Last Saturday, June 21st, was the first day of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere.
How should one celebrate I pondered. Well, since Troubadour was teaching another Team Oregon class, I decided the first thing to do was ride to coffee.
Seven bikes made an appearance. Only one non-rider attended, but he was in his swanky blue Lotus heading to a car show in Grand Ronde, so he was forgiven.
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| (Triumphs always seem to outnumber the others) |
I arrived home from coffee just before noon and by then the temperature warmed up considerably. It went from a cool 54˚F (12˚C) ride to coffee, to a toasty 75˚F (23.8˚C) ride home.
Now, since it was the first day of summer and I really didn't have any other plans, I decided to give Max his annual bath. Yes, I said annual. I thought it was a good time to rid him of the winter road grime and protective layer of insect carcasses and bug splatter.
Turns out he shines up pretty nice.
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| (Max, all shiny and clean - for now) |
I used Ice carwash by Turtle wax and a microfiber cloth and toothbrush to clean the grime off, then dried it with another microfiber cloth.
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| (Photo by Motorcycle Superstore) |
The pièce de résistance was using Troubadour's super duper clear coat in a can. A year or two ago he discovered Maxima SC1 Silicone Detailer, "New bike in a can" and man is it nice stuff. Spray it on, wait 30 seconds, buff to a shine.
It can be used on plastic, fiberglass, and painted surfaces. I made sure to stay away from the seat, don't want that too slippery.
If you've never used it, you might want to give it a try. It contains silicone (just as the name suggests) and "prevents mud and dirt from adhering to plastic" and "leaves a dry film to protect against the elements." So far Troubadour has had no issues when used on his bikes so I thought I'd give it a try.
I liked how it made the hand guards look new as well as the black plastic turn signal housings and the black plastic on the radiator guards. +1 and recommended.
Now....... just to find time to get out and ride and see how much dirt and/or bugs stick to the bike. Challenge accepted.
- Au Revoir
" In winter I get up at night, and dress by yellow candlelight. In summer quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day." - Robert Louis Stevenson
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Thanks Brandy, I'll have to see if Canadian Tire stocks that.
ReplyDeleteThey just might have it. If not the inter web does. Sure does make the plastic look nice.
DeleteTrobairitz
ReplyDeletemicrofiber cloths are definitely the key to swirl-less polishing of one's motorcycle's paintwork. We have something called Plexus here that does a great job on painted plastic parts and from what I can tell, metal parts as well. You do have to buff it well or it will show as a film on the surface. Works marvelously though for a nice shine.
Now some Lemon Pledge on your helmet visor and you're good to go for the next rain storm.
We seem to buy microfiber cloths in bulk. use them in the house and the garage.
DeleteI think Brad has a small travel size spray bottle of Plexus in the garage too. They have a visor spray if I remember right. I haven't tried the Pledge treatment on the helmet visor, but thanks for the tip.
Trobairitz:
ReplyDeleteWished you lived closer. I would like to drop my bike off for it's bi-annual wash and pick it up later. My Vstrom has not been washed since I came back from iMBC2012 and I didn't really use it last year. Washing would be fairly easy but I need varsol to clean up all the lube mess on the rear tire and back end of the bike.
My 1st day of summer was pedal bike day . . . will have to check into that silicone detailer
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Think of it as a protective layer of grime.
DeleteTruth be told, this is the first time I've ever washed Max. Brad has always given him a quick wash after doing his bike. Yeah, I am that spoiled.
Trobairitz:
DeleteOh Oh, I forgot about that. Max also parks himself and turns around too
It's nice to be spoiled . . .
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Ahh the annual bath, I need to do a bit of detailing on Scarlet. I think I am going to look for the goop in a can and give it a whirl. Glad you got out to enjoy the summer. I went for a long ride on Saturday night to celebrate the solistice or is it Equinox? I can never remember.
ReplyDeleteIt is the Solstice. A time to dance through the forest to the light of the moon........ or do as the ancient Celtics and paint yourself blue and dance naked. You first.
DeleteLooks good. I give the Bonneville a weekly rinse to keep salt air and rust at bay as much as possible. Its good to clean the bike though because that gives you a chance to spot any issues that might be developing, loose stuff and the like. Weekly? Fat chance.
ReplyDeleteRinsing weekly makes sense when living right by the ocean. People on the coast here might do that as well because of sea spray and salt air.
DeleteAnd I did find a few hex bolts loose and tightened them. I was checking some things as I went.
It looks like you are finally getting some beautiful weather! And I thought that your bike had "auto-wash", park it in front of the garage and it was clean and turned around the next time you wanted to go for a ride… ;-)
ReplyDeleteWere, were getting nice weather. Been raining yesterday and today. Supposed to rain tomorrow (of course because we have the day off together) Although it is supposed to be 80˚ come Monday.
DeleteSome times I do have "auto-wash" but it is the "auto turn around" I appreciate most. I can nose my bike into the garage and the next time I look it is pointing out. It is great.
I wanna see more bugs on Max!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, wonder if that silicone stuff would work on the V-Strom...
Patience young grasshopper. I could ride today but there wouldn't be any bugs, just road grime and spray from the rain.
DeleteBrad has used the spray on the black plastics on his Tiger and was very happy. I am sure it would work on the Strom. My hand guards are Strom guards.
Wow Bob hasn't washed his bike in 2 years. Sad....
ReplyDeleteIt summer and you still haven't been out riding yet, wtf?
It winter here and its still 10-23°C, still good riding weather.
Bob is worse than I am for washing bikes. Who knew.
DeleteJune is typically a wash (no pun intended) for riding. My seasonal allergies are at their peak and this year Brad teaches 4 out of 5 weekends in June. Between work and his teaching we haven't had a day to ride. I think we typically do most riding July, August, September, and into October. I need to plan a few routes so we don't play the "where do you want to go" game.
Your winter weather sounds great. Lucky sot.
What is this "wash" you speak of?
ReplyDeleteActually, after this last winter I had to give the Triumph a good wipedown. It had collected a thick layer of dust that was less road-warrior and more Nana's-attic.
I'm going to have to look for the Silicone Detailer. It sounds pretty super, and I suspect it'll work nicely on my cage, too.
Nana's attic, bahahaha. Sounds like some of the other things in our garage. We haven't tried it on the cage, but I bet it would work for it.
DeleteI'm with Lucky on the "wash" word......and you in the Pacific Northwest no less! :)
ReplyDeleteThat product looks interesting and is new to me, will have to give it a try since I need all the help I can get.
Must admit, I was a naysayer on the black and white checks; I'm being won over.
When we moved to Oregon we couldn't figure out why everyone's cars were dirty. Now we know. Oregonians think clean cars are cute. If the rain and road grime don't get them, the pollen blowing around will. Luckily they don't use salt on the roads here so it isn't as critical to wash them.
DeleteGlad the checks are starting to win you over. As PolarBear says, they look even better in person.
Trobairitz,
ReplyDeleteIt should be mandatory for every biker to ride on the first day of summer. Whether for coffee or just a nice ride to blow out the cobwebs.
Annual bike wash? That's a novel idea. I never thought your bike looked dirty so that was a surprise. I don't even know how many times I've washed my bike in the last year. It looks so much better when the chrome is all shined-up. I'm sure Max appreciated his annual bath,,,he does look sharp. Enjoy the Summer!
Cheers,
Curt
Live Free, Ride Hard. Be Happy.
When Max is really dirty I don't take any close ups. There were a lot of bugs on the radiator guards, hand guards, mirrors and headlight. There was also black splatters on everything from the de-icer on the roads on our Thanksgiving Day ride. I am sure I should have washed that off months ago for the health of the bike, but apparently I am lazy.
DeleteWhen Brad had his Triumph America cruiser he spent a lot of time shining chrome, not so much with the Tiger.
Lazy, no way! I've seen pictures of your garden. :-) ~ Curt
ReplyDeleteI dunno, can I still be lazy as I do hours of weeding and watering?
DeleteCool product! I will have to check it out for my SUV and bicycles too.
ReplyDeleteI "wash as I go" just the same way I "keep a clean house".
If I see dirt, grime, slime I clean it up right then and there.
If I don't see it, I don't worry about it!
Works for me!
I never thought about using it on the Subaru, but it just might work.
DeleteI am different with the bike and house. I try to keep the house spotless and clean, but don't ever really wash the bike - go figure.