Cleaning Fat Boy wheels
Ward
today. I really need some solid advice.
I know it's not a new subject, but it seems to be a subject without a
solid solution. I've spent weeks searching for THE solution, but I
have failed. So here I sit.
Brake dust just hates aluminum wheels. After two weeks of 2003 FLSTFI
ownership, it has already started to pit and become one with those
wheels on the brake side of front and rear. Rear wheel looks by far
to be the worst.
I've used soap and water, Simple Green, denatured alcohol, and Flitz
metal polish. Of all those, the Flitz metal polish worked the best,
but that ain't saying much. I'm still left with a white pit looking
stuff that I can't even feel. It's like it's one with the wheel.
Is there any product out there that will clean this damage off the
wheel?
And then once clean, what should I do so that I never have to go
through this BS again?
Thanks for the help and have another on me before you leave.
Ward
Buzz
"Ward" <ward...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:de5a0e58.03012...@posting.google.com...
Mother's Aluminum Polish was the only thing that worked for me. Be prepared
to invest a LOT of elbow grease.
I solved it all by having my wheels chromed last year.
AH#49
> today. I really need some solid advice.
> I know it's not a new subject, but it seems to be a subject without a
> solid solution. I've spent weeks searching for THE solution, but I
> have failed. So here I sit.
Broken hearted? :>
> Brake dust just hates aluminum wheels.
On the contrary!
Brake dust LOVES them!
> After two weeks of 2003 FLSTFI
> ownership, it has already started to pit and become one with those
> wheels on the brake side of front and rear. Rear wheel looks by far
> to be the worst.
> I've used soap and water, Simple Green, denatured alcohol, and Flitz
> metal polish. Of all those, the Flitz metal polish worked the best,
> but that ain't saying much. I'm still left with a white pit looking
> stuff that I can't even feel. It's like it's one with the wheel.
Protecting them from the onslaught in the first place, would have been
the proper thing to do.
Heck, I just spritz mine (spoked wheels and all) with Lemon pledge,
and don't even bother to wipe it all off.
I just smear it around.
That explains why mine looked so damned ugly at the NJ show!
But, I hose it down and it comes back to "normal"...once the hoses
unfreeze!
> Is there any product out there that will clean this damage off the
> wheel?
"Clean damage?"
Not that I am aware of besides the polishes you mentioned.
> And then once clean, what should I do so that I never have to go
> through this BS again?
Protect the wheels!
So far you have mentioned MANY types of cleaners, but not ONE mention
of WAX or other protectants!
Dave
wrote:
Where did you have it done and how satisfied are you? The cost also
if you are in a talkative mood. Let me buy you one now to unparch
your throat.
--
Dave
'03 FLHRI 99 of 116 NAH#2
http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm
Ward
> Mother's Aluminum Polish was the only thing that worked for me. Be prepared
> to invest a LOT of elbow grease.
> I solved it all by having my wheels chromed last year.
Just as soon as I've saved up enough money, I plan on doing just that.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Ward
Ward
> Protect the wheels!
>
> So far you have mentioned MANY types of cleaners, but not ONE mention
> of WAX or other protectants!
Just as soon as I find something to clean off the muck, you bet your
ass I'll be protecting them!
It's just to much of a PITA to do this again.
I've heard some good things about a product called Sharkhide for
protection.
Thanks for the reply.
Ward
Par Willen
> "Ward" wrote
>
> > I know it's not a new subject, but it seems to be a subject without a
> > solid solution. I've spent weeks searching for THE solution, but I
> > have failed. So here I sit.
>
> Broken hearted? :>
...paid a nickle...
Regards
PiPPi
#66, BS#13
hawgeye
snip
> I've used soap and water, Simple Green, denatured alcohol, and Flitz
> metal polish. Of all those, the Flitz metal polish worked the best,
> but that ain't saying much. I'm still left with a white pit looking
> stuff that I can't even feel. It's like it's one with the wheel.
>
> Is there any product out there that will clean this damage off the
> wheel?
>
> And then once clean, what should I do so that I never have to go
> through this BS again?
Read the FAQ. Under the paint section you'll find a write up Painter John
that answers your questions. This is a cheaper altertanative to chrome. It
is also easier to repair.
--
hawgeye
AH96 BS98 SENS CtNs
www.hawgeye.com
AH#49
And only..
Moving on!
--
AH™ #49 BS#213
Pan- where's my deer heart ya silly sweede-head
Barnacle Bill
>
> But, I hose it down and it comes back to "normal"...
> once the hoses unfreeze!
>
So how wuz da plumber? Was he genital? I mean gentle?
Seriously, how'd make out wed yer pipes?
Uh...well...I didn't mean MAKE OUT...oh never mind...
PS. there's a move about to renme Bridgewater to Fridgedwater.
-Barnacle Bill
AH#49
Clean, polish, THEN protect.
Rinse and repeat! :>
Otherwize, enjoy the "used look", as it builds character.
Buzz
"Dave" <d.l.d...@bell.south.net> wrote in message
news:e3913v49ngepak0q8...@4ax.com...
I had mine done by http://www.chromethathog.com/ . It was totally by e-mail,
phone and UPS. I was very pleased with the quality and the service.
I also had them do my pulley and lower fork legs after the wheels.
Buzz
AH#49
I'm about ready to punch my wife in the face if she forgets to leave
the water running again.
It's FREEZING again, and the plumbers never made it here yet!
So far, we are not seeing damage.
But four freezes so far, are beginning to get on my nerves!
And with my not being able to make time to do stuff myself, I fear the
worst could happen soon.
philthy phil
A product that works well on alloy wheels and brake dust is Super
Clean from Castrol. secret is to mist wheel with water, spray on Super
Clean and let soak for bout 5 minutes, at that point water pressure is
usually enough to clean it.
beware, if you dont mist wheels first you take a chance of staining
the wheel.
I have used this for years on both cars and bikes works great and by
the way thanks for the shot, single malt always tastes better when
some one else pays for it.
pp
Willie Lambert
You can always try heat tape. Look for a draft from out side. A lot of times the draft is coming
from where the house meets the foundation and that's all it takes. I put fiberglass insulation
around where my house meets the foundation and my freezing problem stopped. I don't know if I helped
but good luck with your problem.
Taz
I bought the BOM stuff at the swap meet last weekend and it works
great. My triple tree was in really bad shape and know it looks very
good. Also my levers where pitted and look good toooo.
BOMS AWAY is their metal polish and the BOM is their cleaner and paint
polish. Bought both, little costly but work great. www.thebomguy.com
Thanks for the shot.
Taz (the still learning the hard way slug)
SENS MISFIT II III MAMBM
BS#161 CR#1 NEWT#14 NS#
FXRP "Gozer"
What's the fuckin' hurry
EKIII rides with me..Go Eddie!
Remove "spam" to reply
Fuzzy Bunny
"Taz" <efreil...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3e32b2cf...@news.mindspring.com...
> On 23 Jan 2003 10:01:08 -0800, ward...@yahoo.com (Ward) wrote:
>
> BOMS AWAY is their metal polish and the BOM is their cleaner and paint
> polish. Bought both, little costly but work great. www.thebomguy.com
OK, yikes. How expensive is THAT stuff?!? It also cures warts and is good
for erectile dysfunction.
When I asked about oil filter changes and the inevitable spillage a lot of
guys talked about carb cleaner and the like. I wonder is that stuff would be
good for the wheels as well?
FB
2003 FLSTFI
Taz
Well considering that Gozer gets wash once a year, if that. I spent
forty bucks on the stuff and it works a lot better than I thought it
would. Carb cleaner will get the yuck off, not polish it.
nodawgs
"Ward" <ward...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:de5a0e58.03012...@posting.google.com...
Greybeard, here.
For some reason the truly no-bs products for both cleaning and sealing
aluminum have never eeked into the bike market, though they are commonplace
in other industries.
For cleaning, you can use "Alcoa Cleaner." The stuff is a spray on/wash off
product that was developed by Alcoa Labs for their line of commercial truck
wheels. By the way, commercial truck wheels are bare aluminum and take
enormous amounts of brake dust. Whether cast or forged, most wheels of all
kinds are fabricated from Alcoa stocks.
http://www.alcoawheels.com/heavy/aluminum/step1/index.asp
You can also use the "Alcoa Sealant" shown on the same web page.
http://www.alcoawheels.com/heavy/aluminum/step3/index.asp
The Alcoa Sealant is a simple spray on, wash off product. It was intended
for general protection of bare aluminum commercial truck wheels, including
sealing from the effects of salt-ice slush in northern metropolitan areas.
Rinsing is a key part of the sealing process, so water-rinse extremely well.
It will last from 6-9 months, depending on coastal vs inland use.
Reapplication just takes a couple of minutes. Before you use this stuff on
aluminum polished to a mirror luster, you need to know that the Alcoa
Sealant will ever so slightly degrade a mirror luster.
If you need to seal an aluminum surface that's been polished and buffed to a
mirror luster, I don't recommend the Alcoa Sealant because it will slight
degrade the luster. For mirror lusters, my favorite is "Boeshield T-9." It's
a spray on/wipe off product that was developed by the Boeing Materials
Technology Labs of the Boeing Company (the airplane dudes). It's now
licensed to a 3rd party chemical processor/distributor, but has the original
formulation. Depending on the airline, this is the stuff that mysteriously
keeps commercial and general aviation aircraft mysteriously shiny, year
after year. Always wondered about that, didn't you? So much for the aluminum
oxidation myth. For that use, a guy on a lift is way the hell up in the air
applying the stuff in a fine-mist spray. However, you can buy it in
consumer-sized, aerosol cans as opposed to the standard 5 gallon package. It
will remind you of spraying WD-40 on something, then wiping off. However, as
it's an incredible penetrant, it weirdly keeps the "wet-look" for about 6-9
months, again, depending on coastal vs inland use. It takes mere seconds to
reapply...no more or less time than that necessary to keep chrome spruced
up. Here you go:
http://www.boeshield.com/index.htm
For sealing, it's by far my favorite stuff. You can just imagine what a
"wet-look" shine looks like when applied to an aluminum surface already
polished and buffed to a mirror luster extreme. A fly would twist an ankle
trying to land on it.
Fat Boy and V-Rod (sorry 'bout that) wheels polish and buff out like crazy.
When doing the final color buffing, the extreme fineness and hardness of the
compound grit in conjunction with frictional heat, causes microscopic
surface flow of material. The mirror finish results in a much tighter
molecular structure that resists oxidation even more. Combined with the
"Boeshield T-9," this oxidation business is a thing for others that just
don't know.
If you ever want me to polish dem wheels, you can catch me at:
http://www.supremesite.com/polishingaluminum/
If anyone is interested, but would rather do their own, I'll be glad to
e-mail you back a little freebie doc that will show you how. I already have
a drink, so just stick a buck in the barkeep's tip jar.
Sorry 'bout the length, but this might of interest to lotsa folks. Hope it
helps and havagoodun.
Greybeard
nodawgs
"James Redfern" <jred...@spam.no-reply.org> wrote in message
news:cfnb4vkr59udhirrt...@192.168.0.2...
> On Sat, 25 Jan 2003 10:21:28 -0800, "Fuzzy Bunny"
>
> > > BOMS AWAY is their metal polish and the BOM is their cleaner and paint
> > > polish. Bought both, little costly but work great. www.thebomguy.com
> >
> > OK, yikes. How expensive is THAT stuff?!? It also cures warts and is
good
> > for erectile dysfunction.
>
> for it. Something about the cost of Jap bikes and Harleys springs to
> mind, but I won't write it for fear of offending those sensitive
> souls.
>
> JRjr.
>
>
> --
> James Redfern Jr.
> '92 FLSTF - The Phat Lady
Oh, crap. Here's another one. Cleans aluminum and billet? Bet you a double
round, they haven't the foggiest idea what "billet" is.
Greybeard
Les
news:cGm1a.43491$be.31808@rwcrnsc53:
<snip>
> Oh, crap. Here's another one. Cleans aluminum and billet? Bet you a
> double round, they haven't the foggiest idea what "billet" is.
>
> Greybeard
I'd be curious as to your definition of billet. Aluminum can be billet,
billet can be aluminum but not all billet is aluminum.
Les
nodawgs
"Les" <oktr...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:Xns931DA100D695...@68.12.19.6...
Billet and ingot can be ferrous or nonferrous. In this context, these billet
Bubbas are no doubt in reference to aluminum alloys as opposed to
intermediate stages of iron, steel, or other metal production. Unless one
can figure out what to do with a bucket of mud containing bauxite ore, all
aluminum smelters produce only two forms: ingot and billet. Billets are cast
"logs" in various round and rectangular cross sections that are used for
drawing wire, extruders, forging presses, hammering, roll presses, and
production of mill stocks such as sheet, rod, and plate. In other words,
everything is made from either billet or ingot. Storm window frames are made
from billet, drink cans (container stock) are made from billet. Baking pans
(wrinkle wall stocks) are made from billet, and the foil one can wrap a slab
of baby-back ribs is made from billet (sequential rolling). In this context,
they usually use billet to refer to a forged part, although if asked the
alloy and temper, you get a blank stare. I get a similar giggle to someone
referring to "aircraft aluminum."
Greybeard
Bruce Stover
>
> Ward,
Check out www.wheelwax.com Your problem is easily fixed. Hope this helps.
Wheelguy
nodawgs
"Bruce Stover" <brus...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1521f46b.03021...@posting.google.com...
You put this wheelwax spam bullshit on every group there is, don't you? Now,
wax your ass and stick your wheel up it.
Google says:
S1231 documents a case of spamming that occurred on Monday, March 18,
>2002, and which resulted in cancellation of the wheelwax site by us
>that very day. It was an effective attitude readjustment, evidently:
>Wheelwax.com has not been documented to spam since its reactivation a
>month later (on April 17, 2002). [1] Unfortunately, we didn't realize
>that we should publicize the prompt action that we had taken on March
>18, 2002. Lesson learned.
Maybe the SPEWS listing was a reminder to Bruce Stover that emitting lawsuit
threats while his web site was disabled was a bad idea? I can't speak for
SPEWS, but as soon as you gave him his web site back, Wheelwax-related spam
started to advertise a site on Polwas.
Truth is, Wheelwax creates a prob as oppose to fixing one. It's an ordinary
carnauba product with a bull-shit sticker price touted as a
one-size-fits-all for automotive wheels, whether powder coated, clear
coated, or bare. Like any carnauba product, it's a pain in the ass to apply
and is gone in 30-60 days. If you dig deep into their own FAQs, they admit
it needs reapplication after a wash. What's worse, if you get that wheelwax
shit in the textured area of a Fat Boy wheel, you'll have dryed, white shit
in the grain everywhere.
Greybeard
Bruce Stover
posting was in response to Ward who asked for help in protecting and
cleaning his wheels. Truth is WheelWax does a great job of both. I
am not sure what your agenda is but your lack of control speaks
volumes. My suggestion to you is to back away from the coffee
machine, take a vacation and stay away from the computer you found.
WheelWax is anything but an ordinary carnauba product, if you had
taken the time to try it, you would have found out how easy it is to
apply and how well it works. It is much easier to stay on the
sidelines and throw stones at someone who is actually trying to help
and that seems to be your "style."
If you would like an independent point of view check out this link
http://store.yahoo.com/classic-motoring/wheelwax.html
Send me your address and I will send you a sample to try. Then maybe
your posts will have a bit more credibility.
nodawgs
> Greybeard it is obvious that you have never tried WheelWax. My
> posting was in response to Ward who asked for help in protecting and
> cleaning his wheels. Truth is WheelWax does a great job of both. I
> am not sure what your agenda is but your lack of control speaks
> volumes. My suggestion to you is to back away from the coffee
> machine, take a vacation and stay away from the computer you found.
>
looks like. Otherwise, you'd understand why you can't wax an ultra-fine
sandpaper-like texture that runs from the axel outward just short of the
dimples in the wheel periphery. You've already had your site shut down for
spamming that worthless crap and haven't learned a thing. On wheels more
appropriate, such as automotive applications, it's still an ordinary,
carnauba-based, snake oil bullshit that lasts about as long as a $100 bill
on a busy sidewalk...even if you could put it on a Fat Boy wheel. Go buy a
bike.
Greybeard
Agua Noggin
Message ID <1521f46b.03022...@posting.google.com> wrote:
>Greybeard it is obvious that you have never tried WheelWax.
<snip>
>Send me your address and I will send you a sample to try. Then maybe
>your posts will have a bit more credibility.
Like you've got any credibility while you're hawking a product
you apparently sell? BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
--
Agua Noggin
#65, the Zoomie (ret) Asshole(tm), Wolf(tm) #19, BS #11, SENS
'99 FLSTC "the Pencil Glide" aka "the #2 Lead Sled"
r.m.h. FAQs are at: <http://www.bamph.com/rmh/>
TEXAN
Back to the subject of cleaning your FatBoy wheel. I picked up a
little something over on another forum from JimmyK. Use Shout on your
wheels and especially on your spokes if you have any. Don't know if
you still have the solid wheels all the way round. I changed the
front to a 21" spoke. Shout seems to really knock the dirt/grime,
especially brake dust, loose and a good hose will clean it from the
wheels/spokes. I did one better and painted the center part of the
rear wheel black. Bead blasted first to give it some tooth and then
painted it. Real easy to keep clean now.
Ok, Shirley, who took my beer off the bar?????
Ride safe !!!!
Matthew Lundberg
> If you would like an independent point of view check out this link
>
> http://store.yahoo.com/classic-motoring/wheelwax.html
"Indepenent" points of view tend to lack a "buy now" button.
nodawgs
"Matthew Lundberg" <m...@otherkids.com> wrote in message
news:564c8af.03022...@posting.google.com...
That numbnuts hasn't a clue what a Fat Boy wheels looks like. He's been
spamming the NGs so much with that snake oil shit, he's even had his site
shut down. Just type the product name in Google and you'll see what I mean.
Where's the bouncer?
Greybeard
Bruce Stover
in a bar. This is a public forum which allows people like you who
have not tried a product to pretend that you have knowledge of what
works and what doesn’t. Why don’t you get a clue, try the
product and quit whining like a little boy caught in a lie. This
isn’t snake oil or simply a carnauba car wax. The fact is I
rode a fat boy before Arnold, and you should not make the incorrect
assumption that I would not know a knuckle from a pan head. Public
forums allow blowhards to spew from “borrowed” keyboards
without restriction, and that is as it should be. The smart readers
of this forum will see you for what you are. Send me your address and
I will send you a free jar to try. I promise not to tell anyone that
you didn’t steal it.
nodawgs
Like I said, dumb-ass...go in an H-D dealer, look at a Fat Boy wheel, and
maybe it will sink in why you can't wax a cast-textured finish. A very few
of the latest models have a granular, buffed finish at best. In case you
can't find them, the wheels are those two big round things, one at the
front, another at the back.
I knew this guy whose dog acted like you...and come to find out, he was
wormy. Now, go use your wheelwax bullshit as a suppository.
Greybeard