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Cleaning bugs off your bike

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    #1

    Cleaning bugs off your bike

    What to use thats safe on the paint and works good to get smashed bugs off?
    only 2 roads to get where I live, both country roads and at night, in the summer, theres alott of bugs out

    Try to get them off asap, but sometimes I either forget or too much in a hurry at the time.
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    #2
    Put a damp towel/rag over the affected areas it softens the bugs and make it easy to get them off.
    The big guy up there rides a Suzuki (this I know)
    1981 gs850gx

    1999 RF900
    past bikes. RF900
    TL1000s
    Hayabusa
    gsx 750f x2
    197cc Francis Barnett
    various British nails

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      #3
      Yup, seconded. Soak them for a bit.
      #1: 1979 GS 550 EC "Red" – Very first Bike / Overhaul thread        New here? ☛ Read the Top 10 Newbie mistakes thread
      #2: 1978 GS 550 EC "Blue" – Can't make it a donor / "Rebuild" thread     Manuals (and much more): See Cliff's homepage here
      #3: 2014 Moto Guzzi V7 II Racer – One needs a runner while wrenching
      #4: 1980 Moto Guzzi V65C – Something to chill

      Comment

        #4
        I'll third that.

        Warm water seems to work a bit better. I don't have much problem around home, but when I travel, I keep a wet microfiber cloth in a zip-loc bag in the saddlebag. When I stop for gas, I lay the rag over the windshield while I am filling the tank. By the time the tank is full, the bugs are soft and wipe right off. When the bike is parked for the evening, the rag is applied to the rest of the bike. When done, it's all rinsed out, the water is replaced in readiness for the next day.

        A good coat of wax on a clean bike also helps to keep the bugs from sticking in the first place, but you probably do that, anyway.

        .
        sigpic
        mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
        hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
        #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
        #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
        Family Portrait
        Siblings and Spouses
        Mom's first ride
        Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
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        Comment

          #5
          Just cover the bugs with mud and go find more.


          Life is too short to ride an L.

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            #6
            Pledge....lemon.
            No signature

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              #7
              Bounce sheet, the ones you put in with your clothes in the dryer. Wet one and rub on bugs for 10-15 seconds, hose them right off, you will be impressed how well it works!

              of course it will be hard to do on the engine, I have been tempted to try the liquid softener there.
              1978 Gs1085 compliments of Popy Yosh, Bandit 1200 wheels and front end, VM33 Smoothbores, Yosh exhaust, braced frame, ported polished head
              1983 Gs1100ESD, rebuild finished! Body paintwork happening winter 2017

              I would rather trust my bike to a technician that reads the service manual than some backyardigan that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix things.

              Comment

                #8
                When I have water (hose, actually) -- keep them wet for a while whilst doing other cleaning, and then I use a little Dawn dish soap on my bare hands to clean them off. That way, I can feel any stubborn critters, and if I need a bit more coercion, I can use a damp fingernail. Especially for plexiglass!

                Without a hose, I use Steve's approach, just on the windshield.
                and God said, "Let there be air compressors!"
                __________________________________________________ ______________________
                2009 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom, 2004 HondaPotamus sigpic Git'cha O-ring Kits Here!

                Comment

                  #9
                  I don't soak them. I like them a little crispy, with ketchup. ☺
                  My Motorcycles:
                  22 Kawasaki Z900 RS (Candy Tone Blue)
                  22 BMW K1600GT (Probably been to a town near you)
                  82 1100e Drag Bike (needs race engine)
                  81 1100e Street Bike (with race engine)
                  79 1000e (all original)
                  82 850g (all original)
                  80 KZ 650F (needs restored)

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Hydrogen Peroxide -
                    Just put some in a squirt/spray bottle - when you spritz them they will start to bubble as they break down
                    They soften and just wipe right off
                    Currently in the Stable :
                    2002 Honda Goldwing GL1800 Sunburst Pearl Orange
                    1983 Suzuki GS850 GL Blue & Black

                    " I am never lost until I run out of fuel...until that moment I am EXPLORING."
                     - Carl R. Munkwitz

                    Munk's Maxim: "There is no such thing as a cheap motorcycle"

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