GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

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:roll:  no, it's not a joke.

1st time I tried to clean the bike, I ended transferring the mess of her to my own self  :kiss:

Can I spray water all over the place? is it safe to use soap? Water on tires/brakes/exhaust is good?

:dunno:

Your kidding.  :guns:

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Quote from: subcno, he's not kidding

listen to him.

no, he's not kidding

Quote from: Chris.t.CollinsYour kidding.  :guns:

if he is kidding :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

if not, wash it with whatever you like, as long as it aint oil or acid

watch out for some washing up liquids though, they have salt in them.

I use regular car wash soap (Meguiar's Gold) for regular washes.  I use biodegradable degreaser on the engine (got it at the local auto supply store).  For wax-stripping washes, I use dish soap, then dry and apply wax.  I use different sponges for body, engine, and wheels.

How to wash the GS:

1: Get a small wash rag and a small cup.
2. Place cold water in the cup.
3. Wet the wash rag.
4. Place the wet wash rag on the seat and move around until all dirt/bird-crap is gone.
5. Drink water in small cup and say, "Ah...  That was hard."
6. Wait for seat to dry (place in the sun if needed).[/list:u] :thumb:

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High pressure water is bad, as it will get in where you don't want it.  Gentle spray is ok.

A leaf blower or an air compessor is a handy way to dry it off very thoroughly with very little effort.  There is an added bonus of a 'spot free shine'.

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so nothing special then.  :thumb:

beign my 1st bike ever and ever... I was afraid i might damage parts if I use water over the bike or something.

The real question is......

How do you get the wheels to stop looking like you dug them out of a hole?

Chain cleaner didn't work.   :lol:

Someone told me something about a citrus cleaner working, but I somehow doubt that an orange will do a better job than the countless caustic chemicals I've tried.

What i do is i take the hose and rinse the bike fully, and then i use dishwash soap in a pail with warm water and wipe everything down with the sponge. Then when everything is clean, i rinse it again, then I wipe it down. After everything is dry i apply a coat of Mguires wax. My bike gets extremely shiny. Sometimes i do the windscreen with the plastix stuff when i have time. And i always shine the exhaust can plate with stuff my dad sells. Then i use WD-40 to clean the rims, and i just leave the tires as they are. Just dont get lots of water in the exhaust, some is o.k if you dont use a pressure washer, cauz there isnt enough pressure from a normal hose to go far inside the pipe. When you start the engine, it dries instantly.

Quote from: RVertigoHow to wash the GS

I couldn't help it...  I'm wearing this shirt today:  

RVertigo,
Try an alloy wheel cleaner by the name of P21S. It's made in Germany. I've been using it for years on my old sports car and it has kept the white wheels of my '89 GS clean for the past 15+ years. Just spray it on, let it sit for a couple minutes, rub a little with a rag, rinse and viola.....clean shiny white rims. If your rims are are black or dark grey, the cleanliness just wouldn't be as obvious. This wheel cleaner doesn't harm the painted rims on my bike nor the natural finish on the cast alloys on my old Porsche or the satin finish on my GTI. P21S is the BEST wheel cleaner I've ever used.

I have light gray ones...  I'll have to try that out.

It won't mess with my new rubber will it?   :o

:?

Quote from: RVertigo
It won't mess with my new rubber will it?   :o

SOS pads + water = no more brake dust on the wheels  :thumb:

- Jordan

RV,
As it is nigh impossible to NOT get P21S on our beloved tires in the cleaning process, I can assure you that the product is safe for rubber products. It has never hurt the white finish on my bike's wheels either. As I had posted earlier, I've been using the stuff for ages and have never had a problem with any unwanted side-effects on either cars or motorcycles. If you use it, I'd bet you'll always have a bottle of the stuff along with your other bike sustinance products. :thumb:

:thumb: Cool...  I was just a little worried about adding one more thing to make me fall down.

I don't need help in that department.

Although I think most Griot's Garage stuff is way overpriced, the Wheel Cleaner is not.  Green stuff that smells nice, in a bottle.  It cleans crud off with very little rubbing, and it doesn't damage wheels.

It's a nice little roadtrip from Seattle to their HQ just north of Tacoma. :)

But the longer things are dirty, the harder they are to clean.

From the looks of the front wheel and the way the GS looked when I got it, I'm pretty sure the old owner never cleaned it....  Not even once.

Quote from: pnaberhaus... and it has kept the white wheels of my '89 GS clean for the past 15+ years. ...

Do I read that right? You've had your GS for 15 years? I'm very impressed and I'm sure that's some kind of record around here :thumb:

I just wash it over with a bucket of warm water and washing-up detergent,
let it dry and buff the engine over with WD40 or a clone. Normally I scrub the wheels with a nylon brush then spray with WD40 and polish dry, kerosene/paraffin on a rag is also good. WD40 removes any oil splodges or chain-fling. This is all a lot easier with bike on centre stand.

Quote from: pandy:?

Quote from: RVertigo
It won't mess with my new rubber will it?   :o

:lol: You shouldn't be using it there anyway...it's a cleaner, not a lubricant.


P.S.  I love Pandy's sense of humor.

i do the similar routine, blow dry with the leaf blower & wipe her down with a coat of pledge (yes, pledge).

Quote from: stefman722What i do is i take the hose and rinse the bike fully, and then i use dishwash soap in a pail with warm water and wipe everything down with the sponge. Then when everything is clean, i rinse it again, then I wipe it down. After everything is dry i apply a coat of Mguires wax. My bike gets extremely shiny. Sometimes i do the windscreen with the plastix stuff when i have time. And i always shine the exhaust can plate with stuff my dad sells. Then i use WD-40 to clean the rims, and i just leave the tires as they are. Just dont get lots of water in the exhaust, some is o.k if you dont use a pressure washer, cauz there isnt enough pressure from a normal hose to go far inside the pipe. When you start the engine, it dries instantly.

I use several different methods of cleaning.  I am VERY picky about what I use and how I wash my bike and cage.  Paint is expensive and I try to keep it looking like new.  Some would call it anal I guess :dunno:

Various stuff...

If you really want to be kind to your finish use Microfiber, higher quality the better.  If they get dirty wash them (no fabric softner though).  I never use a towel I dropped on the ground on my paint without washing it first.  Bath or terry towels will cause swirl marks on paint.  Wool wash mitts are good as well for a bucket wash.  Dish soap will strip wax, I use Meguiars NXT wash.  For a quick clean up of light dust, fingerprints (I have a blue '05 so all the little smudges show up and stuff), and bugs, I use Honda Spray Cleaner and Polish.  This stuff is great!  If I want to drag out the hose I use Hondabrite in the red bottle (Same thing as S100 cycle cleaner.)  Empty into a spray bottle and spray down any areas like engine, swingarm, wheels, in and around rear shock area and fender...wherever I cannot reach with a brush.  Let soak for a minute or 3 and hose down.  Unless your bike is really caked with dirt this should do an excellent job.  NXT and wash mit on the tank and fairings if needed.  Spray out mitt often to keep from bringing dirt to other areas and causing scratches and swirls.  Dry with compressed air and a Microfiber drying towel.  Must sleep, might add some more later...

I prefer the "Honda" brand cleaner/polish. It requires no water, and makes you bike look like you just waxed it.

If the bike is esp. dirty, I would wash it with soap and water first, and then follow with a carnuba wax like mguires.

then from that point on clean with the honda cleaner/polish.

Personally, I like S100 cycle cleaner.  It takes all the bugs, tar, and other road gunk right off.  

When you rinse the soap off of your bike, don't use a sprayer on the hose.  Just use an open hose.  Sprayers can force water into places it shouldn't be.  

I use WD40 to clean the wheels, too.  Just make sure you keep it off the tires and brake discs, since these don't generally take well to lubrication.  You should never, ever use any sort of tire cleaner such as Blech White or Black Magic on motorcycle tires. (Heh, I can just see some Harley guy  wiping out because he wanted his $25k trailer queen to have shiny tires.)