Sunday, January 31, 2010

WD 40 - as important as the brew!

What do I reach for when I need to clean the bike?  

WD-40 


A friend of mine used to refer to it as "magic spray". It seems to be good at everything. From resurrecting remote key fobs on cars to stopping squeaking hinges in the house.
Yes, I use it for all sorts of things.


Back wheel covered in chain grease, brake dust and general dirt?  
A spray with the old WD and a wipe with a rag leaves it shiny and clean (just keep it off the brake discs).


Chain covered in road filth?  
I use WD 40 and a toothbrush (no not the one I use in my mouth - I use the wife's instead) and give it a good scrub, wipe dry with a rag before spraying with chain lube.  This keeps the chain looking shiny and new.  I've heard claims that it can ruin the O-rings on chains but I've never had a  problem. When I sold my Hayabusa, it was seven years old, had twenty-odd thousand miles on it and still with original chain and sprockets (which never seemed to need adjusting)  - so I must have been doing something right.


Plastics faded?
Yes, WD 40 breathes new life into old, grey, lustreless plastic panels, mirrors, mudguards (fenders), switchgear etc. A spray and wipe down with a rag soon has them shining in their original black gloss.


Tar spots on bodywork?
It'll dissolve those too.




And not only that, it lubricates cables, pivot points 
(footpegs, kickstarts), locks - the list goes on.


Make sure your garage has a can at the ready!







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