Ok, Ive tried the Jetwash - It’s grand for cleaning of loads of muck, but it doesn’t seem to get rid of the greasy crap and dried on oil I have on my wheels and engine etc.
I’ve tried washing my bike, with a bucket and sponge but its a pain in the arse as I live in a block of flats with no outside tap so I have to trek inside and up 4 flights of stairs to refil the bucket
Any hints on better ways to clean my bike?
[h4]Volunteers would be very welcomed. . . I can pay you in cups of tea and hobnobs[/h4]
I used the Gunk engine degreaser to clean mine recently and they came up nice and shiny.
Obviously be careful not to get any on the discs and also don’t leave it on too long.
I sprayed some into a rag and ran that over the rims a few times, then I washed the lot off with lots of cold water.
It’s easier if you can take the rims off the bike.
It obviously works well on the motor too, and also the exhausts.
If you find that after washing, the metals look a bit dull, then I find an anti corrosion spray like ACF 50 brings back the shine. Good to use on the metal work anyway because all the crap on the road that sticks to the bike tends to start eating the metalwork.
I use wd40 on a kitchen cloth to clean the wheels and other metal bits. Just gotta make sure you wipe away the excess from the engine afterwards otherwise when you turn the bike on it’ll dissappear in smoke
100% the best thing to use in unleaded petrol put a small amount on a cloth and rub it will take of grease and all crap on your wheels etc in seconds with no elbow grease required wash off after try it ull be sooooo surprised at how dam good it really is
If you’re a tight arse like me, I make my own de-greaser for bike cleaning by mixing cheapo car shampoo and parafin in a bowl,work it in/on with a stiff brush then get busy with a cloth. Comes up nice and washes away easily.
I used to jetwash my XT600 but all the advice I have seen everywhere advises strongly against jetwashing road bikes (or at least being VERY careful), a major reason being that bearings may not be sealed and you may well wash all the grease out of them thereby causing premature failure.
I use Muc-off and find it pretty good, definitely heed the warnings about not leaving it on too long though; some of the black paint (or is it a coating?) on the frame of my Triumph T-bird went from satin to matt after forgetting to wash the stuff off.
I tend to use Duck Oil (same manufacturer as Swarfega) either sprayed on and wiped off or used with a cloth to remove oily crud from wheels, swingarms etc., this leaves a nice sheen though it maybe looks better on older bikes…
I’m in pretty much the same boat, 2nd floor flat and a bucket. Perhaps the best way to avoid getting pi**ed off with cleaning is to do it more often (ie a 1-bucket job weekly instead of 3-bucket fortnightly). Bloody weather doesn’t help though!
A pump spray bottle like the one I posted in the youtube link in my previous post, is good if you live somewhere and don’t have access to a hosepipe.
I use a 10L Killaspray bottle (about £30 from homebase), it holds 8 L water which is more than enough to wash my large scooter properly. It’s good because the wand attachment has varying spray and though it’s not as powerful as a hose it does a good job. I used mine in the video to rinse off degreaser, then wet the bike, then shampooed using a bucket and sponge, rinse off again with the pumpspray. You can really get into all the nooks and crannies with the spray head, right up under the engine etc. Definitely a good buy in my book.
I do the same with a Hozelock pump-up garden sprayer I got from Homebase. Yes, be careful with Muc-Off - it can actually damage alloy if left too long. There’s a couple of small spots that won’t polish out on my Ducati’s swinging arm from where it splashed up when I used it on the rear wheel and didn’t notice when I was washing it off. I use Castrol bike cleaner now, just as effective but not so aggressive.WD40 on a cloth is great for shifting chainlube!
