Just because it shines, doesn't mean there's wax. If it degreases, it probably, almost positively, removes wax also. If it's strong enough to take grease off.......

When I was younger, we used to use Dawn dishwashing liquid. We all thought it was great because the car shined so well. But.......

 

Yup. I remember doing that. Well, actually we used my mother's Tide washing powders. It will clean a car. It will strip e'erthang off of it. Back then it would. I don't even know if it will get clothes clean now.

 

Unless you're spraying high pressure water directly on to your gauges/electronics, I don't see the difference between washing the bike and riding through a heavy rain storm in terms of possible water damage. My bike gets so "buggy" that I have to presoak with Bug Remover and then wash with soap and water.

I immediately take the electric bike dryer and blow all the water out of the nooks and crannies and then hand dry the rest.

 

Hey guys, no kidding on the Hydrogen Proxide and water solution. I have never used anything that gets the bugs off better, and it is really cheap. Just spray it on and let set, maybe do this twice, no more than three times, then wipe off with a wet micro fiber. The bugs will fizz up just like when you pour hydrogen proxide on a cut.

Hey Dionicio, I will check that stuff out, thanks!

 

Don't use soap and water! I use whatever is needed to do the job at hand.Most of the time it is car wash,once in a while Simple Green with tooth brush for the drive train and bottom of bike.Then compresed air to get most of the liquid off.Really quite simple and takes very little time.The spring and put away for the season are the lengthy cleaning and polishing sessions.

 

I use a product called Bug Slide (from the dealer). Spray on and wipe off and it does an excellent job of shining the bike. It's always in the saddlebag with a couple micro fiber towels.

 

So why does the water stay beaded up on the painted surfaces after washing with simple green ?

 

I use Rejex on all non-porous surfaces including chrome. This treatment forms a coating that keeps bugs from sticking as much, and even works in areas infested with love bugs. After treatment, which I perform twice per year, I just use a moist microfiber cloth to wipe bugs off. In most cases they can be removed with only a few swipes from a California Duster, but love bugs require a bit more effort. It applies a coating that makes bug removal much easier than without it.

Rejex was developed for the aviation industry to make it easier to remove stains (exhaust, etc.) from airplane wings, etc., and it works very well for painted and chromed surfaces, even on the engine, as well as windshields. The gloss is as good as any wax product I've ever used, but application is a bit more involved. Surface temperature must be 85° or cooler and the application can't be subjected to sunlight or water for 12 hours. I just apply it in the garage after dusk in October and April when air temps are moderate, then let it cure overnight.

Here is the cheapest price I found on it, and supposedly some True Value hardware stores carry it, but I couldn't find any in my area.

 

soap acts as a lubricant, thats why it feels slippery. it makes the dirt particles slippery so it helps to reduce scratches.

 

I use bug melt!! watch them run off and wizard's mist and shine