| Author | Message | ||
     Truk |
I have and XB9R (White) with aluminum wheels. Shows off grit and grime great. I have read the manual and took note of all the special HD products recommended for keeping the plastic and wheels clean. I have some of those products. I have attempted to search the Knowledge Vault regarding this with little success. On my other bikes I have found other products that work great, but they do not have the same kind of plastic, so I am proceeding cautiously before i try them. I was interested in what others of you may be using and having success with (easily cleans with out marring the finish and protects) on your XB that are not HD products for both the plastic and wheels. | ||
| Navygunner |
Honda makes a great cleaner for plastic. I have used it and it works better on the plastic than the novus in my opinion. I just use it for touch up. When I have the time I use super glaze by house of wax for a good waxing. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Generally I use LOTS of water, gentle car wash soap, and for in between cleanings I use Honda Polish which I've found to be an excellent all around product. | ||
| Lonexb |
i 2nd what navygunner says on the honda stuff. it is good for all surfaces. | ||
| Captjim |
I can't get my leg up! I keep scuffing the top of my seat cowl. So now I have a slew of little black marks on the top of the cowl from my boots. Just picked up some Novus last night, I'll start there but I fear I will need something a little more aggressive. Any suggestions for a more powerful cleaner? | ||
| Navygunner |
Try Isopropyl alcohol. | ||
| Lazyme21 |
I use Carb Cleaner on the engine. I takes all the road grime and crap off. I use Eagle One rim cleaner, specifically for Aluminum surfaces, gets it really good. I use Mothers Carnuba wax on the plastics, after doing a hand wash with some McGuires soap. | ||
| Truk |
Thanks for all you responses so far... Some great suggestions For all you Honda Polish guys, I use Meguiers Mirror Glaze Professional / Final Inspection #34 instead on my other bikes. Found it wipes off a lot easier than Honda Polish and seems to shine better Buy it in gallon jug from an automotive paint and body supply dealer. Then pour into empty spray bottle (Amway). It is a light pink liquid spray. Spray on and simple wipe off with clean cloth is all you need. Really pretty neat and easy stuff to use Just unsure how it would work on the Buell since it is a different type of plastic than my other bikes. But if you use the Honda Polish with no problems, it ought to work ok too. Will try it in a small out of the way location and see. Has any one used Mother's Aluminum polish on the wheels. Some motorcycle wheels (GL1800) have a type of clear coat. If you use something like Mothers it can take the clear coat off. My manual didn't say anything about the wheels being clear coated, but I wanted to be sure.. | ||
| Ravensmith22 |
The wheels aren't clear coated. Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish works very well. For the plastics, I clean with mild soap and water, then finish with Plexxus. I use Plexxus on my helmet visor, too. It was designed for aircraft windshields. Gets rid of small scratches, and keeps dirt from sticking as much, making the next wash easier. | ||
| Daves |
Rain  | ||
| Buellman39 |
Or in my case snow | ||
| M1combat |
Yeah... rain, and I figure the muddy parts of the road will make sure everything is nice and sand-blasted. On a side note... What would all of you suggest for deep cleaning? I mean the stuff behind the rear cyl, in between the cyl's, in front of the rear swingarm... I was thinking I could find something like as eight gage bore brush sized dish washing scrubber or something like that... | ||
| Buellman39 |
M1combat Stoner makes a cleaner/degreaser out of orange peels and it cleans really good. Part number is A500 just spray it on let it soak for a little then hose it off. Let me know if you want any more info | ||
| M1combat |
Hmmm, so it just breaks up all the residue and then you just hose it off? Sounds too good to be true. | ||
| Lazyme21 |
that is what I use the Carb Cleaner for. You can also use Brake cleaner. Its in a spray can and works awesome. | ||
| Navygunner |
Citric acid, the cleaner Buellman mentioned and various other orange cleaner products work well on the grease and grime. Just make sure you wash with lots of water. You don't want that stuff pooling up on your aluminum. Mild acid and aluminum make for scary results if left unattended for long periods of time. | ||
| Tarmac_eater |
When i detailed buells this is what i used. Plexus plastic cleaner - very nice stuff S100 paste wax or anything high in canuba( meguiars ,zymol ,S100 etc.) Simple green and a brush for the rims ( use concentrated form and scrub ,it works awesome ,as well as the engine) Just rinse off well and it will not damage your aluminum. I know cause i do this to my motor to keep her clean.If you want you can use the S100 corrosion stuff and spray your wheels down and just wipe off the lip. If you do let it set for a few minutes cause it will be easier to get off. Or do it before you polish ,so when you do, you polish and take the excess off at the same time Blue magic or white diamond metal polish ,this stuff is godly on the lip of the wheel. don't use on the rough part though its a biotch to get off). And to keep the plastics looking black use pig spit. To keep your engine easy to clean and keep clean use S100 Corrosion resistant. You can also use The S100 for the black plastic to but ether one you use let it soak for like 30 minutes before wiping. The corrosion resistant ,when applied to the motor or wheels ,you don't wipe off.Hope this helps. (Message edited by tarmac_eater on February 24, 2005) | ||
| Starter |
I give mine a quick rinse with the hose whenever it gets a bath from the rain just to get the road grime off before it sets. When I get time it gets a quick wash with mild detergeant and water and dried with a chamois. For the screen and plastic I give it a quick rub with either plasticX or Mr Sheen Furniture Polish. Wheel edges once got a quick (less than 5 mins for both wheels) once over with a polishing wheel in the drill and have held a mirror finish ever since. | ||
| Surveyor |
Most of the time I use a jojoba nut based moisturiser after washing it in asses milk | ||
| Exupmonkey |
lol  | ||
| Thepup |
I leave mine out in the rain,although hasn't been much rain here in Fl. | ||
| Hanses25 |
409 citrus works great on everything especially the engine. | ||
| Daveinm |
Who cares about cleaning it...I'm too busy riding. "A dirty bike is a loved bike" | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
Never dull works great on the rims for the in-between polishings with the mothers... |
