Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Engine cleaner

Finally had time to wash my filthy bike this morning. However, the grease, oil and tar on the engine has been a challenge. Bug and Tar remover turn the spots into smudges. What product do you folks recommend?

Purple slice

I use bike wash - currently using the one they sell in the Suzuki stores. Works great. Spray on, wash off, blow dry, then I wipe the bike off with a towel. If I have time I add another coat of wax on the bike, trim, and windshield.

With a good coat of wax (I use Mother's Carnuba cleaner wax), cleaning up between washings is easy. Wet towel over the bike - wipe/dry with clean dry towel.

I posted this on this thread... Bike wash / cleaner

Quote:

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Ive used S100 Total Cycle Cleaner for a while and loved it. I tried another brand of similar product and it dulled my finish! It wasnt Honda Brite (Ive used that before and had no issues)...it was in a grey box. Never again

To restore your dulled black casing use S100 Engine Brite ! It works! I dulled Karens case by using Easy Off to get some plastic off her pipes and couldnt fix it for close to a year. I stumbled across this stuff about a year ago now and it still looks great!

On a recomendation I have recently started using Griots Engine Cleaner and am very happy with it. It get to the bugs and dried junk and doesnt affect the paint.
I use Griots Speed Shine for a quick clean up. It works on everything!
Yesterday I used some Griots Clay and Griots Best of Show Wax and I can not beleive how shiny and smooth the paint looks!

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Simple Green cuts through anything.

Bikebrite!!!!!!!

Spray it on and hose it off. The End.

Thanks for the input. I'll check out the local auto parts store.

+1 for the S100. Works well for me. Didn't know about the engine brite. I did a similar easy off boo boo and would like to clean that up. Thanks for the info.

Blood, sweat and tears.

Be careful using Simple Green. It is a great degreaser, but tests have shown it to cause pitting in stainless steel and other metals. I won't let it anywhere near my wire wheels.

I'd also heard S100 is not safe on many paints. Whichever bike wash you use make sure it says it is safe for all surfaces including painted ones. Most of the bike manufacturers sell a safe bike wash. I use the Suzuki because the dealer is very close and the stuff is safe on ALL bike surfaces and works great.

Been using S100 to clean my Triumphs for decades, never caused a paint problem. But, always use it on a cool bike and if possible in the shade. Also use lots of cold water to rinse it off, otherwise it will leave a milky film, especially on black parts.