Thoroughly cleaning scooter, questions

[Motley Crue]

Ok, so many have seen some pics of my bike and how dirty it was/is. I cleaned up the frame in certain areas where I was able to (gas and fuel tank area, under tail light, etc). My next task is to really clean up the top of the crank case and engine, especially near the back wheel. A lot of dust and grime back there. I am going to replace visible things that are really worn down and rusty looking, like the brake arm and other visible hardware back there like rusted bolts and stuff. Does anyone know what solvent or spray or something that I can use that will really clean the top of the crank case or any other area with grime and crap caked on it? Is there some kind of brush on a stick that will get into hard-to-reach areas too?

[richdavison34]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.....I love Purple Power. It's available at your local Home Depot, or Autozone type stores.

As far as brushes go, I'd take a little waltz down the dish cleaning isle at your local grocer.

I have like an extendo reach brush that I use at the house that was meant for dishes.

[Motley Crue]

Good stuff, thanks. I am going to get the purple power, today.

[Mystic]

to really get her good and clean you are going to have to take her apart. 2 bolts hold the engine on take your time and really get to know your machine. The purple stuff is really good just dont follow the directions on the bottle, mix it a little stronger

[Motley Crue]

I thought about taking the engine out, but at this point I want to ride it til winter hits. I am going to take it all apart this Winter, for sure. I have a plan to use a bunch of labelled zip lock baggies to put hardware in, along with labelling the schematics in the manual so I can cross-reference them when I put everything back together. That will insure that I am using the right bolts in the right spots. I am terrified about not using the right bolts where they need to be.

Once I do that, I can really get into small spaces and clean the sh1t out of the frame, crank case, and engine. One big thing for me is replacing all the bolts. The heads of all the bolts are rusty on the feet rest, and everywhere else. Replacing those will make a huge difference in appearance. This weekend I am taking both wheels off and using a rust removing solvent, primer, and fresh paint on the rims. That should REALLY make a difference.

[Mystic]

hhah I am the same way i put all my bolts in ziplocks and I am obsessive about having and using all the right bolts, not terrified mind you but mental about it yea you probably wanna ride her a little while before you start any major work that requires disassembly. The motor is literally the easiest motor I have ever taken off, shock bolt and engine mount bolt you can drop any iron parts in a electrolyte bath to clean all that unsightly rust. take a plastic container and put water and baking soda in it then get a battery charger and and piece of metal you dont want i think it has to be iron too and clamp the hotwire on it and drop it in the water then stick the ground to any part you want cleaned and drop that in the bath wait a day or 2 and should be clean. havent tried it myself but I think you can do a search here on the forum and get more info

[Motley Crue]

How about cleaning the oil pump without taking it off? Can I use purple power there too? The oil pump is filthy, just as the carb was before I dipped it. As far as rust-cleaning the bolts, I am not going to bother cleaning those. The schematics have the bolt sizes, so I can just run to lowes to replace them with nice new ones.

I have a problem with attaching the frame side cover to the frame rear cover (purple body cover) on one side of the bike. It is where you attach the two together using a trim crip. The purple frame rear cover had the hole where the crip goes, break off! So I cannot attach the two together, and the frame side cover hangs a bit lower (there is a one-two inch gap between the side cover and rear cover ) Appreciate some improvisation on this. Is there a strong enough adhesive to glue the broken crip hole for the rear cover back onto the rear cover?

[Mystic]

you can get some magic putty stuff that bonds to plastic and rebuild the piece that is broke or bond it back together then sand smooth once it dries or that liquid fiberglass stuff if you are handy. I use the putty stuff myself, if you do it right you can hardly tell