Mr Muscle's Guide to Cleaning

[craigs23]

Since it's been over a year since I originally wrote this thread, and it's recent interest (as well as regular queries on how to polish this that or the other (don't ask)), I felt it necessary for a little update. There are also a tricks I've learnt over the last 12 months as well, so, being an internet forum and all (plus a reputation to uphold), I'd thought I'd share a little more cleaning tips, to help appease my compulsive disorder..

With the sun ready to raise once again, how about a spot of spring cleaning?

Anyway, cleaning my bike is kind of like a maintenance routine - some think I'm quite obsessive when it comes to keeping the grime off (how on Earth did I get that forum callsign for instance?), but I look at it as more an appreciation for the bike. I also like to take the opputunity to make sure everything is in tip top working order, and when (occasionally) cleaning a bike down to every last nut and bolt, I believe I've developed a certain eye for detail in regards to such matters. More often then not, a proper clean also requires a strip down, and a disassemberly of surrounding parts, so all the nooks and crannies can be sorted. A Haynes manual is thoroughly recomended for this, let alone for any work needing to be carried out if, like me, you enjoy a bit of DIY at the weekends. It's also handy to have a paddock/centre stand so that removing fairings is more accessible, as well as allowing access to free-spinning wheels for cleaning/chain lubing.

The key (or devil), is in the details. Viewers of the bike tend to see it as a whole and won't spot every single change you've made. However, carry out some work - like powdercoating wheels or adding a new shiney exhaust system, and the surrounding parts will look filthy and dull in comparison. The rocky road to obsessive compulsive disorders start here - take my advice with a pinch of salt; from personal experience it can get quite addictive to get carried away. I would say however, that if the minor details are also considered (fasteners, engine cases, wheel spacers, etc), the finished result is so much better. Far too often, I see a few bikes with spotless, brand new paintjobs, but the infrastructure underneath is a right pig (kind of like how my Konica arrived really).

First things first. 'Mint Condition' (aka concours) is very difficult to acheive, but possible. I'm almost at the point with my NC30 that I can refer to, or accept it as, mint condition - as after 18 months of sorting the bike out, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to find something yet to clean on it.

However, mint, in those cases, is not pracitical, especially for daily transport, so best to aim for 'very good condition'. It does take some time, and a bit of elbow grease, but that's part of the owner satisfaction that I get out of working on a bike. Besides, a well sorted, clean, good working order bike will easily add a couple of hundred to a bike, or mean that those 'first see will buy' testimonials for second hand bike adverts are completely plausible.

First step I'd say is to get it the bike up to a decent standard, and try and keep it there. I'm fortunate enough to own two bikes, and my R6 is used day in, day out, whatever the weather, so it's a good visual aid to describe this process.On a daily basis, I get home, leave the bike on the drive, have dinner (so the bike cools down), rinse off any salt with cold water off exposed parts. All of 5 minutes work. The bike's then put away; it lives outside and only under a cover.

At the weekend, it's then time for a reasonable clean, to keep the bike looking fresh. This is also a time when I'll check the chain, oil levels, lubricate cables if necessary, check brakes, etc.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/dirty.jpg

To begin with, I'll concentrate a little on the bike's chassis components: This involves saturating the frame/swingarm/shock areas/forks/etc with a degreaser (oil based seems to work best for me in this instance). I'll work on the bodywork/paintwork later, as this requires a much gentler approach. Generally, I'd use WD40, which is very good at shifting most flung-on road crap and can be left to eat into the grime whilst you prepare for the next stage. However, really soiled areas (chain, lhs of the rear wheel, etc), usually gets treated to a dowsing of parrafin, agitated with a brush. I've recently applied this using a squirty-bottle, which is easier to apply, and once saturated, most of the much would just run off without intervention. Pay attention not to get this near your tyres or brakes though, and put some newspaper down if working in a previously-clean area (or driveway where the oil can eat into the tarmac). ALSO REMEMBER TO RELUBE ANY NECESSARY AREAS ONCE YOU'VE FINISHED (after the clean that is).

I'd then rinse the entire bike. This will wash away the degreaser as well as soften built up road crud on bodywork panels. I'm not sure whether the hose pipe ban is still in force here, so tend to use a watering can with clean, cold water (warm water will accelerate salt eating away at your bike's finish in winter, so is best avoided). Once soaked, it's now time to wash the bike.

I tend to use two buckets for this. One is filled with soap and hot water (I've recently been using Meguairs Gold Class soap, which I find excellent), and the other with cold water. Using a lamb's wool mitt (which is far more paintwork friendly than regular sponges), I'd first start at the top of the bike. Fill the mitt with the soap mixture and then wash the bike, applying little to no pressure to minimise the possibilty of scratch or swirl marks. Once a panel is complete, I then rinse the mitt in the clean water bucket. This way, my 'soap' bucket is less likely to become contaminated by grit, which could be later spread around the rest of the bodywork. Repeat this process for the rest of the bodywork - working top to bottom with regular rinsing.

I'd then use a regular sponge to wash the frame/wheels/brakes/etc in the same way (hanging the mitt to one side to again minimise contamination) as these won't mark as easily as paintwork. Be sure not to use too much presure here, the degreasing should have eased the built up grime enough so the muck just slides off. Old toothbrushes/paintbrushes are quite handy for those knooks and crannies, but be sure to keep washing away the muck.

Finally, once the weekly dirt's been removed, rinse the bike once again before drying. I use a Meguairs Water Magent for the bodywork and microfibres for everything else; water stains are so unsightly and can be quite difficult to remove.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/finished.jpg

Paintwork

Once completely dry, get a decent high gloss wax. (Detailers would note that the bike may require several other processes before this point - claying and paintwork correction for example, but this is still a work in progress thread at the time of writing - Ill update any further tips as I learn them). Autoglym's good (not the Super Resin Polish though - it's a very light abrasive and over time, will polish away your bike's finish), Meguairs Corodura excellent, Zymol/Swissvax the dog's bollocks. If your bike's as clean as it should be at this stage, apply with a clean cloth or an applicator pad, working out of direct sunlight, one panel at a time. The Zymol I use comes from a tub, so I usually apply this by hand (after washing them of course). This is best applied in small doses, in thin layers that are then built up over time. Allow the wax to cloud slightly before lightly buffing to a shine with a fine microfibre, finishing with a lint-free duster (which will also remove any super fine smears).

Be careful not to use too much wax at this stage, and be careful how you apply it. Wax-residue marks in bolt holes and along the edge of seat units are the work of an amature. For a really good shine, once waxed, use a bit of Mr Sheene (of all things) as a finisher - gives a very smooth, very fine glossy finish - a surprisingly good result (as used at car shows and the like). Don't be afraid to get carried away - paintwork looks so good if treated reguarly and letting the layers of wax build up (when taking ownership of a bike, I tend to wash and apply wax once a week for the first month or so) - it'll look like it's got another few layers of laquer to the paintwork, as well as make the colours look even richer. After returning my new CBR600RR to the dealers for its first service, they wondered what I had done to the bodywork to get it so shiney...it also survives a 'water test' (might post a video up), where the surface is so smooth that water just pours straight off the panels.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00518.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00756.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/hornetpaint3.jpg

Wheels, once washed, can be treated in much the same way. I find that a layer of WD40 or Silcolene spray makes them even easier to clean next time around. And after a dry day, chain lube and brake dust can be simply wiped off. Mr Sheene can be used here as well, for uber gloss wheels.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/cleanblade.jpg

I am also looking into paintwork detailing - my NC30 doesn't require it, having brand new paintwork and all, but I'm sure I'll be practicing on my R6 when I have the time. I'll be sure to post up my findings on the correct lubricants to use when claying, which drill attachments to use when levelling paint layers, etc when I do.

Metalwork

As with paintwork, the trick to good looking metal work is all in the preperation. This is delving into a more long-term clean, rather than the weekly routine previously discussed, but there's no reason why this can't be done at the weekend when you see fit.
I wouldn't recomend polishing if you want to keep your bike looking standard. Afterall, polishing, in the same way as paintwork, involves an abrasive that either takes away oxidisation to produce a decent shine, or removes the OE finish, depending on what area you're intending to work on.

My R6 is another good example in this light - the only area I actually polish on it is the Akrapovic link pipe. The other areas such as the footpegs, levers, bolts, etc, I have been careful to retain their factory finish, and have only washed/WD40'd them as mentioned in the stages above. Polishing metal isn't too fashionable these days so should be considered with some caution - you may be inadvertently degreasing the value of your bike by doing so, especially as it's not to everyone's tastes. But anyway...

Maybe it's best to start from the beginning, so I'm going to explain a little restoration work here, which needn't come into the equation of weekly cleaning. However, once done (if you need to do it), the metal would be so much easier to keep clean in future - the grime will literally rinse off as explained above. When I first took ownership of my Konica rep, the exhaust pipes were in such dire condition I almost thought about replacing them there and then. However, with a little patience, they came up pretty well. They were beyond degreasing as years' worth of grime had been baked upon them, so I got a bit brutal with some 'borrowed' oven cleaner. Be careful if you intend on using this with items still attached to your bike, as it can eat away at aluminium if left long enough. This is also an irritant to skin, so I recomend you wear gloves. I won't explain the whole process here (as I'll be repeating myself for later stages), but I intiated this course by liberally spraying the offending metal and scrubbing away at it with a metal brush followed by a brillo pad. This scrubbed away the worst of the corrosion, finally leaving silver metal beneath, ready for the further, finishing stages.

There were areas of my NC30 where I wanted to restore a brushed finished. Firstly, I made sure the area was as clean as I could get it (degreased and then washed), before scrubbing lightly with a brillo pad - making sure all the strokes were following the same direction. A fine grade of wet and dry can also be used to the same result. Finish with a wipe with a clean rag and a bit of WD40. Be warned that in these instances, the metal is left unprotected. If you're using your bike reguarly, I recomend a light dusting of laquer - this will take the sheene off the satin finish somewhat, but you needn't worry about oxidisation/corrosion so much after this.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/cleanmetal.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00612.jpg

For uncoated surfaces (polished frame, rearsets, exhaust hangers, levers, etc) Once dry, use a seperate cloth (household dusters are good) and polish firstly with Autosol - keep buffing until the marks eventually rub out (it actually skims out imperfections in the metal, which is mixed with the dirt - that's what you see on your cloth). A lot of people add a bit, rub in until it goes dark grey and then immediately buff away. I don't do this. When the surface goes dark grey - I keep buffing with the dirtying cloth until the shine comes through from under. Don't use too much pressure, the key here is to let the polish do the work. Buff away with another cleaner cloth. For a better, finer finish, use a bit of Belgom Alu in the same way, adpoting a wax-on, wax off technique.

For mirror finish you may want to invest in some polishing mops.(WARNING! THIS IS PERMENANT AND MAY COMPROMISE THE VALUE OF YOUR BIKE) However, I don't like the lack of control they give, so tend to resort to a more hands-on approach. So I use wet'n'dry. The original finish depends entirely on what grade to start with and the key to a good end result is all in the preperation, and a lot of patience. Original finish - 240 grit; quite a bit of hard work at this stage, but it gets easier (relatively) when moving up the grades. Remove all surrounding bodywork/obstructions, fill a bucket of water, apply a tiny amount of washing up liquid, tear a hand sized patch of wet'n'dry up and then sand away like you would paintwork. Keep the surface saturated as you work by constantly dunking the area/patch in and out of the water. Like any kind of polishing, the trick is to let the paper do the work - not your polishing arm, so be patient as you gently polish away the metal's imperfections as you work. Keep checking what you're doing, and that you haven't worn away the surface of the wet and dry instead of the metal you're working on - you can actually hear whether you need a new patch or that you need to move up a grade (the surface will go quiet/smoother to work with once ready for either). Anyway, gradually move up the grit levels - the key is to be patient - it will take a while. Miss a spot and leave a deep(ish) scratch in your metal work and it will show in the levels thereafter, so be careful not to just hack away in the first stages. Once you've moved up the 240-500-800-1000-1200-1500 grit stages and most sratches have been polished away (along with the original finish) dry thoroughly and then apply some Autosol to a cloth. Then Belgom Alu with a seperate cloth, buff to a mirror shine. Another key thing to note here, obessive as it may sound (and probably is), is that the cloth you use will have an impact on the final result. Use something quite coarse and it'll mark your metal work with thousands of tiny, but noticeable scratch marks (especially aluminium, which is quite soft), I recomend Autoglym's Perfect Polishing Cloths as a handy finisher at this stage. Given time, your metal work should come up like chrome. Be warned though, it will be unprotected from the elements and will require regular 'top up' polishing at this level.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/cbrpolish.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/rvfpolish.jpg

Chains

There are a few techniques; some people just rely on their Scotoiler to do all the work. That's not good enough for me. Liberally apply a degreaser - Parrafin again - to your chain. You want to absolutely drench the thing in the stuff so all the muck, grit, road kill, etc just rinses out (make sure you cover the floor on which you're working, this stuff will get everywhere). Keep rotating the chain to work around all areas - do the hub, the inside of the front sprocket cover (check the speedo cable whilst you're at it) - Everywhere. Once degreased, whipe off with a rag until dry, pay attention to cleaning the inside and outside of the chain for extra bling. Then apply a good coating of Chainsaw Lubricant (I've found this much better than oil and spray chain waxes (which go into a sticky, gungey (and sometimes green!) mess after a couple of weeks of use). Pour a little lubricant into a cap, and wipe in with a cloth, working into the o-rings whilst moveing the chain around. Wipe off the excess to reveal a non-fling, spotless, wet-looking chain. Good as new.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/cleanchain.jpg

That's the major areas - sorry if it's a bit long winded. One thing I've found is that the cleaner a bike is, the more scruitiny it gets - plus no one believes that it's your everyday, all weather transport. Once the big areas are clean and kept clean, then you can work around to the details (and be warned, that, as mentioned at the start of this thread, is a very rocky road). Same theories apply, but it's easier to spend a weekend or so doing each area than attempting to restore a bike as a whole, in 6 hours. For example, my rearsets were done a couple of weeks ago - taken off the bike, disassembled, cleaned, polished and then reassembled - it's really the only way to get all the muck off - some nooks and crannies are just unreachable when the parts are all together.

Just don't forget to carry this onto the inside of your bike as well. The same processes can be used, and your bike would look fantastic inside and out. Afterall, any valeting service can wash bodywork...

The other important area to note here is getting to know your way around your bike, and this is where the Haynes manual becomes useful. Learning to understand how your bike works, how you can keep on top of the maintenance, how to take it apart and put it together again, all builds up to overall ownership pride, as well as satisfaction as a whole. Nothing better than a well earned mug of tea after a day's work, admiring your own handywork as it sits basking in the sunlight, waiting to get all dirty again, knowing you're the person who's made it what it is.

And don't worry about being brandished an obsessive, I think in many parts, I've got that area fully covered.

And the results? They will speak for themselves.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/cleanvfr.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/cleanrvf-1.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00289.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/rvf.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00606.jpg

[oneil sg1]

That is/was one clean FireBlade Craig.
Wish I had one.

[mattjs895]

iteresting post, especially about the mirror image on the fram, i might be attempting that soon along with the wheels.

and again, the bikes looking fantastic.

[Bendy]

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/Cleaning/degreasedengine.jpg

The inside of your mudguard is filthy

[m99dws]

Good write-up. But with all that cleaning, when do you get time to ride it

[killa]

I feel even worse about the state of my kwak ATM.
I'm going to do a big clean when i get my tyres and pads done next month.

Good write up Craig
____________________
Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
Bike:- Yamaha TRX850 | Killas Biking History | Killas Gaming History | Killas autmotive history

[syris]

Good post man, fair play for the work you do - your bikes are mint.

[Phil_C]

Brilliant write-up.

I'd love to get my rear wheel off and clean my swingarm, chain and sprockets properly, but don't know how I'd manage it. I've got a read paddock and a side stand only. Any advice?

[craigs23]

Thanks for the comments, but please realise this isn't supposed to be a showcase of my bikes - it's a guide of how I reached an acceptable finish, hopefully some tips can be extracted from it.

[damz]

god i feel so guilty, my rvf is a mess in comparison to yours , oops revived a dead thread but should be good for people who havnt read it already

[Jockey]

A great guide for anyone who doesn`t know what to do. As you said Craig, do it in stages and eventually the desired finish will be obtained. Your results speak volumes. -Jockey.

[Stiffler]

I read this when it was originally posted and I still enjoyed seeing it again! Also reminded me that I've been meaning to try a Mr sheen finish on top of the wax for months.

I've already ear-marked a good few hours over Easter for a clean. But this has inspired me to do a full fairing strip and go that extra mile and do a proper job.
____________________
Current Bikes - Kawasaki ZX-6R (636) | BMW G650GS

[thegubner]

I have washed a bike once, and that was 30 seconds with a jet wash.

If I got a bike that clean I would hang it off the wall not ride it.

[Shay HTFC]

Bit of a bump, but it's a f**king good post so I don't mind.

Inspired me to get my bike in order. Not to get it fantastically shiny, but just clean. Right now my white wheels are greyie with all the crap on them.

I'll be mainly doing the WD40 + rinse method I think for quick easy results

Got some dirty fairings lying around unused so really tempted to spend just a day getting them nice, clean and shiny and refit them again some time in the near future.

How do you advise cleaning the 'inside' of the bike around the shock and all that without actually taking it all apart? Just stick a hose in there to rinse it off a bit?
____________________
Full Motorbike License - GS500E '95

[ms51ves3]

[Shay HTFC]

For starters I'm near the south coast right now

Also, I don't pay for jack
____________________
Full Motorbike License - GS500E '95

[ms51ves3]

[JuanDan1st]

Yeah respect for the post, inspiring stuff - now I can't wait to spend a weekend giving my SRAD an overdue spruce up.
It's my first bike bought off a mate a couple of months back and when I told him I hadn't cleaned it yet he did his nut. The wheels have got loads of grime welded into them now so they're greyish. What I really want to do is take them off to have a proper go at them.

[craigs23]

Updated with a few new tips.