What Do You Use for Cleaning, and How Do You Go About It?

[Flanker]

As you can see in my sig..................I'm flat met green and satin black. Like Bob Denman; I use Meguiars Quick Detailer and micro fiber towels to wipe mine down. When the wheels get dirty to where I'm embarrassed; I clean 'em with Meguiars auto shampoo/water, and a couple of soft bristle brushes from Wally World's auto dept. I use Meguiars cleaner/wax on my car, which has a gloss finish. I bought 'em to ride/drive; not clean and shine on.

 

[stallion143]

When I picked it up I heard the sales guy ask somebody if mine was ready, and he said, "Yep, all cleaned and ready to go! I pulled it around front for you." But when I was ready to leave with it, another guy came and asked for the keys to the corral because it was still locked up around the back of the dealership. So I think what happened was they cleaned and prepped the wrong one. No biggie, I need to learn how to do it anyway and this gives me a good kick-in-the-pants to go do it.

Sometimes I really need that kick-in-the-pants.

Welcome to the BEST Spyder forum on the face of the Earth!!!

Nice color choice! :yes: I've had mine since mid April and have put just over 2,100 miles on her so far with ZERO issues!

Ride safe!

 

[reverendg]

Just ride it in the rain.

 

[quickster47]

No matter what product you use, they are all basically good, make sure to use plenty of "elbow grease" as that is the most important ingredient.

Carl

 

[Magdave]

I use Rejex on all hard areas including windshield and a microfiber towel. If I need extra umph for bug removal a spray of water before the microfiber. I am telling you I have used Rejex on my Corvettes for 10 yrs. , polish once a year and everything just wipes off. It is amazing stuff.
http://www.rejex.com/

 

[DrewNJ]

:welcome: Which model do you have? For a quick cleaning; i just us Meguiar's Quick Detailer and a couple of soft rags... A heavy-duty session has me breaking out the same stuff that I use to wash my truck... nothing special.
I use the Meguiar's or automotive soap on the windshield, and have had no troubles with it. :thumbup:
I like Armorall; but haven't really use it much on my RT yet... maybe just a bit around the dash, where i'm trying not to get any extra water in or around the electronics... :shocked:
On my RT, I am very careful about not getting water into the vents by the lower air deflectors.(Under the mirrors!) Other than that, the dash, and grips, I hose away! :thumbup:

I second what Bob says.
Wash the spyder as normal and just be smart about where you direct to much water.
For normal wipe downs I use Meguiar's Quick Detailer on EVERYTHING. It won't hurt any component. Plastic, metal, rubber etc etc.
It's really good stuff. Spray, wipe, flip the towel and wipe again.
For garage dust I use one of those mini red California car dusters.

 

[OJ UK]

I don't wish to speak out of turn here and I know you guys recommend what's good
but some of the brands can't be bought in the UK! Meguiars we got though!

OK...some of the bikes I've had over the years have had 'difficult' surfaces to clean, like the Triumph Street Triple R which has matte-silk finish paint, not gloss.
What I use is Fenwicks Caravan Cleaner for the initial wash down. It's bio-degradable so causes no damage to the eco-system. For an explanation as to
what it does and what a caravan is, see here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fenwicks-CC40-Caravan-Cleaner/dp/B000W4EJHO/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

I have no power in my garage so I spray it on with a small pump spray and let it sit for 10 minutes then rinse it down with a 2 gallon garden-type pump spray.
It doesn't streak and dries with no water marks.
Then I get out a non-wax polish as the Spyder's paintwork is base-coat and lacquer so really doesn't need waxing. For this I use Mer. I've used it for years and it is great.
It also removes tar, bugs and road film and leaves a high gloss shine.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Farecla-M5-...1375056145&sr=1-1&keywords=Mer#productDetails

Black plastics like mirror stems and fittings I use ArmorAll which is great.
Tyres I use this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Autoglym-50...1375056480&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=tyre+shine
but Meguiars has a similar product.

Anyway I hope someone finds this interesting.

 

[willey]

polish

If I was going to buy something to polish,I would buy an apple.

 

[billrob71]

I got a DuPont paint sealer from my work and did all the painted surfaces with it. I only use a mind window cleaner otherwise. The brake dust on the wheels seems to be my thorn I deal with the new Brembo brakes seem nice but put out a lot of dust, luckily the wheels are the same color.

 

[kepople]

I use the Orginial Bike Spirits bike polish. Cleans bugs off with no problems

 

[NancysToy]

Turtle Wax ICE products, Windex Multi-surface with Vinegar, Plexus.

 

[Magdave]

Resistance is futile you must be assimilated . Once you use Rejex you will through away everything else seriously. There simply is nothing like it. Plexus is similar except Rejex does it all. Do the rims and brake dust wipes off in a couple of minutes. Bugs on the windshields and road grime the same . 90% of the time all you need to clean is a clean microfiber towel. Do some searches and reviews of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Corrosion-Tec...dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

 

[meyers54]

Soak them Bugs!

Never scrub your windshield with anything. Dried bugs have a very sharp shell but soaking them with a little water will soften them up so they come off easy and don't scratch the plexiglass. I usually set a wet hotel towel over the windshield and let it soak for several minutes. After cleaning with water I'll spray with Plexus or similar plastic polish to give it that extra clear shine and protective finish. I've been using this method for over 12 years and my Gold Wing windshield still looks like new.:thumbup:

 

[rc51ny]

OK--lots of good info--here's my routine: I use the Honda spray cleaner/polish after each ride to get off the majority of the surface dirt. For the "bug splats" that collect on the front, I just soak a clean rag in hot water. Then I lay the rag on the dead critters and they come right off. I clean the windshield with Plexus--that stuff is awesome! For a major clean up, I soak it down, use car soap, then dry it with a leaf blower. The leaf blower gets all the water out of the nooks and hidden places and works great. Also, when I give it a major wash job, I wrap the electronic on the hand bars in a baggie to keep the water out. Then after she's dry--I use Pledge on all the plastics! Works good for me!

 

[Shandycat]

Wow! Lots and lots of great info. Thanks to everyone for your tips and suggestions. I ended up going with the Meguiars/Plexus for now since I already had it and have used it on my bikes with success. Once I'm out, I'll try a couple of the other things mentioned and see how they do. Once again--THANKS for getting me started in the right direction. I just hit 600 miles and am looking forward to the next 24,400!