How to clean the tenere
 

I have read many articles about cleaning the bike. Follow the advice to buy a aCF 50, which seems to have stopped all corrosion. But like any other Greece if you over use it, dirt will cling to the bike like flies on�� my bike is currently a mess with volcanic ash, mud and ocean spray. But like I said the aCF 50 is doing a real good job of protecting my bike despite all these elements and the humidity in which I live. I was wondering how everybody is cleaning their bike?

IMHO there are two ways to look at this one: (a) Clean it thoroughly and very regularly, or (b) coat it in something protective and don't clean it at all.

The downside of (a) is that it's a lot of work and in the winter months and it's almost impossible to get the bike dry after washing; also, unless you're going to wash/clean it religiously after every ride it will corrode between washes.

The issue with (b) is that your bike will look a bit sh!t and filthy all the time, but you will be able to rest easy in the knowledge that it's not corroding underneath. Come the better weather you can clean off all the protective layer and the crud with it and enjoy a shiny, corrosion-free bike!

I go with (b) in the winter and I'm more of an (a) in the summer!

I go with (b) too and swear by ACF50 and a spray of FS365 after a wet ride. I've even run in a couple of Harleys over winter having applied ACF50 the day I got them, and sold them in showroom condition.

The thing is, the ACF50 option can be a bit stressful as you watch your bike get more and more grimy and salty and wonder "Did I miss a section, or a few fasteners?"

I currently have a brand-new R1200GS that is covered in ACF50 and totally plastered in road grime. It's taking a lot of will-power to not give it a damn good clean and polish!!! :)

I tend to give the bikes an occasional hose down with cold water just to get the worst of the crap off as I don't want to scratch the bike with all the grit on it, and then come January I'll do a full clean and re-application of ACF50.

It's stressful, but a damn sight better than hibernating the bikes for 5 months!

My question is, do you spray ACF50 over the whole bike or just on the area's you think might rust ???? like nuts bolts frame area's rims.

And which kind of product do you use to remove after the long winter? :icon_study:

I'm an all year round "b"person. Mainly due to my over generous application of acf 50 and its expense. I clean my bike to 3 times per year. But what I really wanted to know is what products and methods are used to get the bike clean. I've read that high pressure washes are meant to be avoided and brushes should be used to get the dirt off along with some kind of detergent. Is normal household detergent usable?

My weapon of choice for cleaning would be SDoc100 Gel Total Bike Cleaner. There are many other spray on - wait - wash off type cleaners out there specifically for bikes that'll do the job just as well.

I wouldn't use household stuff like washing-up liquid as it contains high salt levels, which leave a residue that promotes corrosion.

I've always used a cup of ACF50 and a small 1/4" brush and gone front to back over the bike painting every fastener and spoke. I then dip a clean rag in the cup and wipe the ACF50 over larger metal surfaces such as the forks, bars etc. I would give the engine area a bit of a spray, but the spray was never much good.

This year though I treated myself to a Bosch paint sprayer (the wife thinks I got it to do the fence panels in the spring!) :) The sprayer is awesome. I still paint the fasteners by hand first, but I then cover the wheels with a sheet and spray all over the rest of the bike and it leaves a really nice light mist. Now my mates bring their bikes to me for winter prepping as well as cleaning! :)

ACF50 comes off quite easily with the normal cleaning routine.

As a keen vehicle detailer with OCD I could write a book about cleaning bikes: snow foam, two bucket method, 6 different brushes, two different wool mits, 3 pump sprayers of different degreasers, quick detailers and wheel cleaners, 3 different waxes ... :D

In reality, SDOC100 has always been great but this year I've switched to Castrol Greentec. It's not only cheaper and seems just as good, but you can get it at Halfords so you can always grab a bottle in 10 minutes when you run out. Spray on the cleaner, agitate on the bodywork with a clean wash mitt, and on the dirtier areas with a soft brush, leave it 5 minutes and hose off. A spray of quick detailer on the bodywork, Autoglym Fastglass on the screen and mirrors and you're done.

I have a pressure washer which I've used for ages, but one time it started taking the paint off the rear hub! So now the pressure washer is mainly used for the foam pre-wash in the summer in order to get loose dirt off before the contact wash, and the regular hose is used for rinsing after every wash.

One thing I always do though is put some masking tape over the ignition and seat locks and plastic bags over the switchgear and exhausts.

After washing I always run the bikes until the fan comes on to make sure everything dries off. I also use a bike dryer most of the time to make sure fasteners don't sit with water in them. But then we're back to my OCD... :D

Edit: I almost forgot! I also have a good fan heater in the garage too. In the cold weather, after a wash, a put the fan heater on a timer and aim it at the bike from a safe distance. So I get an hour of warm air blowing over the bike to make sure it's dry.

Oh how I wish I could be one of these people that just washes their bikes 3 times per year!!!!

A bike dryer!?

Absolutely. They sound totally OTT and all my mates laughed until they tried it. Now most of them have one of their own!

http://www.bikedryer.co.uk/blaster_bike_dryer.php

Really powerful and blows the water from every crack and crevice. It also means you get the bike dry without streaks, and without having to use a drying cloth that could scratch the screen or paintwork.

This video is a bit naff but it shows off what it does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHrXr4BtMrw

Hmm I've got a fairly big blower, I guess I ve just found a new use.

Leaf blowers can do a similar job. However they don't really direct the air particularly accurately as they have that big open end rather than a hose and attachments. The main risk with a blower is that you use it in vacuum mode to clean up the garden first. Then when you come to use it to dry the bike, you blast all the dust and grit back at the bike. The bike dryer is more powerful and also has a filter to make sure you don't sand-blast the bike. It's a luxury I guess, but really helps if you're into keeping vehicles in great condition.

Get it muddy
Jet wash it off
Blow dry by doing over 80mph on the way back from Morrison's jet wash
Spray it with something nice and lube the chain when you get back home.

I go for a few yearly treatments of this:
http://www.allyearbiker.co.uk/

Which is an ACF50 wash, coat and dry.

Same as everyone else is doing except I paid �60 for it.

Safe in the knowledge that it can get as filthy as it likes and it isn't corroding underneath :D

Just coated my XT in acf-50 today - used around 3/4 of a can, which from what I can gather is more than most people. The bike was wet with the stuff though so I've certainly got a good coating all over, with some left for topping up the front of the engine and other high impact areas.

I heated the can up in a jug with boiling hot water, the first minute or so of spraying the can had a fairly fine mist, however once the can cooled it became a thicker spray. I followed up with a small cut off of sponge, which I used to wipe everything down with, occasionally spraying the sponge with more acf-50.

I plan to just rinse the bike off with cold water after wet rides out, with a thorough clean come spring time.

3/4 of a can is a lot. I would think 1/4 max would do the whole bike. If you have it really thick it just holds a lot more grime in it. While the oil is still thick you could wipe a load onto a clean rag so there's less on the surfaces. Then just put the rag into a plastic bag and tie it up. Then use that rag over the winter to reapply the ACF50 when you need to. Well, that's what I do with excess spray. :)

�200!!! :eek:

And here I was thinking it was me who had more money than sense!!

Good idea there - the bikes been sat for the last 24hrs so the acf will have had time to creep into where it needs to so will give it a wipe over this evening and keep the rag for wiping it down like you say. :025:

I am curious to know that if my bike has has a generous cover of acf50, but the bike has taken a few falls and brushed against all types of things, is it okay just to reapply over the existing coat of acf50 which I Applied three months ago which is contaminated with all sorts of dirt? Will the acf50 still be effective?

My experience is that as long as it's not detergent, not much stops the ACF50 working. My only concern with reapplying ACF50 would be wiping in the grit that's already on there. As long as you just spray more on you'll be fine. I wouldn't go wiping the bike once it's covered in crap.

I tend to apply the ACF50 in November and then come January when the bike looks a total state, give it a really good clean and then reapply ACF50 to a clean, dry bike and that'll see me through to the next big clean in spring.

I think when you see how much crap sticks to ACF50, especially if it's been applied a bit thick, you'll be itching to give the bike a good clean well before spring. :)

If you live anywhere near London, and feel like treating your bike, try these guys - http://www.mo-clean.com/

I've never tried them myself, but I know people who are very keen. And no, I don't have any interest in the company :)

Some great feedback on here, but just wondering where everyone purchases their cleaning/protection products from? And how much we are looking at for them, the ACF50 sounds great, but first time I have ever heard of that.

Oh how my Tenere always relishes a wash, and should be washed more poor dirty mitten! If anyone has any more funky tips etc on cleaning a Tenere, especially around the engine, they will be gladly received.

I was recommended acf50 on here. Very expensive but I think it's a much better investment than any other thing u can buy for your bike other than a garage.