiny scratches in the paint. The reason is that a sponge just pushes the dirt over the paint so I use: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/dodo-juice-wash-sponge/prod_831.html

It picks up the dirt in the microfiber around the sponge and stops it from scratching along the paint.

I would also highly recommend a Vikan brush like Mcikvp, it's amazing and I have 3 for various jobs for the car and bike. Wheels, engine etc etc. I would also use a dedicated wheel cleaner but this is not essential: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/valet-pro-bilberry-wheel-cleaner/prod_499.html

Vikan brush: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheels-and-tyres/vikan-multi-brush-rim-cleaner-soft/prod_390.html

For the engine I use an all purpose cleaner as this helps to remove/soften/break down any dirt so less scrubbing and therefore less likely to scratch or mark anything while cleaning, if you use this then be very careful not to get it on the chain etc as it will remove any lube so you would need to relube the chain afterwards, not always a bad thing though: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/engine-and-exterior/exterior-degreasers/meguiars-all-purpose-cleaner/prod_321.html

For the hard to reach places I use: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheels-and-tyres/valet-pro-inch-round-wheel-brush/prod_973.html

As Mick says once it's clean and dry then a polish for the paint work is always a good plan. I would also suggest a polish with "fillers" as these will fill any scratches without being too abrasive so will give your paint a nice shine and help hide a lot of imperfections. I would suggest Auto finesse Tripple as it has a slight abrasive so will get rid of some defects, some fillers as mentioned above and will also give the paint some protection and give some water beading: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/pre-wax-cleaners/auto-finesse-tripple-all-in-one/prod_893.html

Topping it all off with a good wax will give you the best finish and I am in love with my collinite 915 wax, so easy to apply and buff to a gorgeous shine, lasts for months too so gives good protection to your paint. I know it's £24 but the tin will last you forever: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/collinite-915-marque-d-39-elegance/prod_281.html


So the process:
Good rinse all over, for the bike I only use a normal hose as there are too many things that can be damaged by a pressure washer.
Wheels with wheel cleaner,
rinse wheels,
engine with vikan brush and All purpose cleaner (APC),
rinse,
Paint work with Gwash and microfiber sponge,
rinse,
dry the bike or wait until it's dry and then polish any paintwork, frame etc.
Wax paint work etc,
get some pics up for us to see before and after 

Get in touch if you want any extra info 

Chris