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Cruiser
Posts: 88
Nova Scotia , Canada | How do you clean the cooling fins on the cilinders so that the outside of the fins stay bright and the black portion of the fin remains black?
Don |
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Visionary
Posts: 1340
Gainesville Fl Home of the Gators | A little scotch brite pad on the silver followed by S100 engine brite |
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Cruiser
Posts: 69
Citrus Heights, CA United States | spray simple green on whole bike let stand no more than 5 min spray off. let bike drip dry for about 5 min then spray wax (kind that car washes use which mixes with water) on bike let stand about 5 min then get leaf blower and blow dry bike. it will shine like you worked for hours but only 30 min, fins and all chrome have showroom shine and bike is clean of all oils and greases, Simple green is organic so will not hurt anything and yes i wash everything including dash and never had a shortage or any other problems. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | I squirt detailer mist on a microfiber cloth and put a paint stick in the cloth to jam it between the fins. Only do it about every six months though. Oooo, just saw rldr12's method and like that a lot better.
Edited by SongFan 2010-01-28 9:22 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | rldr12 - 2010-01-28 7:17 PM
Simple green is organic so will not hurt anything
Just a small clarification Simple Green is not "organic" it is an organic solvent blend; specifically butyl cellosolve (Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether) based on the Simple Green MSDS sheet, a chemical which has threshold limits set by OSHA for exposure because it is toxic enough that it is often used in insecticides.
There are no chemicals/solvents /cleaners that you can buy that are completely safe and while Simple Green is highly diluted form of this chemical its still a chemical and has all the risks associated with chemical use.
As a guy who has spent 30+ life in the printing industry I can tell you from personal experience that chemical exposure is like radiation exposure; it is cumulative. I have a number of friends and loved ones who have died or suffer from all kinds of health issues that can be traced to long-term workplace exposure to chemicals.
For chemicals like Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether the primary method of exposure is absorption through the skin or inhalation., These chemicals and their metabolites build up in the liver and fatty tissues; they can damage lungs, kidneys, the liver and your reproductive organs.
So wash your bike with Simple Green. I'm sure it does exactly what you say, but don't be fooled by marketing BS that it's a "safe chemical" or a "green" cleaner because it "simply" isn't.
It is a lower impact product, because of the dilution level, but its still an organic solvent and as such should be not be treated as if it were just vinegar and water.
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Edited by Tarpits99 2010-01-29 1:49 PM
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Cruiser
Posts: 88
Nova Scotia , Canada | Thanks for the info regarding the Simple Green and the paint stick method. Also thanks for the chemical warning as well, we should be keeping an eye on all of the cleaning products we have and use.
Thanks for the advice, as always Play Safe
Don |
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Cruiser
Posts: 69
Citrus Heights, CA United States | Thank for info but msds for simple green all pupose cleaner is very safe to use. does not even required a un number for hazardous material. Have served for 20 years in military as aircraft mech. an exposed to more dangerous stuff than this. It is safe to say that even then we used simple green to clean things with no health hazards. I do agree with absoption through skin but even msds states no respritory problems. It is a mild cleaner that is the only reason I recpmmended it I wash my bike about 3 times a week with method stated above and as stated exposure is about 5 min and I'm sure the air we breatth has more harmful chemicals than what in simple green. This is just my 2 cents trying to answer a question and help out. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | rldr12:
No doubt you are correct about the limited exposure and that you have worked with a lot worse substances, as have I.
I'm not saying that one shouldn't use Simple Green, it's a widely used product, many people love it and consider it a great alternative to traditional cleaners and as you stated it does exactly what you want it to when cleaning your bike. I may even try it - although I rarely clean my ride. More like dust around here.
Simple Green is only 4% butyl cellosolve, so its very diluted, but it is not "organic".
I am not a rabid environmentalist or a health nut, my favorite breakfast food is cheetos. I was just trying to make the point that chemicals are everywhere, their effect on health is cumulative and that even something as seemingly benign as Simple Green contains toxic substances. In this case the amounts are small enough that the feds don't require a label.
I wont bore you with my workplace exposure stories because this isn't really the forum to do that; suffice it to say I am probably overly sensitive about chemistry and claims of safety. My apologies if you thought I was jumping on you.
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Cruiser
Posts: 88
Nova Scotia , Canada | Where do you get spray wax which mixes with water?
Don |
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Cruiser
Posts: 69
Citrus Heights, CA United States | made a deal with local car wash they get 5 gal bucket i get gatorade bottle for about 5.00 last about 2 weeks only because i wash bike 3-4 times a week. great wax just talk to local car wash and see if they will sell u a small bottle hell their gonna make money on it since you would have used the car wash to get the wax if for cager just tell them that it is for motorcycle and u just can't drive up wash it and drive offf that worked for me hope this helps.
Edited by rldr12 2010-01-30 5:58 PM
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Cruiser
Posts: 88
Nova Scotia , Canada | Sounds good, thanks
Don |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | ridr12:
No chemical questions here. I'm just a simple guy who washes his truck by parking next to a mud puddle. But I love my bike and like your method of cleaning. My question is; what effects, if any, do you notice on your seat and windshield. Especially the windshield. They just scar the bat snot out of me. They get scratchy just walking past them. |
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Cylinder Cooling Fins