Cleaning your CT125

[Allhatnocattle]

What products do you prefer? There are quite a few waterless cleaning options out there for motorcycles, but all have mixed reviews. Wondering what the gurus around here use.

 

[m in sc]

for nasty dirt, start with wd40. im not kidding. Hose it down, wipe it off.

then, https://www.protectall.com/product-information/all-surface-care-faqs/

also does a great job on helmet face shields. Use it on all my vintage stuff as well.

then on all the back abs and rubber:

Quick & Easy Inside & Out Car Protectant

Inside & Out Car Protectant spray for surfaces works as a dashboard cleaner & dashboard protector, preventing fading and cracking on vinyl and rubber.

www.turtlewax.com

 

[SneakyDingo]

Cleaning is what you do when you don't have any deep water to ride through nearby Jokes aside, @Allhatnocattle you're in Texas right? Where you live, is it that you have to worry about water restrictions - like is this a summertime thing? Are you able to wash your bike in a shaded area? Or is this more of a "salts in the water leave everything spotty"?

• Kent's Bike blog (the pedaling kind) 10 years ago agrees with @m in sc - WD40 is great for cleaning. Because it's something I always have on hand, that's my go-to.
• 2 of the instagram riders I follow use Motul Motowash for their bikes. I'm pretty sure they are not sponsored, but their bikes are not the same finish as the CT125s are.
• The neighbor 2 doors down who hates money and restores bagger Harleys for fun with custom paint jobs has like... opinions when it comes to cleaning stuff. His bikes look AMAZING though. I'd trust him to pull my bike apart and put it back together again. He swears by Turtle Wax for clearcoat metal surfaces[1], but curses the day that he applied the ceramic wash & finish and said definitely do not do it[2]. For his Harleys, he uses Silkolene Pro Prep 2. For the CT125, he actually recommended Pro Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish.

[1] probably because he has 4 cars, a boat, and several motorcycles, plus the area distributor is located down the road, so buying in bulk is probably a little more important than for me.
[2] The finish did not go on smoothly, and now there's a portion of his truck that's highly visible where it is rough to touch, which also means it collects dirt. Being a ceramic finish that's designed not to come off and resist efforts to remove it, he's pretty much stuck with it now.

 

[dmonkey]

I have heard great reviews of S100 products for waterless cleaning but have not personally used them yet. I probably should since when it's too cold to leave the hose hooked up I often neglect cleaning my bike. Other than pride, there's good reason that most motorcycle police wash their bikes daily, by running your hands over the bike to clean it you're given an opportunity to inspect the whole bike for wear, damage, leaks, and potential safety issues.

I use a hose and the two bucket method. One bucket is for soapy water, the other is for rinsing the sponge and setting the sponge and brushes in rather than on the ground when you're not holding them. Other products I often use are harbor freight bone sponges, harbor freight brush set (great for wheels), Costco micro fiber towels, cheap cotton terry towels either from Costco or Harbor Freight or old t-shirts with any graphic print areas cut out to avoid scratching, and for cleaners if the bike isn't too dirty or greasy I'll just use diluted Dr. Bronner's castile soap, but if it is dirty I use highly diluted Simple Green which allegedly can cause damage if you let it sit and dry so you need to be careful to rinse it all off. I am a fan of Muc-Off and Motul cleaning products but I am also frugal with cleaning products so I rarely spring for them, I already have Simple Green around for household cleaning.

Washing in the shade is a good idea if you plan to dry the bike by hand, that way the water doesn't quickly evaporate leaving water spots. Do not point a pressure washer at seals or bearings as the water may penetrate into them, avoid spraying water on electrical contacts, avoid spraying water near the snorkel inlet under the rear rack, and avoid cleaners with ammonia, alcohol, acid, or solvents as they can cause harm to paint, plastic, aluminum, etc. Clean and lubricate your chain after every wash that involved water.

Do your own research before taking advice from me though, my bikes are often dirty and my truck gets a soap and water wash followed by a fresh coat of boiled linseed oil cut with mineral spirits every six months to protect the rusty patina and make it pop, so I'm not the person you see working a shammy at car shows or bike nights.

 

[m in sc]

s100 is great stuff. ive used it.

 

[Allhatnocattle]

Cleaning is what you do when you don't have any deep water to ride through nearby Jokes aside, @Allhatnocattle you're in Texas right? Where you live, is it that you have to worry about water restrictions - like is this a summertime thing? Are you able to wash your bike in a shaded area? Or is this more of a "salts in the water leave everything spotty"?

• Kent's Bike blog (the pedaling kind) 10 years ago agrees with @m in sc - WD40 is great for cleaning. Because it's something I always have on hand, that's my go-to.
• 2 of the instagram riders I follow use Motul Motowash for their bikes. I'm pretty sure they are not sponsored, but their bikes are not the same finish as the CT125s are.
• The neighbor 2 doors down who hates money and restores bagger Harleys for fun with custom paint jobs has like... opinions when it comes to cleaning stuff. His bikes look AMAZING though. I'd trust him to pull my bike apart and put it back together again. He swears by Turtle Wax for clearcoat metal surfaces[1], but curses the day that he applied the ceramic wash & finish and said definitely do not do it[2]. For his Harleys, he uses Silkolene Pro Prep 2. For the CT125, he actually recommended Pro Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish.

[1] probably because he has 4 cars, a boat, and several motorcycles, plus the area distributor is located down the road, so buying in bulk is probably a little more important than for me.
[2] The finish did not go on smoothly, and now there's a portion of his truck that's highly visible where it is rough to touch, which also means it collects dirt. Being a ceramic finish that's designed not to come off and resist efforts to remove it, he's pretty much stuck with it now.

There are water restrictions, but I will definitely use water if its prefered. For now its mostly clean and hasnt seen dirt yet so I am just using dry microfiber to wipe dust off. In general, I try not to use heavy chemical products bc I don't trust them. Have had too many car surfaces get wrecked by shitty walmart products. Do not get me started on armorall. I will probably use just water and microfiber until I get it muddy.

 

[m in sc]

everything i have mentioned will not hurt bare aluminum, titanium, paint or plastics of any kind. Just fyi, and that includes very old paint jobs (50+ yrs) . I do stay away from simple green and purple power though, they can and will affect bare metals and eventually affect paint.

 

[fmdualexhaust]

Another vote for s100.
Been using it for 30+ years.

 

[Allhatnocattle]

everything i have mentioned will not hurt bare aluminum, titanium, paint or plastics of any kind. Just fyi, and that includes very old paint jobs (50+ yrs) . I do stay away from simple green and purple power though, they can and will affect bare metals and eventually affect paint.

Oh shit, I've been using simple green on my truck for years... ooops

 

[STUBBORN]

OK I went riding on a Fire Road up in Linneus Maine.
Now I have stuck on mud, dust & leaves.
Wash
Two buckets
1 with soapy water. Second clear water for holding sponge.
Rags, old T-shirts, micro fiber towels, paper towels.
Wax
Can I use NU FINISH car polish?

Says on back don't use on plastics or vinyl, just like WD-40.
The Harley guys at the bagel diner say they use Lemon Pledge! (cheap and smells nice!)
and Mothers California Gold Carnauba for the paint and
Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish.
Others say use Dupont Teflon Ultra Wax.

Recommendations?

 

[Cpd419]

Mine might get washed twice a year just like the VStrom. That’s one of the reasons I own both. I’ve had the chrome several times done with it.