Cleaning Aluminum YZ Frame & Motor?

Alec138
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Alec138
Edited Date/Time 9/3/2018 7:51am
Wanting to really clean my bike up because it is stained with mud from it being buried and just cleaned with a pressure washer kinda half assed after riding. I like to tear my bikes down at least 2-3 times a year and give them a solid shine and cleaning up to make it look + easier to spot problems with them.

Ive heard of aluminum cleaner stuff they have at walmart but didnt want to try it due to the possibility of it etching or even pitting the aluminum. I know a lot of guys on here religiously clean their race bikes and even weekend warrior machines to a tee. What do you use specifically? Also something to remove grime like premix, and mud stains off everything with out doing any harm? What grit cleaning pads do you use on the frame and motor cases? How about getting mud stains out of the plastics (i run graphics and theres mud outlines around everything lol).

Thanks guys for any suggestions.
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kb228
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kb228 8/29/2018 5:02pm
8/29/2018 5:02pm
Mag wheel cleaner is decent.

Your best bet honestly if theyre stained, is to wait till your next motor build and have it all vapor blasted. Wash every ride and it will stay clean.
eric513anderson 8/31/2018 7:46pm
8/31/2018 7:46pm
WD40 & red scotch brite pads do wonders. I follow that up with 00 steel wool also


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Alec138
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Alec138 8/31/2018 8:04pm
8/31/2018 8:04pm
eric513anderson wrote:
WD40 & red scotch brite pads do wonders. I follow that up with 00 steel wool also [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/08/31/284466/s1200_BC01E36A_04A6_4D33_AE9E_1CBB82CFD8DB.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/08/31/284467/s1200_13FEF356_F410_4DF6_907E_19B1C308092B.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/08/31/284465/s1200_17D9D1F5_B0F0_4C29_871E_69DFF2349C3A.jpg[/img]
WD40 & red scotch brite pads do wonders. I follow that up with 00 steel wool also


Very nice. My yz250 is a woods machine so it will never be that shiny but id love to have mine look like that someday. Mine is a 10’ converted to 15’ plastics. Still need some small stuff like new clutch lever and odds and inns. Next big purchase is a set of Tusk Impact Black/Blue wheels.
eric513anderson 8/31/2018 8:06pm
8/31/2018 8:06pm
It doesn’t take much work to get it like that honestly. Hang out in the garage, crank up your favorite music and get to scrubbing lol. It’s worth it
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Alec138
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Alec138 8/31/2018 8:09pm
8/31/2018 8:09pm
eric513anderson wrote:
It doesn’t take much work to get it like that honestly. Hang out in the garage, crank up your favorite music and get to scrubbing lol...
It doesn’t take much work to get it like that honestly. Hang out in the garage, crank up your favorite music and get to scrubbing lol. It’s worth it
Which scotchbrite? Like 7447? Do you go in circles or just side to side back and forth?
eric513anderson 9/1/2018 5:32am
9/1/2018 5:32am
Yeah the 7447 works. I just go back & forth
pCp 252
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pCp 252 9/1/2018 5:54pm
9/1/2018 5:54pm
The quickest way to clean the frame and other rough cast aluminum parts is with some Napa Aluminum Brightener. It’s some type of Acid, similar to eagle one Mag cleaner, but stronger. Don’t use this on anything other than the aluminum frame, hubs, radiators, brake calipers. Avoid rubber, seals, and steel parts.

All you do is spray water on frame first to act as a medium to spread the aluminum brightener. Then spray down the frame or parts with the Napa product, let it sit for NO MORE than 45 seconds, then hose off. The frame will appear new after a couple repeated processes. Once you are happy with the results, go heavy on a degreaser or soap and sponge to remove the residual Napa brightener.

Trust me, this stuff works extremely well. Dont forget to wear rubber gloves on this job, it’s harsh. Or you can spend a couple hours with a maroon scotchbrite and wd-40.
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njracer46
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njracer46 9/1/2018 8:22pm
9/1/2018 8:22pm Edited Date/Time 9/1/2018 8:33pm
I tried aluminum brightener before doing normal washes. Even diluted a bunch after the first try. It left these little white specs on the motor. It was a pain to go over the whole thing with a rag and wd40.

Last winter I took my bike down to the frame. One of the videos above is how I found out about the eagle one mag wheel cleaner. Haven’t tried using it on a normal wash but it worked really good. Spray it in all those little crevices inside the frame, rub it in with a brush and rinse. No scrubbing necessary! Get a bunch of maroon scotch brite pads, I use them every time I wash. I never see them in Home Depot. I used this spray on the motor to. Came out pretty good




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murph783
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murph783 9/2/2018 1:01pm
9/2/2018 1:01pm
I’m a fan of the wd40/maroon scotch brite method. SOS pads work pretty well too. When I’m washing, I just use simple green and a brush to get the boot scuff marks out. The eagle one mag cleaner works great too, but I prefer to just do that when I’m stripping it down to the frame so as not to overspray onto anything.
jaredkeller96
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jaredkeller96 9/2/2018 1:56pm
9/2/2018 1:56pm
njracer46 wrote:
I tried aluminum brightener before doing normal washes. Even diluted a bunch after the first try. It left these little white specs on the motor. It...
I tried aluminum brightener before doing normal washes. Even diluted a bunch after the first try. It left these little white specs on the motor. It was a pain to go over the whole thing with a rag and wd40.

Last winter I took my bike down to the frame. One of the videos above is how I found out about the eagle one mag wheel cleaner. Haven’t tried using it on a normal wash but it worked really good. Spray it in all those little crevices inside the frame, rub it in with a brush and rinse. No scrubbing necessary! Get a bunch of maroon scotch brite pads, I use them every time I wash. I never see them in Home Depot. I used this spray on the motor to. Came out pretty good




It’s not meant to use with washing...any steel it hits or anodizing it’ll remove and zinc then leave streaks and start rusting...it removes anodizing easily too. You can only use aluminum bright or mag cleaner with a BARE FRAME. No bolts, no clamps, nothing
1
Alec138
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Alec138 9/3/2018 7:51am
9/3/2018 7:51am
How about plastics and graphics? My graphics are water spot looking with dirt spots from just washing the bike at the car wash.
tyrrellmotorsports 10/29/2023 3:38pm
10/29/2023 3:38pm
njracer46 wrote:
I tried aluminum brightener before doing normal washes. Even diluted a bunch after the first try. It left these little white specs on the motor. It...
I tried aluminum brightener before doing normal washes. Even diluted a bunch after the first try. It left these little white specs on the motor. It was a pain to go over the whole thing with a rag and wd40.

Last winter I took my bike down to the frame. One of the videos above is how I found out about the eagle one mag wheel cleaner. Haven’t tried using it on a normal wash but it worked really good. Spray it in all those little crevices inside the frame, rub it in with a brush and rinse. No scrubbing necessary! Get a bunch of maroon scotch brite pads, I use them every time I wash. I never see them in Home Depot. I used this spray on the motor to. Came out pretty good




Hey buddy , how exactly did you clean that frame ?      I tried some Napa aluminum cleaner on. The cyl worked ok ,  degreaser tried it ,     Bought oven cleaner too nervous to try it.      What you think ?  

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