Swing Arm Stains

Hey Guys,

what are you using to clean your swing arm? Mine is stained from the oil chain lube I used to use, I can't get it to come clean to save my life. Any suggestions?

I am afraid to use anything harsh b/c I don't want to discolor the aluminum, but it looks god-awful as is.

What do y'all think?

 

that pic doesn't do it justice, it looks like pure crap in person

 

WD40 works great, let it soak in and rub off. Won't harm the aluminum. Final rinse with soap and water.

 

Nice! I was putting it on then taking it right back off, I'll let it soak in this time- thanks !!

 

I used Maxxim cleaner supposes to be environmental friendly

 

+1 for what VFRcapn suggested. I might suggest you remove the rear wheel so that you don't run the risk of getting any WD40 on the rear wheel. Back when I first purchased my current bike I had some similar staining on my swingarm. I applied some WD40 and let it sit and soak overnight and then sprayed a little more on the next day and scrubbed the swingarm with a stiff nylon scrub brush (one of my wife's fingernail scrub brushes actually, and boy did I pay for that one) and used an old toothbrush for the smaller less accessible areas. Worked like a charm. After that I rinsed it off really well, being sure to keep water away from the front wheel (again to keep the WD40 away from the wheel) and then scrubbed it with some soap and water to get rid of the residue. Rinse and dry and you should be good to go.

 

I use Purple Power and a brush to degrease mine and it works well.

 

dawn fights grease

 

I do use WD40 for the tough stuff but I like Simple Green too. There's been some talk of Simple Green harming aluminum but I haven't had any problems so far. Works as well as WD40 at full strength, I don't let it stay on too long. Either one can take a couple applications.

 

+1 on WD40. But I got some cheapo 'Maintainance Spray' from a local hardware store so didn't care how much I used.

When I took my swingarm off I literally drowned the thing in the spray and let it sit over night. Then it looked as good as new after a wipe.

 

Just back from a 3 week - 4,000km run across Europe from the Alps to the UK for a massive loop around the country before taking the long way back to Chatel via Milau Viaduct, La Puy and Valence (to buy another motorbike). VFR was coated with a billion bugs and the back wheel and swing arm coated in grade one goop. Just shook the can and gave the bike a generous spray with Holts Motorbike Cleaner and Polisher. Then allowed a couple of minutes for it to soak in. Then it all washed off using a bucket and sponge - bike looks like I just bought it.

Amazing stuff and the small print says it won't harm rubber, plastics, glass or any metal components. Did exactly what it says on the tin, and surprisingly over here its cheaper than the own brand stuff sold by supermarkets like Carrefour. Try it - just don't breathe the fumes....:smile:




SkiMad

 

i use 50-50 mixture of kerosene and ATF. Cleans and leaves a protective film, very inexpensive.

 

Nice - -thank you all!!!