Some fine advice here for sure, but does anyone know if you can put ACF50 on the engine parts without it affecting the painted finish? This stuff was recommended to me by a guy that has a helicopter and he has(and I believe him) sprayed the whole of the heli in ACF50 and told me that it will never rot! This man can fly with a constant smile.:Smuggrin:
I feel like a real mug. Tried some cheapo baby wipes instead of the Vulcanet stuff. Under one quid for eighty Sainsburys basics wipes and just as good as the £20 Vulcanet stuff.
We were using baby wipes at the IOM to mainly get all the bugs off, but worked well on the wheels too. Does anyone know if they are ok to use on painted surfaces?
Buy some sdoc 100 cleaning gel , sdoc chain cleaner,wurth dry lube,some polish and gt85.Jobs a good un.
Brake cleaner for calipers and discsd. Baby wipes (cheap own brand ones) for general cleaning. Furniture polish (own brand) for wheels and swingarm etc.
Well...............I have never seen 'Mr Cranker V2' polish on the shelves in my supermarket..........
I clean wheels with WD40 on a rag..........also the engine casings the same way. I use furniture polish on the paintwork, with one duster to apply and another to polish when it has dried...........breathe on the surface after that and then use the dry duster again to remove the smeary effect that some polishes can leave. Brake cleaner as per Cranker does, although carb cleaner will do the same. Chain.........I wet a rage with WD40 and wipe the outside of the side plates, that's all. Black plastic........sometimes WD40 on a rag to clean it, then a Halfords clear liquid protector which when dry stops other cr*p from getting into the texture. I never wash the Ducati for obvious reasons associated with Italian electrics; but I used to use Gunk on my Guzzi engine and wash it off with a hose.
if they are ok for babies ...... chances are , I reckon, they will be ok on external painted surfaces....
Interesting topic. I am reviving it as Vulcanet is mentioned. They do still exist and very successfully so. Not so much in the US or down under, I believe. I used to clean all my vehicles with Meguiar Gold class (painted body work) and WD-40 (motor, engine bay, wheels, frame). Water as little as possible on cars and never on bikes. Never use jet wash, not even on my Fergie (tractor). Then I found out about Vulcanet, 4 or 5 years ago. It is simply amazing. On both painted surfaces and engine. Expensive? May be. 80 wipes in a can last about one year for me (that’s two bikes and two cars). Cheap baby wipes do the same job? Hmm... Will these take care of tar? I seriously hope not, for the sake of our babies’ skins... So today, I use Gold class in warm water then Vulcanet, for cars, and Vulcanet only for bikes. And I am super happy! https://vulcanet.pro/moto-en/vulcanet/
Have used Vulcanet for a number of years now,I wouldn't be without. Saying that the first lot I bought I got for £20.Cheapest I can find now is £35 so inflation as hit the cleaning market also. Try to avoid bad weather so I'm not so sure I would use quite so regularly if the bike was in a really bad state.Would take to many wipes and to much time to justify.
I always spray the bike with a small amount of water to get rid of the sand etc. Seeing the Vulcanet wipes it makes me wonder if you don’t get any scratches without a spray of with water.....
No scratches whatsoever on the bikes when I've used them. A lot of science has gone in to these wipes hence the expense.They are not your everyday wipes you pick up in Home Bargains. You musn't use any water at all when using Vulcanet which is a big plus in my opinion.
I came across these. For cycles, but might be worth a go as an alternative. https://www.xxcycle.com/soudal-bike-wipes-50-pieces,,en.php
The wipes fabric is supposed to have been designed to capture sand grains and mud. There’s a video about it somewhere. I do not use water because my bikes are usually not that dirty, since I almost never ride in wet wether. But if it was the case, I probably wouldn’t take the risk and use water with a hose to rinse the fairings, saddle (away from the bike) and fuel tank, before using the wipes.
I am also a devotee of the Vulcanet wipe - have never used anything else on my Ducati's but then I never that them out in the wet and therefore they have never been that dirty. The wipes are great on the rear wheel which is the part that gets the most dirt and also great for dislodging the array of dead insects on the front fairing with just gentle rubbing. Not the cheapest, but as a % of the total cost of ownership, £40 a year is not even close to making a difference!!! My BMW on the other hand which I use in all weathers gets too dirty to even think of using just wipes to give it a clean. I was introduced to Snow Foam last year and it is a game changer for a thorough cleaning job. 1. Hose down to remove superficial grit; 2. Snow Foam to take of the majority of crap; 3. Any pH neutral car wash to give a good panel by panel clean; 4. Dry with microfibre; 5. polish with Turtle Wax 53342 Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wax Spray Coating. This is not a proper ceramic finish, but it gives a great finish and makes it much easier to clean the next time.
