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Found a good cleaning product to take when travelling

S

SuperG

New member
I was mildly surprised when I was looking for an inexpensive detailer to clean up the bike a bit. I just washed it last week, but we had a spot of rain and I live on a dusty gravel road. I really don't like to waste my S-100 detailer unless the bike is fairly clean to begin with. I went with Rain-X waterless wash and water repellent. It actually worked quite well, even took care of a little bug-splat here and there.
I went from debating whether it needed a complete regular wash or could I do this quickie wash, and by golly it worked. Did both the Rain-X waterless wash and the S-100 detailer in under 20 minutes, not bad. I'm thinking this would be great to pack on long travel trips - especially when you need to tidy up and drop the bugged-up look. These two and a little Novus (1) for the windshield and nobody's gonna know you just peeled off 500 miles... It's not a replacement for a proper wash, but it'll make you look like you did when on the road.
 
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It's amazing what s clay bar can do to clean paint on vehicles. Bugs,tar etc comes off really easy along with things you dont see stuck to the surface.
 
Plexus is ok, it's just pricey at $26.00 13oz spray can

So my tally is:

$10 S-100 detailer and wax - 10oz spray can
$ 7 Rain-X waterless wash - 32oz spray bottle
$16 Novus 1 Plastic Clean and Shine - 64oz (super economy size refill for spray bottle)

Yep, I'm a tight wad. At least, when it comes to cleaning products...because I hate spending money on branding...

The Rain-X should be good for dozens of cleanups, I go through a can of detailer in about a year, and the novus plastic cleaner will last for years, so I'm feeling like there's good grubby money in my hands...:yes:
 
I used Plexus on the whole Spyder including the black matte plastic too. Id buy it at the Cycle gear by the Spyder dealer in Vancover WA. an when going thru Auburn Wa at cycle gear. Ran out an went to auto zone an O Reilly neither had it so I bought Meguiars Ultimate Quick Wax in a spray bottle. Works pretty good an I use it on the black matte plastic too. Its easy spray on an wipe off.
 
I use Yamaha Spray Detailer. I think it is 7.95 a can and one can lasts me for at least a year. Yamaha dealers are everywhere. It can be used on every part of your Spyder and leaves it clean and shiny and doesn't attract bees like the Pledge. My windshield is 8 years old and has 58,000+ mikes on it and no sign of crazing "sparklies" .
 
RainX might be worth shot at Walmart, I have fear of getting those 'minute' hair line scratches you can see when the sun is right using a detailer product without some water as a buffer but maybe I'm wrong? I'm like to try it when I'm on a trip and water is not available.
 
Yes I used a mild grey bar type and plenty of lubricant or even car wash with lots of suds.

I dont find it abrasive at all and it used a little piece of the bar at s time. Did my whole truck with a small chunk of the bar.
 
I too use RainX and have found it works well on the bike as well as the windshield. Takes the bugs off and leaves absolutely no streaks. At $7.00 / gallon @ Walmart it is very affordable. Good product.
 
honsfun said:
i use Pledge spray, all surface cleaner Cheap and available everywhere
Click to expand...

Yup, same here, clean the entire bike with it, have not put a drop of water on it since I bought it 3 months ago. Used in on my previous bikes, airplane canopies, etc. Cheap, works like Plex, plus it smells good and leaves a nice light coat of wax on the windshield, which helps keep it clean.
 
trikermutha said:
Yes I used a mild grey bar type and plenty of lubricant or even car wash with lots of suds.

I dont find it abrasive at all and it used a little piece of the bar at s time. Did my whole truck with a small chunk of the bar.
Click to expand...

When I bought my current Spyder (used) it had a lot of hard water spots on it. I tried Meguiar's Clay Bar Kit - gray clay plus detailer spray and a microfiber cloth - and it helped smooth the surface but did not remove the calcium. I agree it doesn't seem abrasive providing the clay doesn't get full of grit lifted from the surface.

The only thing I found that fully removed the water spots was Griot's Garage Correcting Cream. It seems to be minimally abrasive as long as you don't rub too hard. The paint and Tupperware survived in excellent shape. All I needed after that was a good coat of wax. I've become a Griot's fan after that experiment.

To answer the original question, I've had very good luck with Harley-Davidson Quick Wash and their Gloss Detailer. Both products can be used on all surfaces, from paint to chrome to vinyl and leather. Not exactly cheap but great results.

Before and after Griot's:
Before.jpg After.jpg
 
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RideOn said:
When I bought my current Spyder (used) it had a lot of hard water spots on it. I tried Meguiar's Clay Bar Kit - gray clay plus detailer spray and a microfiber cloth - and it helped smooth the surface but did not remove the calcium. I agree it doesn't seem abrasive providing the clay doesn't get full of grit lifted from the surface.

The only thing I found that fully removed the water spots was Griot's Garage Correcting Cream. It seems to be minimally abrasive as long as you don't rub too hard. The paint and Tupperware survived in excellent shape. All I needed after that was a good coat of wax. I've become a Griot's fan after that experiment.

To answer the original question, I've had very good luck with Harley-Davidson Quick Wash and their Gloss Detailer. Both products can be used on all surfaces, from paint to chrome to vinyl and leather. Not exactly cheap but great results.

Before and after Griot's:
View attachment 183048 View attachment 183049
Click to expand...

Gads - over here our water goes up to 44gpg/700+ppm hardness. It is absolutely *required* to rinse with deionized "spot-free" water - otherwise it's spot city in just one wash.
 
SuperG said:
Gads - over here our water goes up to 44gpg/700+ppm hardness. It is absolutely *required* to rinse with deionized "spot-free" water - otherwise it's spot city in just one wash.
Click to expand...

Yes I figure that's how the spots got on there originally. Central Valley California water is sometimes called "liquid rock" because it's so hard.
;)
 
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