i bought an 02 standard with a raw aluminum engine from someone who rode the bike a lot and never really cleaned it... the engine looks dirty and i was wondering what would be a good cleaner for it... i went to my local dealer and almost every heavy duty cleaner they had said it couldnt be used on raw aluminum... has anyone out there had good luck with anything? thanks

 

Through my experiences i have found that citric acid works great, you should be able to find it at any cleaners wholesale, we use Hotsy brand, called Hotsy 99. Don't use anything of a hotter acid than citric though, and concentrate it with a little bit of water, it will clean everything on the bike without damaging it.Wear gloves and use it on every part, chrome, paint, and all aluminum with a wash mit. Be mindful that ittakes awhile to get it all rinsed off so be generous when rinsing the bike. After that, wax the paint and chrome, and ride.

 

While I dont have the same engine situation as you, I have used a product called Simple Green with very good results.

 

S100 Engine Brightener works great, but its notcheap.

 

I second Simple Green- works excellent and cheap.

 

thanks for the advice... simple green used to leave a haze on my camaro's merican racing wheels so i wasnt sure... i bought some s110 cleaner but not the engine brightener, isnt that for black engines? does it work on the raw aluminum engines too?

 

Try Pig Snot. I've heard it works really well.

 

Uhhh- Below is a quote directly from the Corporate Simple Green website.

"Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process.....Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation."


http://gsa.simplegreen.com/gsa_faqs.php

 

One of the best products for cleaning that dull looking finish is brake cleaner. You can buy it fairly reasonable in a spray can. Its especially good after doing an oil change to get any oil off the cases around the filter.

Also if you have a primary cover thats really dull you can get paint from HD called "bead blast" that makes the finish look new again. Its a bit expensive in my opinion and might be a pain to mask on the whole engine, but works great on primary covers and such that you can remove and repaint. Make sure its warm enough to paint and shake that can real well to mix.

http://www.latus-harley-davidson.com...BEAD-BLAST.htm

Be very carefull not to use a cleaner thats too strong ! It will "stain" the finish permanently.(speaking from my own stupid experience) I'd try any cleaner your going to use on an inconspicuous area first.

Have fun!

 

I heard WD-40 works good on the black parts of the engine stacks.