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.
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.
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
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?
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
I use Pledge spray on furniture polish, it seems to work..
John.
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 (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.
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....
Quote from: John Hopkins on January 02, 2013, 19:17:22 PM
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.
DC,pledge ah....that's interesting.....what parts did you use it on?Underside,rims etc...
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.
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.
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
Quote from: Drift1 on January 03, 2013, 09:54:33 AM
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?
It will help, but add 0000 steel wool to the mix (be careful to just take off the blue). That blue stuff could withstand a nuclear attack.
Quote from: 49Reo on January 03, 2013, 11:16:56 AM
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
They make a semi gloss too. You always take any of those paints and add ground pearl, diamond dust, gold dust, or about anything else to them to give it a different look too.
Appreciate all the paint options you guys have presented to me.Thank You.I'm not looking for a shine just a protective coat is all,RATMAN.Trying to keep that military vintage look as much as possible....of course with a little tweak here and there ;)......
PC
Quote from: pcarrell on January 03, 2013, 12:02:49 PM
It will help, but add 0000 steel wool to the mix (be careful to just take off the blue). That blue stuff could withstand a nuclear attack.
Do all the www's come with that blue on it?I'll try to work,getting that off this weekend.This steel wool,what is it a powder mix or something?Never heard of it before.
Yeah, they all come with the blue.....at least all the ones I've ever seen.
The steel wool is the same thing you get at the local hardware store. The 0000 part is the coarseness rating. 0000 if very fine, almost soft, as steel wool goes. It will be gentle enough that it won't harm the whitewall (just don't use too much elbow grease, let the steel wool and the bleache white do it's thing) but it'll still take the blue off.
Cool,thank you PC.I'LL get my little guy involved in this project.....he just loves to be involved with anything to do with the bikes......
There ya go!
I could not find any of the Turtle Wax Black Box Wax, going to have to ask about it.
Drifter1 as being a DR we used Can-Am 250's and they had the plain oliv green colouring, I had the refinishing tech's paint my helmet the same colour and a d a few little logo's and things to the helmet, managed to get away with it for a long time. I'll have to find some of the pictures from back then....
Quote from: CDNRatMan on January 03, 2013, 14:20:20 PM
I could not find any of the Turtle Wax Black Box Wax, going to have to ask about it.
I got it at Pep Boys. It's a whole polishing system.....read; not cheap. The wax has black pigment in it, so it's only good for black painted stuff.
ok no Pep Boys in the area but I'll check around the auto stores and see what can pick up, I have lots of black on my bike...
Here's a decent review of the product http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wtOXtZrMdk
This product looks like it works well.Going to add it to the weekend to do list,if our town Pep Boys has it available.Thanks for that little clip,PC.What's the cost of that running,theres about?
I want to say it was around $20-$25 bucks.
That's not terrible...what's the kit consist of?Some app.pads and such.
Kit Includes: 1ea Pre Wax Cleaner and Conditioner (12 oz), 1ea Deep Black Carnauba Wax (12 oz), 2ea Black Spray Detailers (12 oz) and 2ea Applicator Pads
You'll probably want to have a few soft but disposable towels on hand too.
Drift1, I would refrain from using Dawn Dish Detergent on any painted surface as it is a degreaser and will take the oil out of the paint regardless of flat or gloss., As for cleaning or taking the blue off whitewalls, I wouldn't use any abrasives, Steel wool bristle brush etc. as they tend to put scratches in the rubber even if minute it will allow dirt to build up in the scratches and make it harder to clean later on, Mr Clean magic white erasers are very effective, I also use Bio-Cleaner which is a clay paste for my whitewalls and rims which does a great job and doesn't scratch. With regards to my windshield I use "Plexus" after warm soapy water (Blue Coral Car Wash) I always wash the bike with Blue Coral in a bucket of warm water then use Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell every third wash, In between I just wipe the bike with a damp microfiber cloth and use "TopShelf" final detail spray wax (sprayed on a microfiber and wiped on then buffed) in between waxes. For the leather I user "Rejuvenate Auto" leather/vinyl cleaner then "Rejuvenate" conditioner. As for the chrome... Nothing like painstaking good ol' Turtle Wax chrome polish... Wipe it on in a circular motion... Buff it off with a terry cloth rag (old school sometimes is the best) PS I also use the "Plexus" on the blinkers as they are plastic (It really does a nice job on any plastic or glass surface) I detail the bike at least every other month during peak riding here in Pa (It's a labor of love) Generally it takes me 2 1/2 to 3 hrs, I put her on the lift... Throw in a CD... Crack a beer and make Evelyn pretty enough to be a "Prom Queen" Don't know if this'll help you but it works for me.
QuoteMr Clean magic white erasers
Never thought of that....might be the way to go!
PC, You won't be disappointed, They're GR8!
Great info,Bake.That Mr.Clean sure is a multi tool,but that makes since about getting scratches that will eventually turn into a dirt collector.Thanks about the Dawn tip didn't realize it was taking the oils out of the paint.Like I said earlier I read that Dawn was most recommended...guess that's what seperates us Drifter riders from the rest of the pack :D..LOL....Is there a certain brand or name of the Bio Cleaner,Bake or is that is the name?What is the recommendation for the under carriage ,any type of spray on degreasers?Thanks for the iinput and help Bake
Drift1, Bio Cleaner is the name of the product, My wife got it for me from QVC (Go figure) It works great on the under carriage as well, She got it to remove grease and grime from the stove top, Apply it with the applicator then rinse with a hose or wet cloth, Works great removing the brake dust on the rear rim. Here's the link to QVC... http://www.qvc.com/Bio-Cleaner-Multi-Purpose-Cleaner-and-Microfiber-4-piece-Kit.product.V30476.html
PS, A little bit goes a long way! I've had a tub of this for two years and barely put a dent in it!
Also "Blue Coral Car Wash" removes most grease and grime.
Thanks Bake,for the tips...definately has been useful info.I see now how you sneak out on "MISS PROM QUEEN"...set mama up in her chair...with the remote and credit card....turn on QVC...and you can ride the weekend away...and not even be missed ;)..Now that's an idea! ;D...LOL....Thanks again Bake
Quote from: Drift1 on January 03, 2013, 08:53:10 AM
DC,pledge ah....that's interesting.....what parts did you use it on?Underside,rims etc...
Exactly! It works great to cut through grease and road grime on the lower part of the frame, rims, and engine. It's especially great for the engine too where you have tight spaces. You can get a paper towel or Q-tips(tm) in those tight spots and the grease and grime just come right off with no effort.
Quote from: pcarrell on January 02, 2013, 19:34:09 PM
The leather gets a bi-yearly treatment of Chilhowee Buffalo Butter, Auburn Leather Color Restorer, and 303 Anti-Fade Protectant ..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.
PC, to follow up on an old post: On your bi-yearly treatment, do you use all three of these products in that order?? Then, do you use the waterproofer/conditioner on top of those three, or do you use it at a different time?? I already use the 303 on vehicle interiors, so have some. I sent for the auburn and buffalo products upon your recommendations here. I sure hope it works as advertised, or I might be on here wanting to see about that money-back guarantee...
Color first, then butter, then protectant....all about a week or so apart or so to let them really soak in and set. You have to color the leather, which tends to actually harden it, then add the softening agents which tends to bring it back to where it was (let it really soak in), then the protectant to preserve it. I've used tons of products over the years, from mink oils to dyes, but the chillhowee ( http://www.chilhowee.net/leather_care_products.html ) system seems to be the most comprehensive and straightforward system I've come across.
thanks, man