Maintaining new bike freshness.

Jeff_Crutcher
Edited Date/Time 11/9/2018 4:48am
Aside from the easy answer of not riding the thing, what’re some things you do to preserve that showroom glisten?
Any favorite bike care products? It’s offseason baby let’s argue nuance that doesn’t matter.
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sgrimmxdad
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sgrimmxdad 11/6/2018 4:29am
11/6/2018 4:29am
Hands down SC-1 is the best product to make your bike look good as new after a good cleaning!
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Muscle-Milk-KTM 11/6/2018 4:36am
11/6/2018 4:36am
Something I've always thought about, first step is a new set of plastics & a graphic kit. Unless you strip your bike down to the frame & thoughly clean after ever ride, pretty much what the pro mechanics do, it will never be showroom fresh. Cleaning & polishing the spokes makes a whole load of difference to the appearance of a bike. Factory bikes are torn down after every meeting & anything that is worn is thrown away, if you can afford to do this then it will look like new. Then we get into the question of how do you keep a new bike feeling tight?
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Pirate421
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Pirate421 11/6/2018 4:38am
11/6/2018 4:38am Edited Date/Time 11/6/2018 4:39am
Shout laundry cleaner is the best cleaning product I’ve ever used. Makes the bike look brand new after and melts away dirt and mud. Non corrosive for aluminum and anodizing can leave it on for a long time and then spray it off. Super cheap too and just better than simple green or citrus cleaners that are hard on the bikes making them look dull after a while. Always finish with sc1 or lately I’ve been using belray silicon spray too. People always ask if my bike is new or if I ever ride it because it’s always spotless at the track. And with the shout I never use a pressure washer, garden hose works just fine and protects my bearings and graphics.
9
yz133rider
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yz133rider 11/6/2018 4:38am
11/6/2018 4:38am
After riding,
Rinse off bike, get 98% of the dirt off or so just with water
Fill 2 spray bottles with. 90% water 10% laundry detergent

Spray down every inch of the bike. Even the tires under neath, fenders everything except maybe the seat and fork seals etc.

Let it sit a few minutes while you put the spray bottles away and what not. Come back rinse it off and watch the stains just wash away.

Oil the chain after, wipe down the plastics, guards etc with spray wax.

Sit back and look on in amazement.
2

The Shop

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njracer46
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njracer46 11/6/2018 4:40am
11/6/2018 4:40am
The biggest things for me is not letting the bike sit dirty for more then a day or two. No half ass washes either, I easily spend an hour or more every time I wash. Lean it over on both sides, wash it really good. Then wheel it into some pavement and put it on the stand. Take plastics off, scrub everything with sponges/scotch brite pads/ brushes for chain and seat. I like the maroon scotch brite pads and whatever your go to soap is. Dry it good, sc-1 and repeat. It's a pain to get into this routine but it works.
Vet57
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Vet57 11/6/2018 5:00am
11/6/2018 5:00am
I have used SC1 for years. Couple days ago I was at the shop and they had a product called Plexus they use on new bikes. They swear it trumps SC1. I have not used it as we just started our 7 months of winter.
Talisker
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Talisker 11/6/2018 5:38am
11/6/2018 5:38am Edited Date/Time 11/6/2018 5:40am
Simple Green BBQ Pit Cleaner. Its a foam, and its the same formula as the discontinued motorcycle cleaner. You can get it at Lowe's and Home Depot. Hit it with the pressure washer. Leaves your complete bike looking new and shinny. I clean everything with this stuff!!!!!
kb228
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kb228 11/6/2018 6:06am
11/6/2018 6:06am
njracer46 wrote:
The biggest things for me is not letting the bike sit dirty for more then a day or two. No half ass washes either, I easily...
The biggest things for me is not letting the bike sit dirty for more then a day or two. No half ass washes either, I easily spend an hour or more every time I wash. Lean it over on both sides, wash it really good. Then wheel it into some pavement and put it on the stand. Take plastics off, scrub everything with sponges/scotch brite pads/ brushes for chain and seat. I like the maroon scotch brite pads and whatever your go to soap is. Dry it good, sc-1 and repeat. It's a pain to get into this routine but it works.
This. Dawn and shout work really good. I use a foam cannon on mine. Mine arent new but the brown stains from previous owners are pretty much gone now.

Just dont run it in the mud and let it sit. Wash every ride.
r.sal923
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r.sal923 11/6/2018 6:13am
11/6/2018 6:13am
I spray with pressure washer, removing all dirt. Then scrub with dawn dish soap/sos pad. Spray all aluminum with mag wheel cleaner, hit it with sc1 and use compressor to dry. The compressed air gets the sc1 into all the small areas and makes it shine.
Natester551v
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Natester551v 11/6/2018 7:34am
11/6/2018 7:34am
Pirate421 wrote:
Shout laundry cleaner is the best cleaning product I’ve ever used. Makes the bike look brand new after and melts away dirt and mud. Non corrosive...
Shout laundry cleaner is the best cleaning product I’ve ever used. Makes the bike look brand new after and melts away dirt and mud. Non corrosive for aluminum and anodizing can leave it on for a long time and then spray it off. Super cheap too and just better than simple green or citrus cleaners that are hard on the bikes making them look dull after a while. Always finish with sc1 or lately I’ve been using belray silicon spray too. People always ask if my bike is new or if I ever ride it because it’s always spotless at the track. And with the shout I never use a pressure washer, garden hose works just fine and protects my bearings and graphics.
Do you dilute the Shout? That's awesome - I hate how Simple Green fades anodizing...
Natester551v
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Natester551v 11/6/2018 7:36am
11/6/2018 7:36am
Vet57 wrote:
I have used SC1 for years. Couple days ago I was at the shop and they had a product called Plexus they use on new bikes...
I have used SC1 for years. Couple days ago I was at the shop and they had a product called Plexus they use on new bikes. They swear it trumps SC1. I have not used it as we just started our 7 months of winter.
Love Plexus...I use it on helmet and bike windscreens for my GS....
Pirate421
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Pirate421 11/6/2018 7:45am
11/6/2018 7:45am Edited Date/Time 11/6/2018 7:46am
Natester551v wrote:
Do you dilute the Shout? That's awesome - I hate how Simple Green fades anodizing...
I don’t dilute it. The good thing is the shout is a bit thicker and really sticks to the plastic and stuff. It really takes stains out of cylinders and cast hubs too, just awesome stuff. I have a spray bottle and then get the big 32oz bottle at the grocery store for $5 every few weeks. Don’t be afraid to really spray the bike down, works great on tires too

One of the other best investments I made was. $30 leaf blower to dry the bike. Up in NE it gets cold and the sun and breeze just won’t dry the bike in the fall/winter/spring. 5 minutes with leaf blower she’s ready to put away nice and dry.
1
mattyhamz2
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mattyhamz2 11/6/2018 7:51am
11/6/2018 7:51am
Tide with bleach, hand mit and a garden hose. That's all I do.
Matt Fisher
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Matt Fisher 11/6/2018 8:27am
11/6/2018 8:27am
Pirate421 wrote:
Shout laundry cleaner is the best cleaning product I’ve ever used. Makes the bike look brand new after and melts away dirt and mud. Non corrosive...
Shout laundry cleaner is the best cleaning product I’ve ever used. Makes the bike look brand new after and melts away dirt and mud. Non corrosive for aluminum and anodizing can leave it on for a long time and then spray it off. Super cheap too and just better than simple green or citrus cleaners that are hard on the bikes making them look dull after a while. Always finish with sc1 or lately I’ve been using belray silicon spray too. People always ask if my bike is new or if I ever ride it because it’s always spotless at the track. And with the shout I never use a pressure washer, garden hose works just fine and protects my bearings and graphics.
Yep. 1 gallon jugs of Shout on Amazon or Walmart.
Grease and oil don't respond to Shout like dirt does. I've found that engine de-greaser in the aerosol cans are cheap and work well to break down exhaust drool, chain lube overspray, etc. Follow up with Shout, end with Lemon Pledge (the furniture cleaner).
Whymee
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Whymee 11/6/2018 8:48am
11/6/2018 8:48am
I have been using Simple Green since they did away with Bleache White in the gallon jugs locally. (long time ago!!)

Since several on here have recommended Shout, I think I will give that a try. Especially if it is easier on anodized parts.

The main thing on keeping your scoot fresh is wash it right away. On race day mine gets pressure washed 3 times. After practice, and after each moto. If you hop on a dirty machine, you are just grinding the dirt in. Acts like sandpaper.

I see Shout has a gel formula. You cats using the regular formula?

Stay warm...
1
feelit2morrow 11/6/2018 9:11am
11/6/2018 9:11am
Commercial sized product similar to simple green in a pump sprayer I "borrow" from work.

Spray can of cleaner/ polish I also borrow from work.
newmann
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newmann 11/6/2018 9:30am
11/6/2018 9:30am
Buys gripper seat with tread strips and sybian bump, installs grip tape on frame and side panels, hoses down with the most slippery thing known to man....SC-1.Whistling


I clean my bike and hose it down with WD-40. Has worked well since 1976. Just throw a towel over your discs, something us drum brake lovers never have to worry about
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mxer613
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mxer613 11/6/2018 9:42am
11/6/2018 9:42am
Clean the same day as you ride, dirt stains. I use simple green and sc-1. I recently started using my leaf blower to dry, it works awesome, gets the water out of everything. I wash with the seat off and air filter cover, so air box is never dirty either. My bike always look new when I sell them.

Pit Row

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TogaSet
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TogaSet 11/6/2018 9:42am
11/6/2018 9:42am
A full shiny new plastic kit at Motorsport is around $110 I think. Does wonders for “ maintaining new bike freshness”. Once a year.
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Bramlett321
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Bramlett321 11/6/2018 10:26am
11/6/2018 10:26am
Pirate421 wrote:
Shout laundry cleaner is the best cleaning product I’ve ever used. Makes the bike look brand new after and melts away dirt and mud. Non corrosive...
Shout laundry cleaner is the best cleaning product I’ve ever used. Makes the bike look brand new after and melts away dirt and mud. Non corrosive for aluminum and anodizing can leave it on for a long time and then spray it off. Super cheap too and just better than simple green or citrus cleaners that are hard on the bikes making them look dull after a while. Always finish with sc1 or lately I’ve been using belray silicon spray too. People always ask if my bike is new or if I ever ride it because it’s always spotless at the track. And with the shout I never use a pressure washer, garden hose works just fine and protects my bearings and graphics.
wow....I'll have to try that. I'm a stickler for the bike staying clean.
EHink450
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EHink450 11/6/2018 1:17pm
11/6/2018 1:17pm
yz133rider wrote:
After riding, Rinse off bike, get 98% of the dirt off or so just with water Fill 2 spray bottles with. 90% water 10% laundry detergent...
After riding,
Rinse off bike, get 98% of the dirt off or so just with water
Fill 2 spray bottles with. 90% water 10% laundry detergent

Spray down every inch of the bike. Even the tires under neath, fenders everything except maybe the seat and fork seals etc.

Let it sit a few minutes while you put the spray bottles away and what not. Come back rinse it off and watch the stains just wash away.

Oil the chain after, wipe down the plastics, guards etc with spray wax.

Sit back and look on in amazement.
Laundry detergent, really? I never heard of that I gotta give that a shot
Spudnut
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Spudnut 11/6/2018 1:45pm
11/6/2018 1:45pm
Dawn mixed with Simple green works really well for me
DB97
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DB97 11/6/2018 2:07pm
11/6/2018 2:07pm
Rinse bike, spray on, rinse off, done. You guys are missing out.
yz133rider
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yz133rider 11/6/2018 2:27pm
11/6/2018 2:27pm
yz133rider wrote:
After riding, Rinse off bike, get 98% of the dirt off or so just with water Fill 2 spray bottles with. 90% water 10% laundry detergent...
After riding,
Rinse off bike, get 98% of the dirt off or so just with water
Fill 2 spray bottles with. 90% water 10% laundry detergent

Spray down every inch of the bike. Even the tires under neath, fenders everything except maybe the seat and fork seals etc.

Let it sit a few minutes while you put the spray bottles away and what not. Come back rinse it off and watch the stains just wash away.

Oil the chain after, wipe down the plastics, guards etc with spray wax.

Sit back and look on in amazement.
EHink450 wrote:
Laundry detergent, really? I never heard of that I gotta give that a shot
Let me know how it goes. You'll be impressed i bet if you havent been using a product when cleaning like that
Tracktor
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Tracktor 11/6/2018 3:36pm
11/6/2018 3:36pm
I tried Shout and wasn't impressed. I always go back to Totally Awesome from the Dollar Store. Best cleaner I have found yet..........
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yz133rider
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yz133rider 11/6/2018 3:42pm
11/6/2018 3:42pm
Tracktor wrote:
I tried Shout and wasn't impressed. I always go back to Totally Awesome from the Dollar Store. Best cleaner I have found yet..........
I used that and now use totally awesome dollar store laundry detergent last way longer for me
CarlinoJoeVideo
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CarlinoJoeVideo 11/6/2018 4:21pm
11/6/2018 4:21pm
1) As stated above, clean it as soon as you can so the mud doesn't stain.
2) I've been using aluminum cleaner and red scotch brite pads on all the aluminum parts.
3) Wash and dry every inch
4) Every so often (10hours) take off the tank and plastics to clean the dirt build up.
5) WD40 or Engine shine after wash
6) SC1
barnett468
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barnett468 11/6/2018 4:29pm
11/6/2018 4:29pm Edited Date/Time 11/6/2018 4:31pm
I keep my bike springtime fresh by washing it with this.


4
SoCalMX70
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SoCalMX70 11/6/2018 6:30pm
11/6/2018 6:30pm
Only ride in fair weather. Win practice. Holeshot and win every race. A lot less to clean if you aren't getting roosted.
3
inthebadboycorner 11/6/2018 6:31pm
11/6/2018 6:31pm
Natester551v wrote:
Do you dilute the Shout? That's awesome - I hate how Simple Green fades anodizing...
Pirate421 wrote:
I don’t dilute it. The good thing is the shout is a bit thicker and really sticks to the plastic and stuff. It really takes stains...
I don’t dilute it. The good thing is the shout is a bit thicker and really sticks to the plastic and stuff. It really takes stains out of cylinders and cast hubs too, just awesome stuff. I have a spray bottle and then get the big 32oz bottle at the grocery store for $5 every few weeks. Don’t be afraid to really spray the bike down, works great on tires too

One of the other best investments I made was. $30 leaf blower to dry the bike. Up in NE it gets cold and the sun and breeze just won’t dry the bike in the fall/winter/spring. 5 minutes with leaf blower she’s ready to put away nice and dry.
Leaf blower, great idea.
1

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