Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Between wash jobs

I am using Meguiar's Quik Detailer spray for touch ups between washes,and it works very well, but I have noticed my chrome rims getting real dirty when the rest of the bike looks pretty clean.What are you folks using between washes to keep your tires and rims looking good from day to day,before wash and detail day? I am one of those folks that must have my bike very clean to enjoy the ride.It brings me great pride and pleasure to ride a sparkling clean motorcycle! Al

Al,
I was using Turtle Wax 2001 wheel cleaner, an auto product for awhile. it removes the brake dust and most of the grime.

But none of the "spray and rinse" products get all the dirt and gunk off, that includes the S100, and other miracle cleaners.... you still have to dry them off after use and you will find a lot of grime on your rag/towel when you do that.
I've been using those products for "between washes" duty, but when it comes time to spend some time, I use the Meguiar's Quik Detailer and old tube socks.
I put the bike up on the lift, slip a tube sock over my arm, and spray the detailer on the sock. I can then get between the spokes with my fingers and as the sock gets grungy I just pull it down a bit and start with a clean surface.

If you really want those wheels to shine you gotta get up close and personal....

Time between washes? We call that time winter here in New York. I don't usually wash it until then. I get a hard time from everyone about how dirty I let my bike get. I tell them I am out riding mine while they are home washing theirs. It goes just as fast when it's dirty too.

I'll second grump's technique. Get your ride off the ground so you can rotate the wheels without having to move the bike. I'll spray Meguiar's Quik Detailer on the rims and wipe off. Real dirty rims I'll wash with Turtle wax soap solution then wipe down with Meguiar's Quik Detailer spray and a rag, or an old sock! A bit of kerosene dabbed on a rag for those real oily areas first. Then if you want to get real anal retentive, break out the simichrome and polish up the spoke nipples to a showroom shine! Right...

But I’m of Dinqua inclination. Who has time to wash? Albeit, the salt air of my location will see me wiping her down after most every ride. Amazing the salt film that collects on all the surfaces after a ride along A1A! The wheels usually get cleaned at every chain lube. Pat doesn’t have that problem though!

I'll second the sock thing. I had a couple dozen while sports socks that were starting to wear out. So i just bought all new socks and resigned the old ones to cycle/car cleaning duties. They work great worn on your hand because they give you the ability to get in there among the spokes and other tight places with a finger or 2. May not seem like much, but once you try it you won't wanna use plain old rags anymore. Bikes as you know are nothing more than a huge collection of nooks and crannies, perfect for socks and makes it all go by much easier and quicker. Heck, if i hadn't had a drawer full of old socks i'd have bought new ones just for this purpose !

As for the original question, i haven't tried it but some product lines like Mothers make a cleaner especially for spray on removal of brake dust. How well it works i can't say, but they do make it.

This begs another question...

What quick sprays/pre-wet wipes do NOT take the wax off too? I'm pretty sure the Armoral cleaning wipes take the wax right off too... Armoral wipes and windex wipes are great cause they are portable, so for linger rides they are handy to keep around to clean up gas spills, big juice, squirrel livers, etc, ya know? But it would be nice if the wax stayed put.

I use baby wipes. They are cheeper two.

Ride fast and nobody will see the dirt!

Good idea... I could probably get a pallate of them at Costco too...

Speaking of Armoral -

I'll share one with the Speedmaster boys & girls. I use Maguire's equiv. of Armoral on all the black stuff when I do some serious cleaning. Put it on with a soft cloth, let it sit whilst (I love that Brit talk) you have a beer and wipe it down with another soft cloth to get the shine an oiliness off. If you want to get that heavy into it, I also use the same on a cotton swab to get between (me thinks that's twinst) the fins. I've never said anything for fear that I would see some harmful effect, but after a year and a half, the black looks like new. Another benefit is if you accidently get some wax on the black (it can be hard to get wax off of unsmooth or flat paint and vinyl) use the same stuff. It takes the chaulky wax right off - That works for car/truck vinyl trim also. So, now that the cat's out of the bag - Yes, I do clean from time to time - But riding is much more fun...

Good to know, it'll probly work on my motor too... I'm more concerned with quick clean up on painted surfaces that I have waxed, ya know? Whilst keeping the protective wax.