cleaning products

[49Reo]

I f you want to clearcoat over flat, they do make a flat clearcoat as well; was watching a car show on tv the other day, they did a 1954 Pontiac with a flat clear; looked pretty good, and adds a protective finish.

Regards and such,
49Reo

[CDNRatMan]

Drifter1; one of our paint shop lads used a mixture of varsol and temclad rust apint to do his old beater hunting/farming truck, it was done in fire engine red. I must admit for a flat paint job it came out looking really nice, had a bit of a texture to it, not sure why but it looked and lasted a really long time in the bush and as a beater vehicle it was banged and used a lot, perhaps something for you to look at.
If you are going for that vintage military olive drab colour then I would not use and clear coat that would add a shine to the paint. Get it as falt as you can and make it look original.

[Drift1]

PC,never used that turtle wax for the frame before....I'm gonna have to give that a try definately...question for ya,does westly's beach white remove the blue off new new www's?

RATMAN,I use the Dawn because of the simple fact that my my paint is a flat base so no need for wax at this time.Although I'm looking into getting some type of clear coat put on for extra protection to the paint.

[Drift1]

DC,pledge ah....that's interesting.....what parts did you use it on?Underside,rims etc...

[DC]

I use Pledge spray on furniture polish, it seems to work..

John.

I used furniture polish, like Pledge, on my old bike.  It works great to cut through heavy grease and melt it away.  I haven't found anything as good as this yet.

I do have some Murphy's Oil Soap laying arround.  So I may try that next, as I'm out of Pledge.

[CDNRatMan]

  Was told once to never use dish soap on a vehicle because it removes wax, grease and oil and sometimes from places it needs to be. I was also told to use warm water, and to apply wax if you are going to do that in the shade.
Personally me I use Turtle Zip Wax, it washes and waxs at once. Works really well on my trucks I have had. For the seat and leather works I use Armor-All Leather care, worked wonders on my 1957 barber chair, so use it on the bike seat and brought back the nice black look. Windex for the glass and plexiglass parts. Then for the tires  I use magic eraser for the whitewalls and then finish it off with Armor-All extreme tire shine.then I park the bike in the shade and let it cool off. Then I use a product called Bugs B Gone.
I was told about this product and we used it on out fleet of buses and it worked wonders, so i got myself a bottle and used it on my Jimmy and it works really well, so last summer I used it on the bike and really like the results.
I wait till the parts are cool to the touch. Then spray the area or parts liberally with the Bug B Gone, let it work for 45 to 60 seconds then with a wet soft cloth you wipe it off,or wash it off with a strong stream of water. This needs to be done before the Bug B Gone dries........
The next time you want to clean the bike the bugs and other sticky things comes off really easy and leaves no residue, for the time in volved this product is awesome.....and it is made by the same company as SeaFoam
Also does an really awesome job on brake dust.
After a long ride and through June bug country, you simple spray the windsheild and let it soak and then strong stream of water and wash the bugs right off.
I spray and let it work on all the parts that would or could get hit with bugs and never had an issue with the paint or anything. Works for me....

[pcarrell]

I use water (soft towel to dry), Westley's Bleach White (Tires, applied with a long bristled broom and rinsed well, it takes 3 rolls to do all the way around) (both done regularly as needed, which is usually a couple times a week), and Turtle Wax Black Box Wax for the body (It's a wax that's impregnated with black coloring, to keep my black bike looking it's best, done several times through the year).  The leather gets a bi-yearly treatment of Chilhowee Buffalo Butter, Auburn Leather Color Restorer, and 303 Anti-Fade Protectant (All alvailable from Chilhowee Leather: http://www.chilhowee.net/leather_care_products.html...I've been working leather for 30+ years and this is top quality stuff!).  Once a year the leather gets a treatment of Auburn Leather Weatherproofer/Conditioner.

That's how I do it.

[John Hopkins]

I use Pledge spray on furniture polish, it seems to work..

John.

[49Reo]

Wax doesn't work well with flat paint; not sure if there is anything you can use on that. Suggestions, anybody?

Regards and such,
49Reo

[Drift1]

49....I've reading in numerous places on the web that good ol Dawn dish soap was the preferred method for washing the bike.That's what I use(my own preference,however),but they did also say to wax after words.I myself,haven't waxed my bike,should I use wax,although It's a flat paint?

[49Reo]

Windex puts an amazing shine on chrome, but doesn't protect it; I use Windex to clean the chrome, then a good chrome polish and buff out. On the windshield, I clean it well, then polish it with a good quality clear-coat wax, like Maguires Gold Class clear-coat polish. It helps the water bead off when riding in rain, and makes bugs much easier to remove. I carry a little 2 ounce bottle of it, and do the windshield every time I clean the windshield. On the whitewalls, I use a good detergent in hot water, and a stiff bristled brush. When washing the bike, I use a "car wash" soap, hot water, and garden hose. Hi pressure washers can "push" water in where you don't want it. I used to use dish soap, but found it removes any waxes totally, making the bike harder to clean the next time. As to waxing the bike, I use Maguires Clear Coat Polish every time I wash the bike.

My 2 cents worth;

Regards and such,
49Reo

[ChilliDrift]

My favorite thing is Bike Spirits.. its the pink canned aerosol stuff that just about every dealership of every make sells a version of. Its always in a black can with pink label. its great for everything except windshields. I use windex.  Tires Wesleys Bleach White is good for that.

I use the spray on rim and tire cleaner from time to time. Spray on rinse brush if needed, its great for getting that rim crud off, although Im sure there are better ways. Lots of manufacturers. I think I used TurtleWax last time.

[Drift1]

Well fellow Drifters,obviously riding season is and has been over,for us poor folks in the north and other regions,due to either the cold....snow and for some both of these elements.For those who this doesn't effect I envy you at this part of the year,but enjoy and be safe.As most of my good drifter buds on this forum are all in the same predicament,starring at our pride and joys looking to modifie something,give something a tweak,or just give it a wipe down.Know my pal RATMAN has been very busy doing all kinds of modification wether it be to his bike,or jack to be able to work comfy on it.I'm just wondering what type of cleaners,degreasers people are using,and for which part of our precious ridesFor example I know a lot of people like PC are using things like bleach white etc. from the dollar store.Curious to know what fellow Drifters are using.