Question on cleaning wheels for R65LS owners

[Red_Hen]

Hi Gang and Happy July 4th!  

Very, very hot and humid here in the Middle West of America!

Cleaned Tina earlier today - can't believe all the dirt & grime on the white snowflake wheels - before washing her down, I soaked a paper towel with brake cleaner and carefully used my fingers and paper towel to tediously clean each crevice - not sure a toothbrush or Qtip would have done any better.

Interested to hear what works for you.

Thanks,

Ken

[Red_Hen]

Since no reports, I'll do some research:

I have a friend who is meticulous about cleaning his bikes - I'll ask him what he uses and share in case anyone else wants to know.

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Soap & water.  Either an auto specific detergent or Dawn.  Dawn is great at getting grunge and grime and is mild on paint.  It's not just for pelicans any more.

[k_enn]

<snip.  Dawn is great at getting grunge and grime and is mild on paint.  It's not just for pelicans any more.

LMAO

[EGRG]

I just used some liquid soap and water mixed in a manual spray bottle.  You can use a stiff paint brush to get into small areas.

[k_enn]

I used to use a product called P21S - a wheel cleaner - on my old Porsche.  It worked good, especially with a light brushing.  Here is a link to the product line.

http://www.p21s.com/products/products_main.html

I am not sure how it would work on the textured surface of a snowflake wheel.  It is supposed to be safe for most surfaces.

k_enn

[marcmax]

I have had mine powder coated white so they have a pretty smooth surface. Believe it or not I use a spray bottle of Windex and some paper towels. Oh and a handful of q-tips for the places my fat fingers can't quite fit into.

[Red_Hen]

Thanks guys - cleaning the wheels is easy as my wheels are also painted white (however they came stock).  It's just getting into the crevices and awkward angles and there are so many.

I also noticed a lot more grime emitted from the engine/exhaust than on my K75s - no leaks or anything, just more gunk.

[suecanada]

LRB's white LS rims are powdercoated as well so dirt seems to not stick. I keep at those wheels pretty steadily. It's my job!   I find a wet microfibre cloth well wrung out works for most of the brake dust and road grime. WD 40 gets the tougher stuff and I wrap the tapered end of a thin paint brush handle with the microfibre cloth to get into those finicky crevasses. Keeping at it so it doesn't get ahead of you seems to be the trick unless you have a good stool and plenty of time.
It is a very rewarding job at least  

[bruce_launceston]

Note to Ken. BTW the LS wheels are not the 'snowflakes'. The snowflakes are the ones on all the other pre monoshock R series including the R65's.

And I just clean my LS wheels with a rag and carwash when I wash the bike. Mine are painted gloss black with 2 pack automotive paint so they are not porous.

As my LS is an '84 and was Henna Red the wheels were painted silver not white so they were slightly less prone to look dirty.

Cheers

[Barry]

The original finish on my Snowflakes is still very good other than a few scratches around the valve stem. The finish appears to be silver paint presumably with a clear top coat. Other than getting into the all the angles with a small brush there is no problem cleaning them with ordinary auto detergents.

[Red_Hen]

Thanks - Sue has it right - keeping our bikes clean in the first place helps lessen the time it takes to clean them up.  

I've always had a hard time with spokes and wheels like the LS has.  Just awkward that's all.  Maybe I'm a little lazy too!