How do you remove grease from the engine and swing arm?

Have you tried that product called Simple Green? It is non toxic and you can get it in a spray bottle or in a concentrated form that you mix with water. You spray it on, wipe with a cloth and hose it off, then dry your bike. But if you have serious, serious grease and oil problems, use Gunk. It is an aerosol degreaser that you spray on and wash off, but it is toxic and if you let it sit for a time it can be bad on rubber parts. I'd try Simple Green first, Gunk only if you are careful. Both can be found every where.

Simple green and water 50 - 50 ought to do it. Otherwise there are a lot of degreasers out there at your local auto parts store.

Use WD-40. Simple Green is corrosive on Aluminum.

LJB 8)

Another thing that works great is carb cleaner but like gunk mentioned above be careful as it can be bad for anodized parts.

what about that S100 stuff people like talking about?

desmolvr said:

Another thing that works great is carb cleaner but like gunk mentioned above be careful as it can be bad for anodized parts.

Click to expand...

Nope. Carb Cleaners are WAY too strong. Aggressive agents will strip the finish.

You have to emulsify the grease so it floats off, NOT attack it with agents designed to eat carbon or varnish off a fuel system component.

LJB

M3-SRT8 said:

Nope. Carb Cleaners are WAY too strong. Aggressive agents will strip the finish.

You have to emulsify the grease so it floats off, NOT attack it with agents designed to eat carbon or varnish off a fuel system component.

LJB

Click to expand...

Very true. I use a brake cleaner sometimes but I'm very careful with where I spray & how much I spray. I rinse with water immediately. That brake cleaner also has the thin red tube that directs the aim of the spray better. I only use it sparingly, once in a while. Simple green as directed with immediate water rinse is better.

M3-SRT8 said:

Use WD-40. Simple Green is corrosive on Aluminum.

LJB 8)

Click to expand...

Thats why it's so effective... you can sort of burn away the top layer of the AL, leaving behind clean, fresh, shiny AL.

Honda Detail Wax is man's greatest invention.

Strong enough to desolve ANYTHING, yet leaves a wax coating behind and is safe enough to spray on your gas tank and leave a brilliant shine behind.

It will take that grease off lickety split.

This stuff was created by God himself.

http://powersports.honda.com/the_go...artValue=Spray+Cleaner+&+Polish&TheGoodsDir=3

Scrufdog said:

what about that S100 stuff people like talking about?

Click to expand...

Yes, S-100 Total Bike Cleaner works well for this and all bike cleaning tasks. If you've got a serious buildup, you'll want to hit it with a sponge rather than just spraying it off.

Adam in MO said:

Thats why it's so effective... you can sort of burn away the top layer of the AL, leaving behind clean, fresh, shiny AL.

Click to expand...

Which promptly oxidizes...

Aluminum, be it castings, extrusions, etc., have a protective coating to keep it from "Oatmealing", which is the white stuff formed by oxidation.

Leave it be.

LJB 8)

use the orange based cleaners, spray on, scrub with nylon brush and rinse off. doesnt hurt the finish of the aluminum and takes chain lube, brake dust and road grime off quickly. if the motor is stained anything agressive will eat the paint right off. S100 is a good overall cleaner but if you use it alot it leaves a white powder type residue and loves to stick to bolt heads. not fun when doing repairs or maintenance.

I use TurtleWax engine cleaner and it cleans all that stuff very nice. I used Gunk engine cleaner 3-4 times in the past but i noticed a slight discoloration in the engine/engine case so i stopped using it and went back again to TurtleWax.

Scrufdog said:

what about that S100 stuff people like talking about?

Click to expand...

+1

I find furniture polish takes grease off pretty well.
works well on wheels.
ie. Mr sheen or pledge.

Ditto on the Pledge.

Kerosene.

New formula Simple Green (is non corrosive to Aluminium. "Aircraft Grade")

Elbow Grease.


All the above work for me

NO FAIR! I invented the idea of using Pledge on my bike. So I thought anyway. I tell everyone about it and they all laugh at amazement. I say, if it's safe enough to use on 500 thousand dollar mahogony furniture then surely it's safe enough for clear coat.

Pledge, like Honda Detail Wax, is a miracle cleaner/waxer that can be used on anything.

A little warning about Simple Green from my own past experiences...Simple Green is highly corrosive and after repeated uses can actually cause external damage to the engine and some components. We used to use Simple Green to clean engines on helicopters and after several repeated uses, it began to cause external damage to the engine. Just something to think about next time you use it...I recommend using basic Isopropyl Alcohol. It will cut through the grease that's on the bike and not harm any components in the process.