Cleaning barn find

I just acquired a '95 750 with 9K miles....it apparently sat out in the Arizona sun for like 15 years. So far, plastics have been re-conditioned and primed, engine gone through and runs great...new stainless header and Two Bros carbon can, high flow air box, jet kit. Big rear tire, too. The areas under farings and seat are filthy. What is the best way to clean it? Easy use of sprayer at self serve car wash? Steam clean? Advice appreciated.

 

Garden hose with a spray attachment, some sponges, and maybe some soft bristle brushes (a small paint brush works great) for the nooks and crannies.

High pressure washer may not be the best for the sensitive parts under the fairings. When I take my bike to the car wash, I either don't pull the trigger and just let the pressure it has do the washing, or I stand about 5' back from the bike so the pressure isn't so much once it reaches the bike.

 

If you take it to the car wash, stand back and use the rinse cycle only, high pressure soap will get into places you don't want it and corrode. I took my 83 to the coin op after sitting for 15 years in my own garage, lots of dust and dirt. Then I used a paint brush and simple green to finish the job.

 

Well hate to rain on folks cleaning methods. But if at all possible do not use high pressure water any where near the re sub frame, or under the tank, or behind the wind screen. 90% of the electrical connections can't handle water, that's the biggest reason why the RR fails here. and even then one must be careful with the whole bike. it just amazes me how any one can not figure this out that most electrical issues came from the pesty H2O. that being, if its really grimy dirty go ahead and do a quick hose it off, just watch out where you point it and no direct stream, then use a air compressor to give it a good blowing. Only time I use a hose was to back flush the radiator to get the bugs out as air pressure wouldn't do the trick. Even then to keep the water under control I made a nifty copper tube thing that work perfect . In the 42K with this particular VFR, it never had any electrical issues, I can only come to one conclusion no water was in harms way.

 

I took mine car wash because of where I live, with the drought we are not allowed to wash our cars at home. The car wash uses recycled water. I also did a complete tear down and restored as much as I could. I have been in electronics all my life, even as a kid growing up, so I am vary wary of dirt & corrosion in low voltage systems.

 

All my connectors are taken apart annually, cleaned, inspected, and dielectric grease reapplied to water proof them.

 

Cleaning a barn find might be just a skosh different than a wash job after a couple of trips to WalMart. If this bike has been sitting out in Arizona for that long there is sand everywhere. Also the OP states that the fairing is primed. It may well be the fairing is not on the bike.

 

q.e.d ...

 

Quis est qui inquit?

 

Ya, where them fuk pics

 

Obviously...

 

Got all ivy league in this thread lol

 

I'v been doing a restoration of my own this last weekend, a 1992 ST1100 that had been sitting unloved in a masonry contractor's yard for the last 8-10 years. I started with an outer surfaces wash soft soapy brush and hose) to get the worst grime off the bodywork, then pulled that off to clean the inside of the panels the same way. After that I hit the engine cases with degreaser, let that soak for a few minutes and scrubbed a few stubborn spots. I followed up with my pressure washer but was careful to keep that away from bearings and connectors, but it did a great job of getting all the accumulated crud off the frame, swingarm, engine, calipers and such. Finally I finished off the around the sensitive parts with the soft brush and soapy water, and gentle hose down.

After I was done, I towelled off the worst water, sprayed WD40 at the engine and silicone spray at the electrics/hoses etc.

I'd argue (hope) that Honda expected us to ride in the rain, hence I have always assumed that the electrics will cope with gentle hosing. So far (34 years) this has worked out for me...





I can't believe how small and sleek my VFR and VTR look compared to this beast...

 

I guess I have been washing mine all wrong for 197,000 km and shouldn't have ridden it that much in the rain. Maybe I will change but remember what they say about teaching old dogs new tricks.

 

Yeah, just what I meant, but more concise!

 

Texas league... One semester of Latin taught by a Jesuit was all I needed.. Switched to Spanish.

 

Pretty sure he was being semi-sarcastic. QED is usually used when writing a mathematical proof to indicate that the proof is herein complete. It is also used occasionally in formal logic, as well as by dipshit programmers on reddit that think they're math geniuses because they, and only they, took calculus.

 

Quis est qui inquit? Kinda sorta means, "Sez who!"

I know that I'd much rather find an old bike in a nice dry hay barn than a wet stinky pig barn.

Got some buds (bike dudes) that write game code at The House of Gates. Good guys.. Yeah, some programmers are dipshits.

One of the great stories about barn finds was North of Seattle. Short version.. Land was owned by a farmer. A bike enthusiast by trade a meter reader kept spotting various bikes (not running) on the property. The farmer was eccentric and ne deals were made. This went on for several years. The farmer passed and the bike guy bought all the bikes for very little from the family.

That one may be on Wet Leather.

I got a look one day at an apartment house basement on Queen Anne by a customer. Probably 40 bikes there, all old iron..

One of the MS whiz kids who probably aced calculus has 24 restored HD Knuckleheads.

 

Yep sounds like that one got what he deserved, "knuckleheads" sounds about right.