Oily rag Treatment #2

Yesterday I washed scooter and noticed black plastic parts still black.....after 3 or 4 months. Bike used daily but garaged otherwise.

My conclusion: works better than any expensive stuff I bought in the bottle or pressure can.

My 19 year old Givi box---stays black, too after oily rag rubdown.

Oily rag on Plastic covers, John!!. I use some waterless spray that has wax in it, buy it at my local ALDI about £4 a bottle but lasts about a year.

I can get oil on my clothes by standing still! Rubbing any exposed part of my bike in an oily rag would immediatley see me covered in the stuff :-)

Steve_h80, I agree with you 100%. I just walk through my garage and come in dirty without touching anything.

What's the big deal about owning a 19 years old top box that you've wiped with an oily rag? Over here there's old Honda C90’s about with Rickman GRP/fibre glass top boxes. I still see the occasional 1970’s R/7 series BMW fitted with Krauser panniers, R80/100 RT's, K75’s and K100's from the 80’s with BMW panniers, and Paralever GS's with the oddly matched 28 litre/35 litre BMW panniers.

There's always similar old top boxes and panniers for sale on eBay too.

Any of them with 500,000 miles? Mine can still shine.
Clarification on Oily Rag: start with fresh rag or wash cloth----use fresh motor oil--I get mine from pump oil can. Use only on black trim parts, including "hump". Does not leave bike feeling oily and doesn't seem to come off in rain....like some of the other stuff I have purchased/used/tried.

john grinsel wrote:

Any of them with 500,000 miles?  Mine can still shine.
Clarification on Oily Rag:  start with fresh rag or wash cloth----use fresh motor oil--I get mine from pump oil can.  Use only on black trim parts, including "hump". Does not leave bike feeling oily and doesn't seem to come off in rain....like some of the other stuff I have purchased/used/tried.

Your top box is as you say 19 years old, it hasn't really done 500,000 miles. It's a plastic box with hardly any moving parts that sits secured on a Givi Monorack, not an engine with metal components moving at thousands of rpm in hostile conditions creating friction and heat.

A top box isn't a consumable item like tyres, oil, and filters that are replaced every few thousand miles either, or a helmet that is replaced ever few years.

The original can of Plastex that I occasionally use on scooter Tupperware is probably as old as your top box, so are my Altberg motorcycle boots, and I've got a Phoenix Phreedom dome tent, a Coleman Peak 1 stove, and various other bits of camping junk bought in the early 1980’s.

In my kitchen is a wooden block full of Wüsthof knives and a steel, they've been in daily use for nearly 40 years and they're still going strong, as I've managed to cut myself on most of them.

Lemon Pledge is cheap and does a good job on both the scooter's body and windshield. It's cheaper than a quart of motor oil anyway.

First rain---Pledge washes off. Oil on dull plastic surfaces seems to stay on and they remain black.

For windwhields and face shields, expensive Protect All works betlter than Pledge, for me.

I'd argue that rain washes the stuff off. I lived in the Pacific Northwest where we do see a wee bit of water falling out of the sky. The shine from the Pledge lasted for a good while. Also after the bike dried off from a wet run a quick wipe with a bit of Pledge and a rag and it looked clean and shiny.

John Grinsel...I tried the oily cloth rub on my Givi top case. It's only 15 years old and in spite of good care and sheltered storage, it was looking worse for the wear. I used some new 2 cycle oil I had on hand and wiped it down with a clean cloth. It looks great. It really brought life back to the finish. I don't know how long it will last, but after 24 hours there is no oily residue or odor. I'm going to give my '02 SWing the same treatment when I get a chance. Thanks!