Engine grime

[hatewinter]

What's the best/safe cleaner for the engine....that will work on the frame too?
Appreciate any help you guys/gals can give me.

[Slide Panda]

Safe would be something like WD-40, PB Blaster or Deep Creep, or citrus degrease and a good dose of elbow grease.

With all the nooks and such, a lot of it comes down to elbow grease.

Recently a blasted out the area around my front sprocket with chain cleaner but it was rather hash on the lungs, and really didn't seem much better than WD-40 or the like.

[booger]

I've stopped using a garden hose on my bike. Commercially available bike washes don't do anything. Now I disassemble it a little, take the tank & seat off, rearsets & kickstand, side panels, etc. I then use diesel fuel and a parts brush. Yes that's right. Cuts engine munge like a knife and doesn't hurt a damn thing. And I quite like the smell of it. Need a lot of shop rags to clean up with but it gets the job done quite well. It's a bit painstaking but I only do it once a year. Tank & seat cowl get wiped down with a clean old 100% cotton t-shirt, plain hot water then some plastic polish for a mirror finish. Badabing, as clean as it gonna get. A little WD40 and a rag to wipe off every other ride.

I've tried all commercially available cleaners/polishes. S100 doesn't do jack shit, it's beyond useless. All the other crap they sell specifically for motorcycles is useless. And no, I don't use Simple Green because it too is useless.

[Monster Dave]

For engine grime I like Simple Green. Just be sure rinse it all off after you're done! 

[muskrat]

for the engine use Autozone break cleaner - non chlorinated
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/AutoZone-14-oz-brake-parts-cleaner/_/N-25h0;jsessionid=C89EB10EC361042D605C41571DB71CF4.diyprod4-b2c8?counter=0&itemIdentifier=8130_0_0_

[He Man]

i use paint stripper and alumninum oxide...

[KRJ]

  Hell, a good shot blasting works wonders, after a rain You get a really nice patina..

[sbrguy]

ive found that simple green in a spray bottle and a tooth brush works well, and then rinse with garden hose and everything is fine.

maybe it won't get off the deep deep dirt and maybe for that you need harsher chemicals or dissassembly but for most people that wash their bikes and realize they won't stay showroom new after riding outside, simple green works fine.

[zooom]

S100 works wonders!!!...completely safe and takes off loads of crap!

[hatewinter]

Thanks guys