Am old school when it comes down to washing my bikes. Bucket, sponge and a cheap bottle of car wash or fairy. I see on youtube videos on things like Muck away and so on. These people seem to use stuff like this and by magic the bikes seem to look better than a showroom bike. Do they work? and what do you use?. Or do you think that these products are a load of bunkum.
Snake-oil. Soapy water, dry off, then muc-off bike spray (or similar water repellent spray) on the metal parts, and a polish on the painted bits. Might use muc-off first if the dirt has had chance to dry on, but other than that nothing.
I buy the car-plan stuff from Halfords, £12 for 5l. Use it at work and home. Also use it in the jet wash as snow foam like stuff.
I've tried several "premium" bodywork shampoo products on the cars and the bike but it makes little difference in my opinion if you dry the vehicle thoroughly afterwards and use a wax on the paint and polish the shiny bits. Never use washing up liquid and avoid sponges as they hold dirt and cause swirl marks. Microfibre wash mitts are better and cost very little as does a second bucket to fill with plain clean water to rinse the mitt off before loading up with soapy water from the first bucket as you work your way around.
I use Muc-Off and then Autoglym shampoo (not really notiicably better that any other car shampoo), and dry off with a pet dryer (same as a bike dryer, just half the price ). One product I would recommend is Muc-Off Miracle Shine Polish, I think its brilliant stuff! https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/102057
I use this- Picked up this for £20 at a car show last year. Brilliant stuff, and it doesn't leave any white residue on the black bits although that is mainly on cars.
Cheers for your thoughts chaps. Just ordered a litre of Muc Off for £8.51 off Flee bay Just to see for myself what all the fuss is about but if it turns out no better than my cheap car wash I'll stick with the Pound shop stuff. Also if this overpriced wash is no good am sure the wife can put use to it.
Sorry MrO i have to disagree as its not entirely snake oil; Muckoff has a certain active ingredient that does give the surface some sparkle. I can't remember what the chemical is but a trawl round the net should flag it up. I mention Muckoff only because i know it has it but other makes which include it will probably work just as well.
£8.51 A litre Look out for special offers from M&P. The last lot i bought came as a case of 4x 4 litres and was something like £45 delivered.
I need to step up my game as I'm getting a new one and want to make a reasonable effort at cleaning and maintenance. Anyone know any good guides for cleaning your motorbike step by step? I use muc off shampoo and the garden hose (not that high pressure) and spray GT85 and Glyn on the tank with a shammy. Chain cleaner and brush on the chain and lube after. The dry lube looks shit though, leaving a white paste.
There are loads of videos for cleaning/preping bikes on youtube, not all of them good, but some seem to be. This is typically what I do (for right or wrong): Cover clocks and ends of exhausts with small plastic bags and elastic bands Lightly hose the bike down Spray Muc-Off or similar on really grimy areas, and sometimes a degreaser if necessary, wait 5 mins. Only use proper car/bike shampoo, and wash with a decent mit (sheep skin) Rinse with hose Dry thoroughly - pet/bike dryers are really useful, shifting water from normally unreachable places If required polish chrome/aluminium with Mothers Polish Spray/wipe areas that could corrode with some kind of protection (GT85, WD40, ACF50, etc), obviously avoiding brakes and disks Protect paint work (tank/panels) with Muc-Off Miracle Shine polish (Carnauba wax), using separate clean cloths for applying and removing I'm not saying the above is correct, its just what I do. I think that drying and protection are the two most important things. Have you tried Wurth High Performance Dry Chain Lube? - I find it works well, with no white residue, and little to no fling off.
Cheers for that. No I'll look in to it need some more pots and potions. I am slack when it's comes to a clean and polish, am determined to keep on top of it. Plus will get some peace outside the house!
I think a with a potential winter commute (although a may get a bomb proof 'classic) I'll have to give her some regular attention
Right this bottle of Muc off came today so i followed the destructions and cleaned my bike. Now i haven't cleaned my bike since the Dorset camping trip so due to no rain, the bike was more dust and road grime. The first thing i noticed was it work well on the brake dust with the gold on the rotors looking the brightest ive ever seen them. Apart from the brake dust on the wheels, calipers and rotors, i wasn't that impress with the rest of the bike. Still had to give the rest of the bike a good shampoo with the pound shop stuff to bring it up to where i wanted it. Just as i was wheeling the bike into the garage my son turned up on his KTM 1290. It was disgusting caked in mud and so on. He used the bike 50/50 off road. I said to him give this a try(Muc off). He told me he used it when it first came out for mountain bikes and for the money it was too expensive for what it was. At the back of my garage, he has some gear stored or dumped whichever way you want to look at it. He pulled out his jet wash and half used 25ltr drum of G101. He said it costs him £25.00 delivered, cheaper if he buys 50ltrs at a time. He tells me it is mineral/water-based with no salt used, OK sounds the same as Muck off. He sprayed it on left it for a fag then jet washed the bike. Then done the same to his over trousers and boots. The outcome was more or less the same as Muck off but at a cheaper price. He told me this G101 can be used on carpets, fabrics, hard flooring, hard surfaces etc. All it is a general, multi purpose cleaner that car valeters and carpet cleaners use. Dry cleaner also uses the stuff. Just done a quick search for the stuff and there are lots of sellers selling G101 on eBay at £25-£28 for 25 ltrs. So i know what i will be using after i finish the bottle of Muck off. P.s He also uses TFR watered down to clean stubborn dirt. This can be used as a multi purpose cleaner as well
I have no vested interest in this but everyone I have spoken to that uses it raves about it Not the cheapest in the world but used by a motorcycle detailer who has bottled it for retail https://shinysauce.com
I'm no expert (clearly) on cleaning but how far can a spray on product go without being acidic to dissolve dirt and that has obvious implications on your bike. The sponge pressure/jet wash must be the key to removing tough grime with said product. Fair enough I can see the benefit on an after product for shine, protection etc We need more testing like you've done to disprove the snake oil!
