S.O.B.! First & last time this will happen

[ttsquirrel]

Got up this morning ready anxious to ride to work. Look out the window and can't even see my driveway because it is so foggy. Doesn't matter because it is the ride home that I really look forward to. I jump on my bike and I am about half way to work when I discover I didn't not strap my helmet on. What the hell, I'm not going to wreck, right? Conscious gets the better of me and I decide to pull off at the next ramp to strap it. As I apply both my brakes, I notice my right foot slipping off the peg. I look down and notice my foot is SOAKED in oil. M.F.!!!  You now know what I forgot. At least I didn't lose the dipstick.

Now that the right side of the bike is covered in oil, I am hoping for some suggestions for cleaning the oil off, but not hurting any bearings. What about the rear tire? the right side of it is covered. Will it wear off eventually or do I need to clean that with something? My rear brake does not work at all. Do I need to replace the pads?

Thanks for your suggestions.

tt   

[Trwhouse]

Hi there,
Man, sometimes these things just happen. At least you are OK.
About the clean-up to follow --- I'd take the rear brake pads out and clean them throughly with spray brake cleaner several times, holding the pads vertically so the cleaner and oil residue run off. Repeat this at least one or two more times.
Then I'd carefully clean the rear disc with the spray brake cleaner, spraying it on a rag then wiping the disc several times to be sure it is clean. You could harm the paint and deals by spraying it directly onto the disc because the spray would drip onto the paint, etc.
Let it all dry thoroughly, then reassemble and test ride it to see if all is well. It will probably take a few applications of the rear brake to clean off any residue and reestablish the correct rear brake feel.
If the pads were completely saturated with oil, this cleaning may not be enough. Then you'd have to replace the pads, which is not hard to do.
Be SURE to reassemble and retorque any parts as required. This is NOT a place to mess around.
I'd carefully wipe down the tire and rest of the oily parts on the bike with rags saturated with spray contact cleaner or something else that won't leave any residue. Wipe well and you should be good, though I'd take it easy on corners until the tire is fully clean.
Best of luck,
Todd

[RVertigo]

I've done both of those things before, but not at the same time...  Lucky for me I didn't spray oil everywhere.

You really should clean it up...  You may be able to clean it without taking the whole thing appart, but it does need to be cleaned up.

[Jeppy]

I got oil on my rear pads....I had to replace them. The oil caused them to fall apart....metal on metal baby! Not a good thing.....I just Castrol Super Clean....it removed the oil off my bike without hurting anything. But I would replace the rear pads and get the oil off the tire.

[makenzie71]

Soap seems to work rather well on oil.  Make sure you didn't contaminate your rear pads.

[samhkang]

I look down and notice my foot is SOAKED in oil. M.F.!!!  You now know what I forgot. At least I didn't lose the dipstick.

A newbie question here.... What did you forget? How did this happen?

[RVertigo]

Forgot to tighten the dipstick...

[gsJack]

I did that once, no big deal.  Just went to the magic wand type car wash and cleaned it all off with the pressure of the hot soapy water.  Wiped it clean with paper towel.  Just don't aim the water directly into the bearings or exhaust system.

Have cleaned off oil leaking from valve cover gasket the same way.  This is the way I regularly wash my bikes anyway, has worked for me for 21 years, 6 bikes, and 330k+ miles of year round riding here in NE Ohio; winter salt water capital of the world.   

[Larry]

I have used a cleaner called "Purple Power" that I bought at an Advance Auto Store. Great on grease - should work good on oil.  Much stronger that "Simple Green".  Just be careful with the painted surfaces.  Use lots of water.  I agree on being extra careful with the brake pads.  Not that expensive to change out.  Best of luck!

[jake42]

bah, just ride around and drag the back brake for awhile.

I"ve also used GSJack's method and simple green. They work.

[Mr.7]

I have used a cleaner called "Purple Power"

Any thing with Purple in the title has no power

[pandy]

Any thing with Purple in the title has no power

Threadjacking postwhore. 

Purple Power rocks!! 

[starwalt]

The purple cleaners are serious oxidizers so be sparing in their use. I've seen it clean so well that the next coating is rust. Read and follow the directions completely.

They do a great job when used in proper context.

[pandy]

The purple cleaners are serious oxidizers so be sparing in their use. I've seen it clean so well that the next coating is rust. Read and follow the directions completely. They do a great job when used in proper context.

starwalt always says the right thing. starwalt is my hero.  Where's the I <heart> starwalt emoticon? 

[that_guy]

starwalt is my daddy! 

[FearedGS500]

yea you can use some degreeser on it . that allways works . i work for automax ford and back in the wash bay they have some good stuff they buy in bulk i think its cold hot cinnimon or somthing like that .. you can use that on the pait and it wont do any damnge i know they do it to all of our new cars and i use it on my bike . as far as the tire goes they make some stuff called tire acid . they have or had some at work not to long ago . you could use that .. just spray it on a rag and wipe the tire acid stuff on it  then wash it off . i'v done that . works well

[Rema1000]

I'm with GSJack... and of course Starwalt:  take it to the do-it-yourself carwash.   Take a Windex bottle or other spray bottle of water.  Wet-down the whole bike.  Then spray with Simple Green.  Let it sit for a few minutes.  Then wash it with the car wash sprayer.

That's the only way my wheels get clean (I lube the chain with gear oil).  If I just try to use the sprayer at the car wash, then it does a good job with most of the bike, but doesn't get all the oil off the white wheels.

[ttsquirrel]

Thanks all.    This weekend my bike is getting the best cleaning since I bought it 7000 miles and 8 month ago. Still  at myself for making all this extra work for me. I had other plans for the weekend.

[tkm433]

I have used a cleaner called "Purple Power" that I bought at an Advance Auto Store. Great on grease - should work good on oil.  Much stronger that "Simple Green".  Just be careful with the painted surfaces.  Use lots of water.  I agree on being extra careful with the brake pads.  Not that expensive to change out.  Best of luck!

DO NOT USE THE PURPLE POWER WITHOUT READING THE BOTTLE FIRST!!!!!

It is a great cleaner and will clean everything so clean it will take the finish off of some item in the process.  I used it to clean and truck motor and it took all of the grease and oil and stuff right off without any work other than a low presure garden hose but it turned the valve cover and other alloy parts under my hood to a dull finish which did not bother me but upon reading the back of the bottle it stated not to use on aluminum surfaces. 

It is the best oil grease remover that I have used but it can damage alumunum finish on some items.  Also it will dry out your skin if you come in contact with it.

[Larry]

tkm433,  you are right about being careful with "Purple Power".  After thinking about it again, I would not use it on the bike.  Simple Green and some elbow grease would be safer.