I love this bike but what a pig to clean! And those black anodized wheels...

Sporall

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Never before have I had a bike that likes to cover itself in muck so much. It's ridiculous :eh
Far too many awkward to reach crevices too.

The most un-rewarding use of effort has to be the black anodized wheels, they just seem to stay stained. I've tried soapy water and a scotch pad type of thing but they're still not great. Does anyone have any pearls of wisdom regarding these? Right now I'm thinking I'll try and get a pair of cast wheels as I don't really go off road.

As for general cleaning, I think cleaning after every ride just now might be better substituted for a good bath in ACF50 but I can't help but be concerned about the amount of salt that's on the roads just now and I find myself cleaning it anyway. If it were just dirt and the bike was dry I'd find it easier to be more relaxed about it.
 
Sporall said:
Never before have I had a bike that likes to cover itself in muck so much. It's ridiculous :eh
Far too many awkward to reach crevices too.

The most un-rewarding use of effort has to be the black anodized wheels, they just seem to stay stained. I've tried soapy water and a scotch pad type of thing but they're still not great. Does anyone have any pearls of wisdom regarding these? Right now I'm thinking I'll try and get a pair of cast wheels as I don't really go off road.

As for general cleaning, I think cleaning after every ride just now might be better substituted for a good bath in ACF50 but I can't help but be concerned about the amount of salt that's on the roads just now and I find myself cleaning it anyway. If it were just dirt and the bike was dry I'd find it easier to be more relaxed about it.
Click to expand...

I swapped my black rims for the gold ones for the same reason , much less effort to clean and also seem to stay cleaner longer for some reason and always come up good as new.
 
A wee spray of wd40 into a clean cloth after you have washed your bike and rims are dry adds a nice sheen :thumb
 
Use Bilt Hamber wheel cleaner. When dry (as above) rub over with WD40.
Go easy with the pan scrubbers as some are very abrasive.
 
AberdeenAngus said:
Use Bilt Hamber wheel cleaner. When dry (as above) rub over with WD40.
Go easy with the pan scrubbers as some are very abrasive.
Click to expand...

Tried the BH cleaner, not much better than the oem stuff, and they still dont come that clean

I gave up in the end,

WYSWYG
 
stick said:
I swapped my black rims for the gold ones for the same reason , much less effort to clean and also seem to stay cleaner longer for some reason and always come up good as new.
Click to expand...

Perhaps I'll keep an eye open for some. In the meantime, WD40 seems to be the preferred choice so I'll have a go at that.
 
Scotchbrite ? :eek:

Noooooooooooo

That will feck them...... Nothing abrasive.
 
WD40 is fine, but there are various 'back to black' conditioners that actually work even better, such as S-Doc. Harley do something similar for restoring black engine cases.

Take great care with what products you use, whilst under warranty. For instance, the Mothership don't like Muc-off, yet it's used by many without issue, just provided it isn't left to dry. Then there are many acidic cleaners meant for removing brake dust from car wheels, that are to be avoided. Your rider's manual may well list what can/can't be used?
 
I find my 12150GS TE easy to clean as everything is exposed - I learnt my lesson about black spoked wheels on my previous 1200GS Rallye - black spoked wheels look great when new, but after that it's all down hill :)
 
Did anyone else also notice a lot of tar on the bikes this year. I am familiar with tar on cars in warmer climates but the amount of tar on my bike this year is unreal.
 
Yes, they have this matt, slightly textured finish that was an absolute pig to keep clean. The gloss spoked wheels on the 800GSA I replaced it with were a doddle in comparison, and as they were tubed, so no spokes laced to the outside of the rim, far easier to get clean once dirty. The gold Rims seemed a touch easier to clean, not sure why. However the silver spoked wheels that were an option on the 1200GS were even worse…
 
I use Motorex protect and shine on my wheels, don't need much and it's applied with a piece of soft sponge to make it easy to get around the spokes...
 
Neil W said:
Fit a set of gs alloys
Click to expand...

Agree with Neil W. Did 450 miles with the black wheels. Complete bollox to clean. Swapped to cast wheels.
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