Thruxton How Do You Clean Yours?

If you are going to ride it through a UK winter then CLEANING will take up a huge amount of your time. A better approach is to clean the bike throughly once, then lather it with all kinds of protective stuff (ACF50, XCP, grease etc) then just rinse it in plain water after a ride, and hope that all the slather stays on until the Spring. Which incidentally is the end of May or early June before the salt has finally been washed off the roads.
FWIW my experience is that misted acf50 is Ok in all the hidden away places but is gone in no time from exposed areas. So brake banjos, thinly painted naff brackets, bolt heads etc need painting with something like Moly 60 grease - it's dark grey so looks ok. I don't know how the spokes on the Thruxton are going to cope, but I do know the chain is poor. It rusts in no time compared to the aftermarket gold one I bought for my Honda Africa Twin. I'm inclined to let it rust through the winter (it's only outer plate surface rust), and then if it won't clean up in the Spring, I will buy a new gold one.
Mike

 

Hi and welcome. Yes owning a Thruxton does require a very good cleaning regime. As has been said ACF50 or other similar products is essential if you are going to ride through the winter months. You need to pay particular attention to the spokes and engine casings. Myself I put my Thruxton away for the winter and ride my tiger.

 

I always hated cleaning my bike, but since coming across uncle Stu on YouTube, I enjoy giving my bike the “full Fillingham” every once in a while. Definitely worth it.

 

I typically hire a detailer once every 6 months. When it starts looking like shit I'll give it a once-over lathering with warm water, Johnson's Baby Shampoo and a soft brush to get it through to the next detailing, since that's not cheap. Be sure to dry it off reasonably well to prevent water spots, especially the shinier bits. Works really well for the shorter term. 20 min tops are you're done.

 

Do you know of any detailers in north east England. I mean guys (or girls) who can return a bike to showroom condition. I can only find the acf50 sort of guys who come with their own snow foam machine and an acf50 (or these days XCP) misting machine. But they are only trying to protect your bike and not detail it .... and they certainly don;t pay much attention to the wheels spokes and disks.
Glad you mentioned the johnsons Baby shampoo as I discovered some in the bathroom cupboard and will give that a try. My gut feel though is that it will remove the acf50 protection that's on and probably the xcp. It won't take off the painted-on moly 60 grease, but it's still a big job re-applying acf50.
My bike was really really well covered in acf50 by the dealer at my request. So much so that I had to go over the whole bike with a microfibre cloth (soaked in acf50) to take off the excess. When I had finished every surface had a light sheen and if you rubbed your finger along a spoke or an engine case that sheen transferred to your finger. However aafter a couple of recent rides both of which were through occasional salty slicks on country roads, that sheen has gone and the spokes and casings are bone dry. Worse - they are encrusted with crud which doesnt come off with either a 20 minute spraying from the garden hose or a gentle power wash (where the washer produces a dense mist from about 6 ft away - not an attempt to blast it off).
So I am unsure whether the crud is on top of a protective layer, or whether the protective acf50 was washed off and the salt is eating my bike
Mike

 

@Mike5100

Sorry, dude- I'm in the States. I learned about Johnson's from a Google search on another bike forum… can't remember which. One reason it is preferred by some is that it is a gentle emulsifier. Takes off non-bonded films and unwanted oily deposits without leaving any residue. I think you'd be good on the removal off anti-corrosion compounds but don't quote me on that. Those treatments are only supposed to last something like a year anyway. Unfortunately if you live near the ocean you're going to have to get used to an elevated care program no matter what, and hopefully you're able to maintain it fully garage-kept. I had a Harley with a bit of chrome on it for years while living 2-5 miles from the sea and keeping the corrosion at bay was a pain in the ass. I was of limited means back then and it was car port kept(covered, non-enclosed) at best so it was constantly exposed to the salt air. I live 2 hours inland now in the hills so that's not a problem.



Just Google the topic and you'll get droves of pointers.

 

As much as we all dislike cleaning bikes, to ignore would be folly, a pride of joy would soon turn to a rust heap in our British climate. Personally I use what's in the photo. Triumph recommend muc off for their machines. Matt Black bikes take note.

 

BT81
Welcome to the family. Cleaning can be a bit of a pain. Luckily i like my bikes clean and wash and wax every week. the chain i do every month with an old toothbrush and 90 oil. Seems to do the trick. Do hit the upload a file button and show the inmates the steed.
Joe

 

I use S100, I just spray it on a wet sponge do a few parts rinse well. The spokes are a whole different animal, that requires kneeling down and going at it with a scotch bright pad and soapy water.

 

I dont like cleaning bikes so just bring it to the local detailer once a month.