darryl@ism780c.UUCP (Darryl Richman) (09/07/86)
In article <1226@utastro.UUCP> fbr@utastro.UUCP (F. B. RAY) writes: > [about cleaning aluminum parts...] Also, there's a new >German detergent out, handled by BMW dealers among others. Also advertised >in the cycle mags. It makes aluminum really shine. Apologies for not having >the name on the tip of my tongue, but ask around. Comes in a red box. >About $10 a throw, but you can clean everything with it. It's called "S-100". I wasn't very impressed. A buddy and I bought a bottle and had a bike washing party. The directions tell you to just spray it on a cold, dry bike, perhaps brushing particularly dirty areas, and then hose off with a strong stream of water. It sounded too good to be true -- I use about 5 different things for different cleaning jobs on my bike, and I hate it! Well, it was too good to be true. It cleaned the tank ok, but couldn't deal with either disk brake dust or oil. Anyways, I've found that 409 or Fantastic is great for disk brake dust, Gunk Engine cleaner for oil, dishwashing soap for miscellaneous body parts, and chrome polish for the pipes does the trick. Although I haven't calculated the per-wash cost of these materials, I suspect it's considerably less than the $4-$5 that S-100 costs. If anyone has any tips for keeping their bike clean without so many different nostrums, I'd love to hear about it. --Darryl Richman, INTERACTIVE Systems Corp. ...!cca!ima!ism780!darryl The views expressed above are my opinions only. P.S. There is a bike detailing firm here in L.A., but I can't see parting with $40 for near-showroom looks.
jeffh@plx.UUCP (09/08/86)
> In article <1226@utastro.UUCP> fbr@utastro.UUCP (F. B. RAY) writes: > > [about cleaning aluminum parts...] Also, there's a new > >German detergent out, handled by BMW dealers among others. Also advertised > >in the cycle mags. It makes aluminum really shine. Apologies for not having > >the name on the tip of my tongue, but ask around. Comes in a red box. > >About $10 a throw, but you can clean everything with it. > > It's called "S-100". I wasn't very impressed. A buddy and I bought a > bottle and had a bike washing party. The directions tell you to just > spray it on a cold, dry bike, perhaps brushing particularly dirty > areas, and then hose off with a strong stream of water. It sounded > too good to be true -- I use about 5 different things for different > cleaning jobs on my bike, and I hate it! Well, it was too good to be > true. It cleaned the tank ok, but couldn't deal with either disk brake > dust or oil. > > Anyways, I've found that 409 or Fantastic is great for disk brake dust, > Gunk Engine cleaner for oil, dishwashing soap for miscellaneous body > parts, and chrome polish for the pipes does the trick. Although I > haven't calculated the per-wash cost of these materials, I suspect it's > considerably less than the $4-$5 that S-100 costs. > > If anyone has any tips for keeping their bike clean without so many > different nostrums, I'd love to hear about it. > > --Darryl Richman, INTERACTIVE Systems Corp. > ...!cca!ima!ism780!darryl > The views expressed above are my opinions only. > > P.S. There is a bike detailing firm here in L.A., but I can't see parting > with $40 for near-showroom looks. *** LINE REPLACED *** Two words. SIMPLE GREEN!
jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs) (09/09/86)
>Anyways, I've found that 409 or Fantastic is great for disk brake dust, >Gunk Engine cleaner for oil, dishwashing soap for miscellaneous body >parts, and chrome polish for the pipes does the trick. Although I >haven't calculated the per-wash cost of these materials, I suspect it's >considerably less than the $4-$5 that S-100 costs. Please be careful using the household cleaners such as Formula 409, Fantastic, or Swipe as these are extremely alkaline. They will literally etch metal. This can be particularly catastrophic on brake discs that have a beautifully smooth surface. Such cleaners can be quite useful for such things as magnesium alloy wheels and cleaning the sidewalls of tires, but use them quickly and flush with copious amounts of water quickly. Even a few minutes sitting on metallic surfaces can pit the metal. I have painfully experienced the streaking that these cleaners can produce on the beautiful castings on a BMW. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned GUNK. GUNK can be obtained either as a concentrate or diluted and in aerosol. I use the concentrate diluted in mineral spirits available from bulk at your neighborhood filling station (remember those?). I learned about it from some other contributors to this net. It is sprayed/slathered on, and then hosed off with water. It is an oil- based detergent and leaves a fine surface to metals such as castings. One caveat is, however, not to use it around motorcycle CHAINS because it will remove all lubricant from them with bad effects. Have fun, Jere Marrs Tektronix, Inc.
chip@vaxwaller.UUCP (Chip Kozy) (09/09/86)
The local Suzuki shop out here (SF/East Bay area) had something
called "Macho" (believe it or not). The stuff is specifically for bikes
(of the motor kind). It's cut 1/1 with water, and sprayed on. The
stuff works wonders. It handles dirt, oil, brake dust, you name it.
You do have to help it along in the really cruddy areas (light brushing),
but you spray it on a cold bike, let it sit for a while, and hose it off.
Hasn't hurt anything...aluminum, plastic, leather, etc...and gives you
really great results. One thing, though. If you've got a chain drive,
you won't have ANY oil left on the chain, so act accordingly. If you
are in the area, and need the address, let me know and I'll forward it
to you (haven't got it right in front of me right now). BTW, the stuff
is a bit expensive (~$5.95/qt), but being careful I can wash my bike
four times per quart, so it's really not bad. Good luck.
Happiness;
Chip
--
,,
*** SOLIDARNOSC ***
Chip Kozy (415) 939-2400 x-2048
Varian Inst. Grp. 2700 Mitchell Dr.
Walnut Creek, Calif. 94598
{zehntel,amd,fortune,rtgvax,rtech}!varian!chip