Cleaning & Lubricating suggestions ?

Pique

Right, it's the time of the year when people like me are gonna be on the road more often and bikes are being woken from their winter hibernation.
To those of you brave 365-day people, can you pass on your experience of the best products to clean, lubricate and protect your machines ?

Shampoo
Polish
Rust inhibitor
Chain Lube
Tyre care

You can expand into maintenance-like suggestions
Brake fluid
Engine Oil
Brake Pads

Your favourite shops online or B&M for the above would be much appreciated also.

amacca

Shampoo: for fairings..I take them off wet them with a cloth (not rough) and then spray "muc off" on them - I buy the cheaper bicycle variant and as far as I can see its the same stuff just cheaper - leave for a couple of minutes - then wipe off with a clean wet cloth until all of the "muc off" is gone

---

this leaves it quite clean but very dull looking


Polish: most polishing waxes are fine , turtle wax, auto glym etc (im using some cheapo one that seems as good as any Ive used) use toweling bonnet on electric polisher to apply a small amount then buff off with a fine bonnet - sit back admire mirror like finish. - and sort of an unusual one this but I use Simoniz wet look tyre shine to clean all the hard stuck on grot/oil/lumps of balled up rubber from wheel rims and exhaust undertrays etc - its not for this but its a great cleaner- dissolves the worst of stuff and doesnt seem to affect paintwork for the last three years I've been using it.

Rust inhibitor: WD 40 in areas where water can settle - lithium grease (white) on moving parts/joints (things like brake lever pivot pins etc) + small dabs on vaseline on exposed electrical wiring to repel water

Chain Lube: regular applications Plutoline O-Ring chain lube.....wont be doing this much longer though as I'm going to fit scott-oiler to all my bikes over the course of the next couple of months or this winter.

Tyre care: They never last long enough for me to take care of them all that much but saw a product like "slime" (but better) at the bike show you can spray into tubeless that will fix a puncture (plug the hole) at pretty high speeds I'm going to get next time a get a set of new rubber for peace of mind (sort of).

Alkers

Don't do anything fancy cleaning wise. Use my bike daily all year around, find the scoutoiler godsend and clean the again once a month with castrol chain cleaner. Use acf50 rather than wd40 to prevent corrosion. Prefer to be out riding my bike rather than having it looking amazing!

peckerhead

I've a 22-year-old CB-1 400 that only gets fairly infrequent use; what would people recommend for the chain? What are the pros and cons of wax vs. standard vs. PTFE dry lubes? (these things were much simpler back when I were a lad... )

Cuddlesworth

Seems like a good thread. Any recommendations for the front forks, cleaning an maintaining them. My seals have gone twice in a year now and I'm wondering if its something I'm doing.

Pique

Instead of a Scottoiler, I'm gona buy a Loobman and see how it goes. Can't go wrong at that price.

CJhaughey

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Seems like a good thread. Any recommendations for the front forks, cleaning an maintaining them. My seals have gone twice in a year now and I'm wondering if its something I'm doing.

Have you checked the fork legs for rust or pitting? Those are usually seal killers, other things to check are your fork oil height if there is too much in them they will blow seals very rapidly as they compress.
Its worth having a look at the bushes when the seals come out as well to make sure they aren't badly worn.

KamiKazi

Vulcanet is new stuff, supposed to be very good.

I use Castrol racing chain lube.

Cuddlesworth

CJhaughey wrote: »

Have you checked the fork legs for rust or pitting? Those are usually seal killers, other things to check are your fork oil height if there is too much in them they will blow seals very rapidly as they compress.
Its worth having a look at the bushes when the seals come out as well to make sure they aren't badly worn.

There is some rust on the last inch of travel on the forks. Any easy way to fix this?

CJhaughey

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

There is some rust on the last inch of travel on the forks. Any easy way to fix this?

Not really apart from new legs. You could try using very fine steel wool, 000 or 0000 and see if you can remove the worst of it but if there is pitting from the rust thats it.
New stanchions are not too bad usually, what bike is it?

Cuddlesworth

CJhaughey wrote: »

Not really apart from new legs. You could try using very fine steel wool, 000 or 0000 and see if you can remove the worst of it but if there is pitting from the rust thats it.
New stanchions are not too bad usually, what bike is it?

Er-6n. I have gone at it with some ultra fine sandpaper, rust comes off. There are slight divots on the forks nothing more then a mil wide at the biggest. I'm assuming thats where the rust came from.

peckerhead

Pique wrote: »

Instead of a Scottoiler, I'm gona buy a Loobman and see how it goes. Can't go wrong at that price.

+1. Made for a lazy SOB like me. Seems to get pretty good reviews, too.

multiscan

peckerhead wrote: »

+1. Made for a lazy SOB like me. Seems to get pretty good reviews, too.

an other one to consider

http://www.tutorochainoiler.com/

CJhaughey

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Er-6n. I have gone at it with some ultra fine sandpaper, rust comes off. There are slight divots on the forks nothing more then a mil wide at the biggest. I'm assuming thats where the rust came from.

Yep stones make little dents in the legs and the pits hold water and start to rust.
You can try refitting new seals and see how you go, if they still leak give them a really good cleaning/degreasing and try a tiny dab of epoxy on the pits only just enough to fill it not overfull.
Once that hardens sand it down flush with an inch wide strip of >1200 paper, this sometimes is enough to save the legs.
Failing that you can get new ones for not too much money I am sure.
You can make a chain oiler from some aquarium tube two taps and some copper wire to stiffen the tube. a small bottle to hold the oil and away you go.

unclebill98

http://harley.ie/news.pl?id=49

I'm going here to get my bike washed.

turbodiesel

Pique wrote: »

Right, it's the time of the year when people like me are gonna be on the road more often and bikes are being woken from their winter hibernation.
To those of you brave 365-day people, can you pass on your experience of the best products to clean, lubricate and protect your machines ?

Shampoo
Polish
Rust inhibitor
Chain Lube
Tyre care

You can expand into maintenance-like suggestions
Brake fluid
Engine Oil
Brake Pads

Your favourite shops online or B&M for the above would be much appreciated also.

If yer stuck for cash ye cant beat MR Sheen or something similiar. I used to drive me ma potty robbing her polish years ago....