Do you have Water Spots on the Engine finish?

[CloverHillCrawler]

I have hard water here and even with a pre-filter and softener I am getting a lot of water spots while washing my F3.

With the paint it isn't too bad, I just wipe down with a Rain-x chamois cloth and it picks everything up, but my engine is really showing a lot of water spots.

I am hesitant to use any chemicals, as I am afraid the heat of the engine would bake off/in whatever is used on it.

Do you have water spot issues on the engine finish? And if so, how do you get rid of them?

 

[Navydad]

Hard water here as well. I use my leaf blower on my bikes after a wash and that dries them pretty well and keeps spots to a minimum on the engines and elsewhere.

 

[Yabbadabbadoo]

When my F3 was brand new, I used F11 Top Coat on all the engine surfaces I could get too as well as the body and fenders. I have hard water and don't get water spots. I also use my leaf blower to quickly dry off the bike and follow up with microfiber cloths.

 

[Albec]

I have hard water here and even with a pre-filter and softener I am getting a lot of water spots while washing my F3.

With the paint it isn't too bad, I just wipe down with a Rain-x chamois cloth and it picks everything up, but my engine is really showing a lot of water spots.

I am hesitant to use any chemicals, as I am afraid the heat of the engine would bake off/in whatever is used on it.

Do you have water spot issues on the engine finish? And if so, how do you get rid of them?

Just wondering, are you sure that your outside water is softened and filtered? In most cases, the outside water faucet normally gets fed before the softener. This is the way my house was plumbed and it's the same for others that I have checked.

In any case, add me to the leaf blower list. I use it on all of my vehicles and it works great!

 

[EdMat]

Have you tried a small deionized water filter? That should cure the spotting.

 

[CloverHillCrawler]

Ditto on the leaf blower here, use it to get the water out of all the nooks and crannies. Yes I know about the faucets and have both softened and hard water faucets on the outside and have them identified.

I am on a well and use the hard water to water plants and fill our pond and waterfall with. Softened water faucet at the driveway for washing vehicles.

I am mainly looking for what people use on their engine surfaces to clean/polish with.

 

[hrlydrvr]

I have never "washed" my bike with water! 21 F3 Limited 20,000 miles. The only water it sees is when I clean the bugs behind the grille. Yes, I have been caught in the rain etc. I use Wizards "Mist and Shine" exclusively. I do apply a good quality wax several times a year to assist in bug removal. Never a water spot anywhere. FWIW.

 

[CloverHillCrawler]

Yea , the waterless wash is a no go for me.

I ride on dirt roads sometimes to get to a lot of the overlooks in the mountains and forests around here.

When I come down off of them I pretty much have a layer of dirt all over everything so I need a good spray of water to take the layer of dirt and dust off before I can wash it.

 

[broderp]

Although I haven't washed my Spyder yet (I have maybe 70 miles on it) I am on the leaf blower team as well. I would recommend a dedicated blower for drying and blasting away water after washing. Using the blower that you use for the yard can be very bad for your paint , especially if it also doubles as a leaf vacuum and can suck leaves into a bag. Imagine shooting fragments of stuff at 100mph at your Spyder - it would be like a light sandblasting on the paint!

I bought an inexpensive one and 3D printed a "stubby" end for it to more easily use. I have done this for years on my Kawasaki with great results and no water spots. Be sure to use hearing protection as well!

:cheers:

 

[Albec]

Although I haven't washed my Spyder yet (I have maybe 70 miles on it) I am on the leaf blower team as well. I would recommend a dedicated blower for drying and blasting away water after washing. Using the blower that you use for the yard can be very bad for your paint , especially if it also doubles as a leaf vacuum and can suck leaves into a bag. Imagine shooting fragments of stuff at 100mph at your Spyder - it would be like a light sandblasting on the paint!

I bought an inexpensive one and 3D printed a "stubby" end for it to more easily use. I have done this for years on my Kawasaki with great results and no water spots. Be sure to use hearing protection as well!

:cheers:

No need to blast the leaf blower at full tilt. Most, if not all, blowers are adjustable, so...

Unless there's some sort of filter, any blower is capable of sucking up something and then spitting it out at high velocity. I've had very good luck using my yard blower/vac combo on all of my vehicles without any damage to any of them.