bmwdude Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Once again, new bike. However, I used ?S100? to clean previous bikes. Is this the standard for BMWs, also? Suggestions? Tips? Link to comment
Knighthawk Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Dunno, Mine only gets cleaned when I ride in the rain. Link to comment
rogera Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 I use the Mr. Clean AutoDry Car Wash System. Works very well. No spots. Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 I'm not a fan of that stuff, seems to leave a film on the bike that kinda dulls the shine. If the bike is only a bit dusty or has some light rain spooge on it, I'll use Honda Cleaner and Polish on a pair of microfibre towels. One to get the dirt off and then a second for final touchup/polish. If the thing is truly vile, I'll just run over to the quarter car wash (a misnomer at $1.75) and blast off the heavy stuff, air dry it with a quick 90 mph run down the freeway and then do the Honda Cleaner thing. I prefer to spend my leisure time riding though, so I have developed a pretty high tolerance for dirt. Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Dunno, Mine only gets cleaned when I ride in the rain. Unfortunatly +1 mine only gets cleaned when I'm REALLY REALLY bored, or can't sleep in the middle of the night Link to comment
brinkjm Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Dunno, Mine only gets cleaned when I ride in the rain. Same here. When I lived in sunny SoCal, a weekend washing used to be a regular ritual. Here in Michigan, I'm lucky if I can wash (or rather, keep it clean) for two weeks in a row! Link to comment
Mark K Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 I guess I have low standards...I wash by hand using an unnamed "car wash" liquid, then wax; but only annually. Works for me! Link to comment
ltljohn Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 Hose it down, spray with Simple Green or similar product, wait a few minutes, Hose down again,dry, ride. Link to comment
dt20 Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 i usually use S100 then after it drys use a coat of plexis on it as well makes next time easier to get bugs and grime off. but then again i only wash it about once every couple of months or after ridin in the rain as well. Link to comment
marcopolo Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 I just use car wash soap in a bucket of water, with a wash mitt. Other than that, I use Plexus fairly regularly on the screen, and plastic parts. Once, or twice, a season I give it a coat of Crystal Glo -- works like a charm, and is very easy to apply with none of that annoying white residue. Link to comment
Silver Surfer/AKAButters Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 I use Mother's Gold car wash or equivalent atleast every two weeks followed by Klasse polish, then Klasse sealer every 3-4 months. I touch-up between washing with a California duster and either Mother's or McGuiar's detailing spray. All hoses and rubber bits are treated with Aerospace cleaner followed by Aerospace protectant every 3-4 months. Plastic lenses are treated with McGuiar's Plastic cleaner #17, followed by polish and #18 if needed (Actually, not sure if I have those numbers exactly right) to buff out light scratches. Of course, all of this is done with microfiber towels. I pretty much treat the bike the same as my car. Oh and in case you are wondering, I find plenty of time to put miles on it having added 9K since March. Being single ain't all bad. Link to comment
E30TECH Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 I use Mother's Gold car wash or equivalent atleast every two weeks followed by Klasse polish, then Klasse sealer every 3-4 months. I touch-up between washing with a California duster and either Mother's or McGuiar's detailing spray. All hoses and rubber bits are treated with Aerospace cleaner followed by Aerospace protectant every 3-4 months. Plastic lenses are treated with McGuiar's Plastic cleaner #17, followed by polish and #18 if needed (Actually, not sure if I have those numbers exactly right) to buff out light scratches. Of course, all of this is done with microfiber towels. I pretty much treat the bike the same as my car. Oh and in case you are wondering, I find plenty of time to put miles on it having added 9K since March. Being single ain't all bad. And I thought I was OCD. But I screwed up and got married. Link to comment
wolcott Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 I have not even been riding much lately here in SW Florida. During May, we had a terrible lovebug season. I took a 125 mile trip, and it took me about 2 hours to clean up the remains of the bugs. They were plastered everywhere from the tupperware to the oil cooler to the windshield. Their remains etch paint. It was even worse for the cars- upon stopping for gas at a convenience store, I could not believe how nasty some of the cars were. People were getting frustrated waiting in line to get gas, because after folks filled up, they took about 5 minutes or so to clean the windshields of their cars so they could at least see. Thankfully, their short life seems to be over. Link to comment
Silver Surfer/AKAButters Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 I have not even been riding much lately here in SW Florida. During May, we had a terrible lovebug season. I took a 125 mile trip, and it took me about 2 hours to clean up the remains of the bugs. They were plastered everywhere from the tupperware to the oil cooler to the windshield. Their remains etch paint. It was even worse for the cars- upon stopping for gas at a convenience store, I could not believe how nasty some of the cars were. People were getting frustrated waiting in line to get gas, because after folks filled up, they took about 5 minutes or so to clean the windshields of their cars so they could at least see. Thankfully, their short life seems to be over. Dang! I'd have to move. Link to comment
MarkEngland Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 John, I never wash my bike (or cars) with normal soap, etc since they are made to strip grease and do a lot of harm to paint (and the BMW paint is not that thick to begin with). I use Meguiar’s car wash soap and wax. More information can be found on my site at: http://www.kc6tew.com/cleaningandcare/cleaning.html Mark Link to comment
jbr7t Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 I've used the S1000. It does pretty good and is fairly quick. If the bike is really dirty a good hand wash is still needed. But as with most of the other guys on here it doesn't happen often. I know it's not great for the finish but hey, it gives character! i think... Link to comment
elwoodpone Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 Hose it down, spray with Simple Green or similar product, wait a few minutes, Hose down again,dry, ride. Mix the Simple Green 50/50 with water. Full strength costs more and occasionally/rarely damages certain finishes, e.g. anodized stuff. Link to comment
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