cleaning/washing bike

[paui]

hey guys my bike is dirty and rusty....is it safe if i use engine degreaser on everything metal and just hose it down? will the degreaser and/or water damage anything? i kno when you use degreaser in a car u have to cover up the electronics and the air box.....
what is simple green? ive heard about it but never seen it.....where do i get it? is wire brush safe for all the metal too? my friend told me to wd-40 the rust and let it sit for 10 min and scrub with a wire brush
thanks in advance for any input.

[Kerry]

Hmmmm .... a wire brush?  I wouldn't recommend using a wire brush indiscriminately on just any ol' metal part.  Maybe on the spark plug gaps, the battery terminals, and various electrical connectors, but that's about it.  Unless, that is, you're removing rust.

For general cleaning, try something softer.  An old toothbrush for small areas, something larger but still with plastic bristles for larger areas.  After this first major cleaning you'll be able to get away with using a cloth or a soft paper towel for most stuff.

Back to your first question.  Use the same basic procedure as you described for a car.  If you use a pressure washer you want to avoid items like wheel bearings, electrical connections and the chain.

Simple Green is a bio-degradable degreaser.  I bought my spray bottle in an auto parts store I think.  Since then I have seen it in places like WalMart and other grocery stores in the cleaning supplies aisle.

For the rust you have your choice of using a rust remover (repaint stripped area within 24 hours!) or a rust converter (changes rust directly into primed, paintable surface).  I bought some of the former in a squeeze bottle at my local home center.  But today I saw both items in spray can form, next to the Duplicolor spray paint display at WalMart.

Best of luck in getting your bike whipped into shape.  It's a great way to become familiar with the parts and subsystems on the bike.  And it's a fairly simple bike to work on -- I think you made a great choice for a starter bike!

[paui]

thanks for the help kerry....and yes, i was planning on using it on the rust but there is alot of it and its all over the place...thats why i was asking if all metal is OK.....
another thing....whats behind the case cover? mine is cracked if i hose down the bike will something get messed up in the engine? what exactly can i NOT hose down? thanks

[Kerry]

If you're using a garden hose, there isn't much potential to damage anything on the bike.  After all, it's built to operate in the rain (rust evidence notwithstanding)!

When you say "engine cover" you're referring to the round items with the Suzuki logo, right?  Which cover is cracked - left or right?  I've never removed the left cover, but the one on the right  hides some electrical parts.  (Specifically, an "ignition advancer" and the signal generator coils and pickups that control when the spark plugs fire.)

I don't think any of it is especially susceptible to getting a little wet, but you may want to remove the cover(s) periodically for a quick visual inspection.

[paui]

yea its the right side thats cracked....