…I managed to get the bike covered in tree sap, from a Cob Nut tree, this weekend.
Tried the popular on-line sources but WD-40 and white spirit still took 30 minutes to reasonably clean two wing mirrors and the seat ready for a decent business ride tomorrow.
Removing tree sap from a car/bikes finish is a bit more difficult than tar, as hardened sap can easily scratch your paint. Hand-rub the sap spots with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol will remove the sap without damaging the finish. Mineral spirits and denatured alcohol act as a solvent to break up and dissolve the sap.
Thanks for the advice guys. Someone at work used a wallpaper steamer to soften the goo and then hit it with the solvents. But then he doesn’t own an Italian bike, so doesn’t have finish quality problems.
Jetsteam You’ve got me. It was that wild Bacchinalian summer solstice again. Me and a few dancing girls with walnuts in their navels cavorting borrock naked in the boondocks with the bike safely parked up in a leafy bower.