Cleaning s4r

[limpetminer]

I have recently purchased an immaculate 2004 S4R which i am trying hard to keep in good nick & was wondering which is the best thing for cleaning & protecting the paint on the engine cases & the anodised alloy parts. iI have been wiping them with wd 40 but wonder if there is something better i could use.

[utopia]

There are all sorts of fancy cleaning products out there but they mostly seem to just offer a bit more convenience rather than actually working any better.
And many of them have a downside of harming the finish if you leave them on too long.
Personally I don't bother with any of them.
WD40 is probably quite a decent option but I prefer GT85 myself .....it leaves a trace of PTFE, which helps to stop the muck sticking.....and it smells nicer.
Some folk swear by Vulcanet wipes, but they seem like an overly expensive option to me.
GT85 sprayed onto a kitchen towel (4 rolls for a quid at the local discount store) works fine on my bike.
Keep it off the discs though, obviously. A cheap plastic shower cap makes a useful disc cover.
I also keep it off any rubber components as some say it degrades them, but the jury's still out on that one.

[J.P]

Every time you take it out, on return give it a hose down with water, especially on the engine and a spray of neutralizer. WD40, F365, loads of other things, but you just have to keep on top of it to keep it immaculate that's all. I didn't do much of that with mine. :)

[Fatal]

I use ACF50, works well for me

Alan H

[Dirty]

Learn to love the dirt :)

[Akita Boy]

Every time you take it out, on return give it a hose down with water, especially on the engine and a spray of neutralizer. WD40, F365, loads of other things, but you just have to keep on top of it to keep it immaculate that's all. I didn't do much of that with mine. :)

Or just get Jeeves to do it!

[lewis]

I've always used wd 40 for cleaning everything on the bike minus paintwork, plastics etc, it works well so I've never bothered to try anything else.

[Leamreject]

I've spent years detailing multi million pound jets with some very fancy paintwork and bikes are no different... the best thing to clean it is plenty of warm soapy water using a clean microfiber sponge and do it frequently. This gets all of the dirt/flies off. You can then dry it off with another microfiber cloth and if you want give it a coat with light oil like WD40 but a can of spray furniture polish works just as well and is much better value.

Also... try spray furniture polish to get chain oil off your rear wheel you wont waste your money again...