I have an 02 Dyna Wide Glide that I acquired used. The rear spoke wheel has had no maintenance and has accumulated a lot of dirt, gunk, brake dust, etc. I have tried a bunch of stuff and nothing has worked as far a cleaning the wheel. It is going to take something pretty strong to clean this baby. As you guys know it is not easy to clean a really dirty wheel without removing it. I thought maybe some you have had the same problem and might have some ideas. It makes me sick to have such a cool bike and to have the back spoke rim looking so shity. Any ideas appreciated. Crazier Steve

 

Thats a good ? I'll be looking for answers

 

using a good chrome cleaner - I'm sure others can suggest brands, I can't think of any off the top of my head - smear some on to a clean shoelace. Make a full wrap around the spoke, and tug back and forth on each end. This works pretty well, but it gets tedious (SP?).

I've been thinking about getting one of those ***** that you connect to a drill. Seems like that would work pretty well also.

 

windex and brake cleaner

 

Shout(spray bottle), a hoseand a brush like this!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SM-Ar...spagenameZWD1V

So easy you'll be amazed. Guarantee you'll PM me and thank me! The crap practically falls off.

 

There are a lot of cleaners out there you can use. Simple green works well on really greasy dirty wheels. Nothing is going to work without some elbow grease. If you have a bike lift, you can jack it up and get a stool and work out on the wheels and tires. The trick with the shoe string works well after you get them cleaned up a little. I would use simple green and an old tooth brush or bottle brush. Harley makes a brush especially for spoke wheels. A lot of guys may disagree with me but I wax my wheels so the dirt comes off easier. Also once they are clean, you can keep them clean easier with a product called Bike Brite or with Pig Spit. To use the Bike Brite, just wet the wheels and spray it on let it sit for a few minutes and wash it off. It cuts through grease and road grime. Last but not least is to change to Lyndall(sp.) brake pads. The don't put out the dust that the Harley pads do and they stop your bike much better too.

 

+1 This was the best tip that I have ever received on this forum (and I have got alot of tips). Liquid shout will make your engine and spokes sparkle without working your butt off. I can wash and dry the bike in less than 20 minutes ever since I started using Shout.

 

If I Shout it out will the neighbors hear me? [8D]

I'm gonna try that next time I wash the bike.

 

glad to see people are paying attention....

 

Dependes on how clean you want to get the wheels. When they're that bad sometimes nothing brings them back. Plus they're in such a tight awkward place with the rotors and brake. Sounds like you're gonna have to take it off to do it right.