Clean in winter??

[NakedRider]

I'm fairly good about keeping my bikes clean. I usually just wipe them down with a wet rag after a long ride and that's enough to make the clean up simple each time after going out.

In the winter, when the roads are wet, it's a bit more work than usual...on most bikes. I had an R1200GS last winter. Good bike for riding on wet roads but a horrible bike to clean afterwards. Funny, since it's supposed to be an on/off road bike.

This year I took my R1200ST on a ride up to Tahoe with the wife on the back. Most of the way up there the roads were wet. I was expecting quite a mess to clean up when I got back. Guess what?? Nothing to it. You really couldn't tell what the bike had been thru.

I find some bikes are *much* easier to clean up after in the winter.

Anyone else have a favorite *winter* bike??

[BobFV1]

I had an R1200GS last winter. Good bike for riding on wet roads but a horrible bike to clean afterwards. Funny, since it's supposed to be an on/off road bike.



GS, hard to clean? Hmm - maybe it's your method. Park the bike, take a fresh spray bottle of undiluted simple green and spray the heck out of the whole bike, then rinse with a hose. Clean as a baby's butt!

An H-D ElectraGlide - now that's a hard bike to clean!

[Bones]

I thought you aren't supposed to clean a GS. Doing so could void the warranty. I don't think I have fully detailed mine since last August.

Jeff

[Promethean]

Good thread......was going to start one along these lines.

How does Salt affect the bike and it's various components?

I intend to ride as long as possible this year. They tend to use salt on the streets in Milwaukee like it's going out of style......bad mojo I think.

[NakedRider]

This was a special GS. Lots of Carbon Fibre. Street only -

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f240/NakedRider/pic857hl.jpg

[arkline]

Abhijeet,

If you're riding a lot in the salty country, it might be a good idea to spray a little Boeshield on the aluminum and steel fastener heads (and maybe places where it is difficult to rinse easily) before they get good and coated with muck. Boeshield is a kind of waxy stuff. The plastic should be okay, but a weekly gentle spray down with fresh water will help to keep corrosion to a minimum. A good clean and careful waxing before things get too nasty would be good too, 'though I suspect your weather has gone bad by now.

http://www.boeshield.com/

[Acacia]

Clean up after a ride? That is an 'all depends on' issue. There are rides and rides and where you ride.

My summer ride was a 5414 mile one up into the NW through NM, CO, WY, ID, UT, AZ etc. in 10 days. About 600 miles of rain, through construction zones as well as bugs, bugs, more bugs and all the other critters one 'encounters' or should I say get exterminated. Lost count of the 'marmots' that decided to run the road in front of an on-coming 100mph plus loaded cycle in WY and ID. Engine temps in UT into the 250's so a nice hot motor. The result was a dirty 50R - almost looked like a rat bike. It took at least 4 washes of about 2 hours each before it got to almost about where I wanted it - using all the cleaning tricks I know down to toothbrush work in small places. Still finding bugs deep down inside the fins etc - the air filter/box was an extensive collection fit for a critter tech.

S100 does a good job after most of the elbo-grease was used. Certainly a spray-on cleaner and wash made little difference. I have found no majic wands.

Fortunately no salt down south here. I guess the salt and wet will create havoc up north.

[BobFV1]

This was a special GS. Lots of Carbon Fibre. Street only -

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f240/NakedRider/pic857hl.jpg

That's bike is to GS's what a Lexus SUV is to jeeps :110:

[Arby]

NakedRider

After seeing the pic of your GS, I got a feeling that your idea of clean, and most everybody elses idea of clean might not be the same.

On my recent trip accross the deep south, My Rockster had a 1000 miles of bugs inbeded in and on it, and then we rode thru 4 solid hours of light to heavy rain.

That afternoon, I borrowed a small bucket, a few clean rags & a little laundry soap, along with the motel garden hose. And a bottle of spray cleaner off the maid's cart.

Thirty minutes later it looked as good as it ever did, but might not have passed your inspection.

RB

[DarthRider]

Buck Naked -
Silkolene Lubricants makes a great product called "Pro Prep". It is a silicone based aerosol billed as a "hard surface conditioner". I've used it for years as an after-wash spray for linkages, metal surfaces, springs, etc. to displace water, light lubricant and corrosion preventive.
It also very good for switch clusters and black engine parts...anything plastic or flat black painted/powdercoated that gets that grey, ashy look. It works well on tires too (sidewalls only please!)
Most bike shops will stock it or can get it for you.
And...if sprayed liberally up under fenders, under the tank, under the seat, around suspension components, etc. it makes clean up much easier. Mud, bugs, & road grime do not adhere well.
It will not harm glossy paint or clear plastic but will tend to streak them so it's not worth the effort...there are much better products for that.
A clean machine is a happy machine...and as Arby points out, lots of miles and a clean bike are not mutually exclusive!

[Promethean]

Thanks. Will stop by Sears this week. The roads have already been salted and the bike hasn't seen water for months.....


Abhijeet,

If you're riding a lot in the salty country, it might be a good idea to spray a little Boeshield on the aluminum and steel fastener heads (and maybe places where it is difficult to rinse easily) before they get good and coated with muck. Boeshield is a kind of waxy stuff. The plastic should be okay, but a weekly gentle spray down with fresh water will help to keep corrosion to a minimum. A good clean and careful waxing before things get too nasty would be good too, 'though I suspect your weather has gone bad by now.

http://www.boeshield.com/

[jamming]

There you all go again, talking about clean bikes. Your gonna make me wash my bike. Last time I washed it, it rained, so she got dirty.
I'll wait for the local topless establisment to have a bike wash day, THEN I'll have the bike washed.

[NakedRider]

Buck Naked -
Silkolene Lubricants makes a great product called "Pro Prep". It is a silicone based aerosol billed as a "hard surface conditioner". I've used it for years as an after-wash spray for linkages, metal surfaces, springs, etc. to displace water, light lubricant and corrosion preventive.
It also very good for switch clusters and black engine parts...anything plastic or flat black painted/powdercoated that gets that grey, ashy look. It works well on tires too (sidewalls only please!)
Most bike shops will stock it or can get it for you.
And...if sprayed liberally up under fenders, under the tank, under the seat, around suspension components, etc. it makes clean up much easier. Mud, bugs, & road grime do not adhere well.
It will not harm glossy paint or clear plastic but will tend to streak them so it's not worth the effort...there are much better products for that.
A clean machine is a happy machine...and as Arby points out, lots of miles and a clean bike are not mutually exclusive!

I'll try that!

[DarthRider]

Nude Dude -
Pro Prep is a bit pricey, but used sparingly will last a long time.
I tend to spray on too much and waste it but you just need complete coverage, not a soak-down.
For the guys in areas where they salt the roads...be sure and get whatever product you're using to run & penetrate behind nuts, washers, bolt heads, behind brackets, anywhere salt water can creep in by capillary action. I'd do this with a new bike from the get-go to keep the bad stuff out or minimize it's effects, and everytime I washed it.
We learned that the hard way racing at Bonneville, where brine creeps into places you didn't even know you had.
Bad brine, bad...!

S100 makes an anti-corrosion aerosol that's good too, simliar to Pro Prep but more expensive. Seems to work about the same, maybe not quite as well.

[Acacia]

"Pro Prep". It is a silicone based aerosol billed as a "hard surface conditioner".

Due to recoating issues and the effects of silicone on projects based at home and at our factory coating facility, any and all silicone based products are banned. While great, slick, it does have a negative side as it migrates. Use with care if you have to.

[DarthRider]

True enough...like most anything, it should only be used with care and as directed.
That's why they don't call it "Paint Prep".

[Dallara]

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Arkline said:



"If you're riding a lot in the salty country, it might be a good idea to spray a little Boeshield on the aluminum and steel fastener heads (and maybe places where it is difficult to rinse easily) before they get good and coated with muck. Boeshield is a kind of waxy stuff. The plastic should be okay, but a weekly gentle spray down with fresh water will help to keep corrosion to a minimum. A good clean and careful waxing before things get too nasty would be good too, 'though I suspect your weather has gone bad by now.

http://www.boeshield.com/ (http://www.boeshield.com/) "


Wow, Ron...

Thanks!

I had used Boeshield some years ago to help stave off corrosion in the salty conditions on our Gulf of Mexico beaches, but over the years I had forgotten the name of the product... You jogged the ol memory, thank goodness, and once I saw the name and the T-9 and all I remembered.

There used to be this boat shop here that carried it, and it was recommended by some sailor buddies to me. I tried it and loved it. It sets to just the right thickness and consistency for a waxy, protective layer, yet is easy to wash off if you have to.

Unfortunately I went by the same boat shop yesterday and the guys there now never heard of it... Sooooooooooooooooooo...

I just ordered $250 worth of the stuff direct for myself and the dealership. I love the fact it comes in gallon bottles you can use to fill pump spray bottles yourself.

Thanks again!!!

Allan (Dallara)



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