Ducati Monster Forum

How come everybody has a clean motor that post on here? My engine is filthy and without taking it out how do I clean it up? I've got some gunk engine cleaner (heavy duty) but am afraid to use it. Will it eat up the coating on the motor?

I'm old school.  A clean engine means you 1) care about the bike, and 2) makes any issue easier to spot since a weeping seal or premature wear is easier to notice.

I wouldn't use solvent-based cleaners unless you want to strip off the paint.  I'd opt for Simple Green or S-100 with a thorough rinsing afterward (yes, our bikes are designed to get wet despite their reputation).  When you're drying the bike, note any leaking seal areas.  Squirt WD-40 into any pivot areas to chase out water.  tension chain, check oil level and tire pressures.  Park lovingly in garage or living room until next ride.

I gonna give that a try when (if) it gets above freezing. I found out simple green doesnot work well after it freezes.  Knock on wood my monster is the only thing I have that doesn't leak

Non chlorinated break cleaner from auto zone. Then soap and water and finish with rubbing alcohol and micro fiber.  She sparkles. 

The simple green is no bueno for aluminum, I would stay away from it.

The pictures you see don't show every bit of grease and grime. 

sparkly clean is out of question for me.  it's a work bike and flogged hard as it should be.

i try to clean it but some of the valve cover discoloration is impossible to get off.  I know I am not riding her if she does not leak.  I have accepted that fact.  Both the dm620 and Triumph S3 leak leak leak no matter what.

Bad engine paint, heat and dirt spray  [thumbsdown] On the air cooled engines, I think it's part of the game.

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/frlakk.jpg)

Never had any issue with it on the five bikes I have.  The trick is to rinse absolutely completely, feeling for any slickness with your hands.

S-100 works just as good at 4x the price though.  Both basically cut through light filmy grease.  YMMV.

Stopintime, my engine makes yours look like it's off a show bike. I'll try to get a picture next time.

I ride everyday in NYC so it gets very dirty and it's hard to clean it every now and then since I don't have my own garage or space to clean it in. That, plus, the engine was already dirty enough from the last owner that I can't do much about it anymore :-\

I just deal with it by not caring too much and riding it  [Dolph]

That's what Photoshop is for.   [laugh]

S100, a little scrubbing, and plenty of rinse water.

It takes me 5 min after every ride with proper maintenance  :o

Diesel fuel to remove oil and grease, then plain old soap and water to finish.

the environment will thank you later. [cheeky]

You don't use gallons of it, just put it on the greasy bits with a paint brush.

I wouldn't agree with this completely. I care about my bike more than many people I know (especially the posers who keep their bikes spotless). When it comes to maintenance and keeping up with the ins-and-outs of my bikes, I tend to do more than most people I know. As for seeping seals, etc, If you look over your bikes constantly, like I do, you can tell when something is getting worse.

I rarely clean my bikes and generally will only clean the sections that I am working on. If I have time to clean a bike, I have time to ride it, and I choose to ride. Give you an idea of how my bikes often get, this is my 106k-mile Harley. It sure isn't a beauty queen (I've been watching the seals and gaskets gradually worsen over the last 60k miles). At the time this picture was taken, I think the bike had at least 20k miles on it since it was last washed...

(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/Kramer_Krazy/dirty_HD.jpg)

I use WD40 and tooth brush, then lots of detailer spray like Meguiars UQT. But I'm never sure if it is the best option.

I recently came across this series of motorcycle cleaning videos and the guys used a lot of WD. It seems to work well but make me nervous.

http://youtu.be/HREqf4wIukA (http://youtu.be/HREqf4wIukA)

I put a plastic bag on the air filter with a folded towel under it to catch any water that gets past (I've got a modified air box and lid). Plastic bags go over the controls and in the ends of the mufflers.

I use Kero and a paint brush for the chain, sprockets, swingarm and the general chain lube mess (careful not to get any on the rear disc and caliper).

Then I use a gentle degreaser on the rear wheel, engine casings (a toothbrush is great here) etc.

Then I use a watering can and a bucket with a soft cloth and good quality car wash to wash the rest of the bike. Pre-wetting and rinsing with the watering can.

Dry the whole thing with a good chamois.

Give the bike a ride around the block. Lube the chain, tension if necessary. Ride around the block again.

Clean my helmets (inc polishing), jackets and boots while I wait for the bike to cool down.

Once the bike has cooled down, I then clean the chain lube off the back wheel with waterless wash, polish the painted bits inc the frame, wheels, as much of the engine casings I can get to etc.


It usually takes about an 60-70mins and about 3 or 4 beers but it is my therapy. Then I have some more beer while I reflect on how much I love this bike, often followed by lots of photo taking.


(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7169/6444775077_ed8002c183.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ptkahl/6444775077/)

Some peanut butter on the Monster always works.


Wait do you have a dog??  I've said too much. ;D 

I'm glad you don't live near me or the EPA might come knocking down my door.  [evil]

I cover the sensitive parts (e.g., air box, instruments) with Dollar-store shower caps before washing - they come with built-in elastic bands  [thumbsup]

after the initial cleaning.......microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol.....vuala.
(http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq53/montey2005/0c8f3569.jpg)
and the chrome pig.....next time she'll be completely blacked out.  :o
(http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq53/montey2005/5c23c0ea.jpg)

It's just getting seasoned....

That would be respectable if it were bacon grease.   [bacon] [bacon] [bacon]

My bike isn't even a year old.  It should look reasonably new still I'd think.

Is that an S&S E series carb? I remember when they were all the rage.

My wife washes my bikes.  8)

[laugh] [laugh] [laugh]
yeah mine too..........not even her own.

Yeppers. I bought the bike in 1993 and immediately WASTED a lot of money on the bike. I put on the S&S, ported and polished the heads, larger intake valves, new cam, ignition module, S&S oil pump, and a few other goodies. I abused the cr@p out of the bike the first few years I had it, and then I geared it much taller, was getting 50-55 mpg with it, toured the country, and retired it as a commuter. It finally died on me last summer with 106k miles on it. I think it broke a ring because one cylinder doesn't have enough compression to fire. It needs a top-end, but I'm debating on whether it is worth it or not. The bike isn't worth a full engine rebuild, and I'm afraid after a top-end and re-establishing good compression, the bottom end may give out. It's had a fairly high amount of crankcase pressure for the last 50k or so, as can be told by the seepage of oil at the case gasket and base gaskets. It may be worth a $500 effort to see how many more miles I can get out of it, though.

That is why I prefer the old school of MC manufacturing. Raw aluminum...no silly painted aluminum. Shiny parts required regular polishing and rough, unpolished, cast parts just needed to be kept clean to look great. I use Gunk on all my motors, old and new but prefer the old ones for ease of cleaning...Though they do tend to weep oil more than the new Ducks and thus need cleaned more often.

Bean Clean does engines as well as chains and is biodegradable.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motorcycle-chain-cleaner/bean-clean/ (http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motorcycle-chain-cleaner/bean-clean/)
I'm a fan.

Shit, I've got a B-series on my Panhead.....  ;)

Nice. What year? Stock or custom? I had a 72 shovel custom with pan head front end and beautiful star hub.
B series, thats old school! I always liked the air cleaner too.

As far as cleaning goes, WD40, pressure wash carefully to selected areas, tooth brush, parts cleaner on the headers, Amourall on the black barrel paint, silicon and don't let it build up.

pig spit on the black barrel paint works wonders.  nothing to do but spray.

Custom. It's a shovel/pan mongrel.

More here: http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=42781.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=42781.0)

Bloody nice job, now thats my kind of custom., and the B series looks perfect on it. It sticks out with great effect!

Nice to see an example of DPs work too. Great work there.

Pans are the best looking Harley motor for sure.

Doesn't have to be ...

RED. ;D

What is a panhead front end?

Just the forks off a late panhead.

They had a beautiful tapered shape, and were wider apart with a great looking hub and axel set up. The hub had a bearing cover in the shape of a star. I painted the hub black and had the star and screws chromed. The bike was black with polished alloy primary and timing cases. Motor had 74 inch bore and 80 inch crank off an evo, Crane cam, solid tappets, S&S air cleaner on a modified (by me) Keihin 38 mm butterfly carb which I ported and modified into a poor man's S&S. 5gallon tanks, ducktail rear guard, Wide Glide seat. It was kickstart only ('72 FX), Lockheed magnesium race caliper front brake (a mate welded on a Triumph caliper bracket to the pan slider) and stock "juice rear brake", Accel coil, Koni shocks, forward controls, etc.

I learned about carb modification and tuning on Harleys and Brit bikes.

Sorry I ramble... Nostalgia.