Christmas Gift Motorcycle Washing Soap

[patbrandon1]

Merry Christmas everyone.

My question is what you would recommend as the best top of the line motorcycle wash/soap?

My good friend just bought a 2020 Ducati Panigale and I want to give him a Christmas present that I think he'll find useful.

I just use Turtle Wax car wash on my Wing, (what do you use?) and it seems to work well. But I'm sure there are better choices out there and if you can tell me what you've used and like, and what you've used and dislike, it would save me a bunch of research, and I will possibly send you Christmas cookies that my lady friend cooked. (You wouldn't want ones that I cooked.)

I will also be giving him this brush that I use on my Wing... Mothers 155800 Long Handled Brush

Do you use a brush? What ones do you like? I like the Mothers one. Soft yet able to remove dirt without scratching.

Thanks for your time.

[Andy Cote]

I have one of those brushes but use a wash mitt most of the time.

For soap I use the no rinse product from Optimum. I really like the no rinse because of minimal water usage. You don't have to flood the bike to get the soap off; you don't waste a lot of water (environmentally friendly) and you can do the job inside, day or night, summer or winter.

https://www.autogeek.net/how-to-use-rinseless-wash.html

BTW - I had an Amethyst Gray Interstate like yours. Sharp looker.

[Viking]

I use Meguires carwash soap - probably almost the same thing as your Turtle Wax soap. I also use a wash mitt. If the bike is really buggy and dirty, then I use S100 cycle cleaner, spray on, give it a wipe and rinse off. Gotta rinse that one real well near anything that gets hot or you smell it for a while, but it does the job. Then I wax it with Lemon Pledge. The pledge also makes the bugs come off easier at next wash time.

[blupupher]

Pro Honda Spray Cleaner and Polish.

I was skeptical about it, but the previous owner of my bike said that is all he ever used, even when the bike was filthy.
You can't tell my bike is 25 years old (most that know nothing about bikes think it is less than 5).
After I had washed my bike 2-3 times the "traditional" way with soap and water, then a manual wax, I broke down and bought the spray.
I will only use a soap and bucket on the bike again if it gets totally caked in mud or grime, otherwise, it is the Spray Cleaner. I can have my bike "clean enough" in about 5 minutes if kind of dirty. 10 minutes for a better detail.

Plus the stuff smells good.

[patbrandon1]

Pro Honda Spray Cleaner and Polish.

I will only use a soap and bucket on the bike again if it gets totally caked in mud or grime, otherwise, it is the Spray Cleaner. I can have my bike "clean enough" in about 5 minutes if kind of dirty. 10 minutes for a better detail.

Plus the stuff smells good.

I use that polish too. WingAdmin (Scott) had posted about the stuff a while ago. A little more pricy than Behold or Pledge, but I find it's worth it. I did finally use it on my wind screen, as I was initially afraid it would dull or yellow the screen. But it didn't at all and helps with removing bugs the next time. But I mostly use it between a couple Mothers waxes a year. It does smell really good. They should make a candle scented with that scent.

But I have a question about your method. Do you rinse the bike down to remove the dust and dirt first before you hit it with the Honda Pro polish?

Thanks for your reply.

[newday777]

I have a partial gallon of California Gold car wash that was a actual middle of the road find, on a busy street coming to a traffic light that someone had left on their roof/truck bed???? It had a hole puncture near the neck, (that had leaked out some product), which I sealed with silicone. It has worked great for the price.....
And I use used socks as a wash mit(old school....).
A brush on wheels is ok but I'm not sold on a brush on painted surfaces.....
I follow up with Honda Polish or the Original Polish(same product).
On a new bike I would highly recommend a coating of Ceramic Paint protection(professional quality). I have a friend that had his new 2018 wing ceramic coated(professional done) a month after buying his bike. The red color just popped in a brilliant shine, a night and day difference to my eyes. Water spots(rain drops) and road grime rinsed off easily.

[C-dub]

I washed my Wing for the first time after a recent trip where I ended up off road for 20+ miles. I had no idea how dirty it had gotten until the next day in the light. WOW

Then I thought most of that would be washed away in the rain the next morning. Two days later, at home, it was still filthy. I broke down and bought me a really soft car washing brush, put some Dawn dish soap in a bucket with some water, and proceeded to rinse the Wing with a misting hose attachment. Then I took the brush, dipped it in the bucket, and brushed as much of the Wing as I could. I rinsed it off quickly with the mist thing and then dried it as much as I could with some microfiber towels. After it was dry I went over it with the Honda Pro Spray. For the seats I tried a bottle Maguire's leather & vinyl cleaner and a bottle of Maguire's leather conditioner that's been working pretty well so far. Then I also have this black plastic restorer stuff from Car Guy's. Before I got a half cover I began noticing some slight fading on some of the black plastic surfaces I didn't usually hit with the Honda cleaner. I use that and the seat stuff 2-3 times a year.

[blupupher]

...
But I have a question about your method. Do you rinse the bike down to remove the dust and dirt first before you hit it with the Honda Pro polish?

Thanks for your reply.

Since I have starting using the Honda Spray, my bike has not gotten dirty enough for me to worry about a pre rinse.
It has been "dirty", but I just sprayed it with the Honda Spray, let it sit for a minute or so, then wiped it all off with a microfiber. Once done with the whole bike, I do a second "quick" spray and wipe down to get any missed spots and get a shine on it.

[patbrandon1]

I washed my Wing for the first time after a recent trip where I ended up off road for 20+ miles. I had no idea how dirty it had gotten until the next day in the light. WOW

I broke down and bought me a really soft car washing brush, put some Dawn dish soap in a bucket with some water, and proceeded to rinse the Wing with a misting hose attachment.

Thanks for the great input, very helpful. But one thing I want to mention that might be useful to people is that many dish soaps contain a bit of salt in them to increase scouring power while doing dishes. I saw that on Auto Week on PBS. Not sure how accurate that is, but just to be safe, I now use dedicated auto wash. The salt (if it actually is in the dish soap) would probably be a little too abrasive for my handsome Wing, and eventually cause some scratching.

Thanks again for a great reply.

[C-dub]

I washed my Wing for the first time after a recent trip where I ended up off road for 20+ miles. I had no idea how dirty it had gotten until the next day in the light. WOW

I broke down and bought me a really soft car washing brush, put some Dawn dish soap in a bucket with some water, and proceeded to rinse the Wing with a misting hose attachment.

Thanks for the great input, very helpful. But one thing I want to mention that might be useful to people is that many dish soaps contain a bit of salt in them to increase scouring power while doing dishes. I saw that on Auto Week on PBS. Not sure how accurate that is, but just to be safe, I now use dedicated auto wash. The salt (if it actually is in the dish soap) would probably be a little too abrasive for my handsome Wing, and eventually cause some scratching.

Thanks again for a great reply.

I wondered about that for this, but figured since I would be rinsing immediately it hopefully wouldn't be an issue. I also remember that Dawn dish soap is used for birds and animals when washing off oil from spills that animals got caught in. Apparently, it is good and also delicate enough for use with the animals. Additionally, my solution was not very heavy also in hopes to avoid any issues like what you describe just in case.

[blupupher]

Dish soap is not a good vehicle wash soap. It is to harsh. It will remove any wax on the paint and leave it unprotected.

If you use a dish soap, you need to apply wax right afterwards to keep the paint protected.
Car detailers use it a lot because it makes claying the car easier, and they will be adding a protectant coat after washing.

[C-dub]

Dish soap is not a good vehicle wash soap. It is to harsh. It will remove any wax on the paint and leave it unprotected.

If you use a dish soap, you need to apply wax right afterwards to keep the paint protected.
Car detailers use it a lot because it makes claying the car easier, and they will be adding a protectant coat after washing.

I hope the Honda Spray is adequate for that. After drying it all off I reapplied Honda Spray to all the appropriate surfaces.

[blupupher]

Dish soap is not a good vehicle wash soap. It is to harsh. It will remove any wax on the paint and leave it unprotected.

If you use a dish soap, you need to apply wax right afterwards to keep the paint protected.
Car detailers use it a lot because it makes claying the car easier, and they will be adding a protectant coat after washing.

I hope the Honda Spray is adequate for that. After drying it all off I reapplied Honda Spray to all the appropriate surfaces.

A heavy coat allowed to sit for a few minutes before wiping and buffing should be OK.

[mterraci]

I've used the Pro Honda Spray Cleaner and Polish for years.
Works great, easy to use. 1 can lasts a long time. My Goldwing is a 2007; I still get compliments on how good the paint looks.

[C-dub]

Dish soap is not a good vehicle wash soap. It is to harsh. It will remove any wax on the paint and leave it unprotected.

If you use a dish soap, you need to apply wax right afterwards to keep the paint protected.
Car detailers use it a lot because it makes claying the car easier, and they will be adding a protectant coat after washing.

I hope the Honda Spray is adequate for that. After drying it all off I reapplied Honda Spray to all the appropriate surfaces.

A heavy coat allowed to sit for a few minutes before wiping and buffing should be OK.

Sounds good. Since this was my Wing's first official "wash" I guess I should get something more suitable in case I need to do it again. After looking a little and since I already like Maguire's stuff for my seat I'll get some of their wash, which is also supposed to be pretty decent, and give that a try. I'll give it another coat of the Honda Spray this week. Besides, weather wise and for other holiday related reasons I'll be driving and the Wing is safe in the garage this week.

[autonoob]

My dad prefers Finish Line products for his motorcycle. He bought the Care Value Pack during the Black Friday sale and so far it does its purpose when cleaning his motorcycle.

[WingAdmin]

Whatever you do, NEVER pressure wash your bike!

How to destroy your Goldwing

[patbrandon1]

Whatever you do, NEVER pressure wash your bike!

There probably people that are newer to owning a Wing, or any other motorcycle, that don't understand the harm that power washing their bike is harmful and why.

It might be useful info for newer, (or misinformed) owners to be able to view a topic in "Tech Talk" or "Goldwing Chat" about Why It's Bad to Power Wash Your Motorcycle.

I did a quick internet search about why it's bad to power wash a motorcycle, and this was the first thing that popped up...
Is it OK to power wash a motorcycle?
“If your bike is really dirty, you can use a pressure washer to get the worst of the grime off. But, be careful. Motorcycles are water resistant, not waterproof. Use high pressure water for the wheel rims and under the fenders, but be careful around the engine, where the electronics are."

I never power wash, even the rims or under the fenders. I believe that power washing the wheels can ruin or crack the valve stems, or other delicate wheel parts. Plus, there is no actual advantage worth a power wash that would outweigh the problems that will happen. It really isn't that hard to clean my Wing without the blast of a power washer. Even at 63 years old, I can bend down enough, long enough, with a cleaning mitt and good bike soap, and get it plenty clean.

But I digress, and want to know if you Scott, WingAdmin, would think that a blurb about the hazards of power washing would be a useful topic to add somewhere on your site? I can help look up info if you need it. I know you spend a bunch of time making this a great site, and anything I can do to help would be my pleasure.

[WingAdmin]

Pressure washing the wheels can force water in past the bearing seals and cause bearing failure.

Basically, just keep pressure washers away from your bike.

[tamathumper]

I'm still over here wondering what "motorcycle washing" is...?

[patbrandon1]

I'm still over here wondering what "motorcycle washing" is...?

I'm not sure why, but your comment made me wonder if anybody ever took their motorcycle through a drive thru car wash.

[rdurost]

You can bet that more than a few Somebodies have done it over the years--the question is, was there video?

[rstoops1]

I don't use soap as a general rule. I get a bucket of hot water, a wash rag and a towel. I wash a panel at a time and towel it off, this includes the shiny metal also. Perhaps twice a summer I will use a hose and a bucket of hot water to get all of the joints clean. My bike is a Yellow 1800 abs and still looks new. My method takes about 20 minutes and makes it look new again.

I never thought of using furniture polish on the finish, although I use it all the time on the windshield. Have to try it sometime.

[emwarrenfeltz]

If the bike is not too dirty, I use one of those Windex bottles that attaches to the garden hose filled with Turtle Wax Car Wash or other car wash product. I use the 'Rinse' position on the bottle first to wet the bike, and then switch over to the 'Wash' position that dispenses soap with the water and soaps up the bike. Usually have to scrub some bugs off the windscreen, but most other dirt rinses off after the soap application with no scrubbing.

Dry the bike with microfiber towels, spray a little car wax from about any manufacturer, wipe it off, and it is ready and shiny for the next ride. I am done in 20 minutes.

[Ballbuster1959]

Well I guess I am the the odd ball here, I only use good old Distilled H2O with a Microfiber cloth and dry with one as well. Then when needed I use CMX spray coating, ( usually every 3rd wash). I also only use the H2O on the windshield.