Nice and clean! but need some tips!

Titto

Titto

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Used the good weather yesterday to clean the bike down. I've not done it properly since before Christmas only to wash salt off it.
I was fed up of the tar on both the engine case and exhaust which was all around it on that so used some Autoglym tar remover on both (never used before). I can only say how easy it was to use and cleaned heavy tar deposits right off! The bike looks good now.
But...I would like to bring the exhaust pipes back to a nice shine, I've got some autosol metal polish... Any good? or anyone use anything else?

Despite the niggles, it's a great machine! And comes up well bearing in mind it's used as my main transport in all weather!
9a5eju4u.jpg
5uza9a5a.jpg
usapu8eg.jpg



Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk
 
Pannier mounts are badly scratched :D
 
Titto said:
Used the good weather yesterday to clean the bike down. I've not done it properly since before Christmas only to wash salt off it.
I was fed up of the tar on both the engine case and exhaust which was all around it on that so used some Autoglym tar remover on both (never used before). I can only say how easy it was to use and cleaned heavy tar deposits right off! The bike looks good now.
But...I would like to bring the exhaust pipes back to a nice shine, I've got some autosol metal polish... Any good? or anyone use anything else?

Despite the niggles, it's a great machine! And comes up well bearing in mind it's used as my main transport in all weather!
9a5eju4u.jpg
5uza9a5a.jpg
usapu8eg.jpg



Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I can see some corrosion on your brake banjos too, oooooh and some on your rear brake lever parts. How's your hole is that is probably not too shiny too?

Mine is pretty much the same too after riding all Winter :D
 
Ha :nod, im pretty happy with the finish after my last 1200GS rotted away by this time!

Thanks for the tips re diesel etc. What about the pipes then?
 
Titto said:
Ha :nod, im pretty happy with the finish after my last 1200GS rotted away by this time!

Thanks for the tips re diesel etc. What about the pipes then?
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If they are chrome, and I think they are as they have gone blue then I wouldn't use Autosol as it is quite abrasive and if you overdo it the layer of chrome will become very thin or even non existent. My last GS had stainless pipes on which I used Wonder Wheels, Autosolv and even very fine wire wool and they came up like new but Chrome won't take that sort of treatment. I think it's best to leave them as they are and just give them a light treatment with some chrome polish.
 
JayGee said:
If they are chrome, and I think they are as they have gone blue then I wouldn't use Autosol as it is quite abrasive and if you overdo it the layer of chrome will become very thin or even non existent. My last GS had stainless pipes on which I used Wonder Wheels, Autosolv and even very fine wire wool and they came up like new but Chrome won't take that sort of treatment. I think it's best to leave them as they are and just give them a light treatment with some chrome polish.
Click to expand...

I agree, if they were stainless then they can be bought back with a variety of chemicals and elbow grease - best to leave chrome 'blued' I think.
 
Autosol is fine for chrome exhaust pipes. I have used it on all my BMWs - my 2005 R1000RT looked like new when sold at 36,000.
My R1200GS Adventure again polished with Autosol and sold at 30,000.00 still all shiny and looking like new.

Autosol did not abrade the chrome finish for all the years I've used it.

Just taken delivery of new R1200RT SE LC and polished the chrome pipes this morning for the first time!

Keep polishing or if left a long time the chrome will eventually oxidise and you'll never polish them back.

Safe riding,
Mike Davies
 
Nice finish on the end can and engine casing - mine are all spotted with tar that wont come off no matter how scrubbing.
Like the tip on the white spirit - I'll have to give that a go too ....or just ignore it :rolleyes:
 
I've always used Autosol on chrome, and never had a problem.:nenau

One tip is to get an old Tshirt, and cut it in to long strips. Then wrap it round the exhaust, with plenty of Autosol, and you can get a decent amount of leverage, making the job much easier.:rob:thumb
 
The Nutty GSER said:
I've always used Autosol on chrome, and never had a problem.:nenau

One tip is to get an old Tshirt, and cut it in to long strips. Then wrap it round the exhaust, with plenty of Autosol, and you can get a decent amount of leverage, making the job much easier.:rob:thumb
Click to expand...

I'm not saying don't ever use Autosolv, just be careful as excessive use can thin the chrome and my experience has been that once the pipes are really blue it needs one hell of a lot to get them back to shine like new. I did this a few times on my RT and eventually the chrome almost disappeared and they would have looked better blue. Autosolv is mildly abrasive so it's possible to abrade the chrome if you are too enthusiastic. I'm just going to leave the new bikes headers to go blue, I quite like the look, or maybe I just can't be arsed:rolleyes:
 
Has anyone tried (oo-er) Blue-Job? It's specifically designed to polish chrome without scratching. I've bought a tub and despite a good hour of elbow grease on a two week old GS the results are somewhat disappointing. It does remove glueing but very, very slowly and you seem to need rather a lot. Worrying as the tiny tub and even more miniscule cloth is £12 a pop :eek: Maybe I just need to keep going for another couple of hours. I'm a touch concerned as it seems to dull the chrome quite noticeably and even vigorous polishing seems not to brighten it up. Worryingly the demo shows someone using an orbital sander...
 
Titto said:
Nutty, a photo with them on having had some serious heat through them please!
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This was taken on Sunday. I've done around 800 miles on the bike since fitting these headers, and the bike has had its neck wrung good and proper!:JB

d1100b92de6c10de1edee089a2f02d9e_zps2c281869.jpg
 
The Nutty GSER said:
This was taken on Sunday. I've done around 800 miles on the bike since fitting these headers, and the bike has had its neck wrung good and proper!:JB
Click to expand...

I tell ya what, since i fitted my headers i had only done 50 miles but on sunday i did 300 miles and this was enough for the lambda censors to do there thing, the bike runs as smooth as silk now, no surging and 20 mph top gear and she pulls, no need to ride the clutch thro built up areas. I'm running it in like every other bike just ride it no messing around some quick bursts of the throttle 7k, snick snick thro the box with the shifter, oh she's a good'un.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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