how do you clean yours?

[mike wright]

Try putting some Turtle Wax into her containers after you've stolen hers, it works for me [/QUOTE]



hhahahhaha........................ "No luv its shinning like a new car"

 

[BTBR]

Keep um dirty, thats wot I say............

 

[dirtydog]

Keep um dirty, thats wot I say............

I know for a fact you're not talking about YOUR bike!

I'm very particular about cleaning mine...

 

[Pukmeister]

My method:

1) Hose down once the bike is cooled back with COLD water to remove loose dirt, grime and salt.
2) Apply Hein Gericke gel bike cleaner from a spray bottle.
3) Put the kettle on and fill a bucket with hot suds.
4) Drink tea whilst admiring how dirty my GS is.
5) Sponge off the dirt with the hot suds. Use a cheap long handled bog brush to get into the fins on the engine.
6) Rinse off with the garden hose.
7) Use the garden vac on blow to get rid of excess water especially the switchgear/handguards, engine fins and behind the fuel tank and headstock wiring areas.
8) Spray with FS365 to neutralise and protect.

Keeps the old girl looking good. March 04 model and still shines like a new 'un.

 

[cookie]

i'll let you know, should i ever try it.

 

[Magwych]

Not sure I understand the concept

 

[Yoda]

Washed mine last Sunday. First time this year.

Found the rear brake pads were toast.

Big mistake - the act of washing must have destroyed the pads. Won't do that again in a hurry. It can stay shitty.

 

[seb]

My method:

1) Hose down once the bike is cooled back with COLD water to remove loose dirt, grime and salt.
2) Apply Hein Gericke gel bike cleaner from a spray bottle.
3) Put the kettle on and fill a bucket with hot suds.
4) Drink tea whilst admiring how dirty my GS is.
5) Sponge off the dirt with the hot suds. Use a cheap long handled bog brush to get into the fins on the engine.
6) Rinse off with the garden hose.
7) Use the garden vac on blow to get rid of excess water especially the switchgear/handguards, engine fins and behind the fuel tank and headstock wiring areas.
8) Spray with FS365 to neutralise and protect.

Keeps the old girl looking good. March 04 model and still shines like a new 'un.

I can vouch for this method. Used Hein Gericke Gel bike cleaner for years now, good value and really effective, specially mixed in a bucket with hot and cold water. Use a dustpan brush to get in between the fins. Always finish of by spraying WD40 all over the engine. I reckon if you commute every day then you should wash your bike once a week, especially if it rains as salt can stay on the roads for months at a time. IMHO of course

 

[mermoto]

A lovers guide to caring for your GS

Treat it like its your todger!

1. Never leave it out at night.
2. Always keep it clean particularly underneath as you never know when it may recieve inspection.
3. Never leave it wet.
4. Always dry it carefully.
5. Never never use abrasives on it.
6. If you apply any substances always read the label.
7. Avoid over buffing.
8. Never stroke it in public.
9. Never take its picture unless someones sitting on it.
10. After use always check for damage.
11. Never park it in dark place without a cover particularly dark passages.
12. Finally to ensure longevity allways check your nuts!



Mermoto

 

[birdseye]

The only thing I am master of is my own destiny, and at best only half of it - the rest is entirely random.

Too true!

 

[Tricky]

A lovers guide to caring for your GS

Treat it like its your todger!

1. Never leave it out at night.
2. Always keep it clean particularly underneath as you never know when it may recieve inspection.
3. Never leave it wet.
4. Always dry it carefully.
5. Never never use abrasives on it.
6. If you apply any substances always read the label.
7. Avoid over buffing.
8. Never stroke it in public.
9. Never take its picture unless someones sitting on it.
10. After use always check for damage.
11. Never park it in dark place without a cover particularly dark passages.
12. Finally to ensure longevity allways check your nuts!



Mermoto

How very true Merv.

 

[Terzikat]

After a lifetime of owning sportsbikes when I got mi 12GSA I had exactly the same thoughts as yourself.........this is a b*****d to clean (search the posts and I said the same as yourself).

I'm now 4 months into owning it and I've found a really good way of cleaning it after getting it all kacked up is to let it cool down then give it a really good soaking in Castrol Greentec (blooody expensive but better than manual hard labour). After a 5 minute soak, and no more, then its out with the hosepipe (not jetwash) and give it a good hosing down up close and personal and it comes up like new.

I have also noted that puddles of water get trapped in the fins on the top of the cylenders and so I use an air line with a blow gun to blast this out.

If I'm in a really picky mood I also blow dry the bike with a leaf blower before drying with a chammy leather.

I like using the bike in all weathers and don't mind it getting full of crap, but I do believe in really maintaining the bike and keeping it mint.

 

[THE DOCTOR]

I like using the bike in all weathers and don't mind it getting full of crap, but I do believe in really maintaining the bike and keeping it mint.

Me too!

I spent an hour this weekend polishing up the exhausts with chrome cleaner. I don't think they've ever been touched. I've only had the bike a month & I thought the exhausts were supposed to be matt gold!! I can now literally see my face in them. Looks much better.

 

[zerocool]

For those using hot water Ive been told a few time that salt lies dormant on your bike until mixed with water and or heat so using hot water will only make the rusting worse!!!

I currently use a pressure washer on a light setting (mostly) and autoglym motorcycle cleaner is a spray bottle which really gets off the crap well.

They a second water blast to remove the autoglym followed by brake cleaner on the disks and calipers and the jobs a good un.

For my R6 same procedure applies but at the end I parrafin clean the chain and brush on scottoil.

Im very interested trying ACF50 on the bike!!! Dont have a clue what it does but I hear wonderful reports!

the ZC

 

[Patventure]

wheels, though...

I'd go along with all that's been offered and said, but the spoked wheels (GSA12) are an absolute nightmare, i've almost given up. What's the (pain-free) secret folks? or is it just regular attention?

I've used ACF50 a couple of times, I'm not sure i can see the benefit, but maybe that's the way it is. Would it be OK to put it on the wheels, assuming that it doesn't allow the crap to stick to the wheels? I've heard mention of ACF-50 having 'creeping' properties. If so, would this creep onto the tyres with terrible consequences?

Patrick.

 

[mad hiker]

Cleaning the bike.

I lease my 07 GSA through my company so to me, it's just a business tool and should be treated as such.

I've had the bike since October and have no intention of cleaning it until at least the summer - of 2009 when it's up for renewal.

I did spray it with ACF50 but that was in the first week when it was all shiny and new. Now it's covered in crud I think it looks really cool and should stay that way.

Cheers

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

Funnily enough my 12GSA has just done 450 miles since new, been ridden in all weathers and this morning I thought it would be a good idea to give it a "quick clean".

Two hours of knuckle scraping, cursing and it looks like I've done half a job! I think the trouble was putting on a liberal coating of ACF50 which has not only attracted every bit of dirt and grease known to man but it's also covered up scratches made by one of my boots rubbing against one side of the frame. I bought a std 12GS in November 2005, used almost every day and apart from a little surface rust on a few bolts had no problems. The same boots were worn too! Is the paintwork thinnner on the GSA?

 

[Alan1963]

Mega clean each spring and autumn, degreasing / polish etc and then coat liberally with ACF50. Use a small sprayer to spray down the wheels / brakes / lights after a winter ride (max 3 minutes).

Looks perfect twice a year! Stays rust free permanently.

 

[cookie]

Looks perfect twice a year! Stays rust free permanently.

you can go a lot longer than 6 months

 

[AndyW]

As of today I am the proud owner of a 1200GSA and having ridden it for about 60miles in absolutely filthy weather I then spent 3 hours this evening cleaning it. It has to be the hardest bike to clean that I have ever owned!!!!

Does anyone have any magic tricks for cleaning the engine? I'm determined that mine is not going to end up coroded and tatty like many that I have seen, but how on earth do you get into all the nooks and cranny's on an air cooled motor?

I just wrote a 'how to' on bike cleaning a few days back......

http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.efqfogzxxrcwvkgn&pageId=95177

........you can take the p1ss as much as you like....I can't help getting satisfaction from keeping my bikes in pristine order! Sad?....possibly but the effort pays back when you sell on