Laverda Triple engine blasting

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Grant

A biodegradable water-based bunny-hugging degreaser/surface cleaner, works really well for a water-based degreaser and readily available in the US and UK (apparently?), and in Europe. Here's the response from Simple Green to an inquiry about finding it in Europe, found on the web.

Dear Mr Martinek

Thank you very much for your inquiry and your interest shown in our products.

Simple Green is available in numerous countries all over the world - and of course, also in Europe. 
For detailed information about the contact details of our European distributors please proceed as follows:   

- visit our multilingual European website  www.simplegreen.ch 
- click on "Global Partners" in the top navigation
- select the country where you want to purchase our products
--> you find all contact details of our distributor(s) in this country

I hope this info answers your question - however, please do not hesitate to contact us again if you should need any assistance.
Best regards,

Gaby Carotta
Executive Assistant
Simple Green AG
H?rdweg 10
CH-8854 Galgenen

Phone:    +41 55 244 59 12
Fax:        +41 55 244 59 10
E-mail:    gaby@simplegreen.ch
URL:        www.simplegreen.ch

 
Hi Romeo, I found a supplier of P21S products in Perth but they don't stock that pink stuff in Oz. This is what the supplier emailed me after sending him that photo you posted.

"This is just the German domestic version of P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner. It is not actually available under this label outside Germany. It should be quite safe to use on a motorbike engine, but you have to remember, it was formulated to clean off brake dust and road grime. If the Laverda has burnt on grease/oil residue then is may not remove it completely. I can obtain  a couple of bottles of S100 Motorcycle cleaner, which is made by P21s, and is formulated as a general purpose cleaner specifically for motorcycles. Your price would be $45..25 + GST per litre."

My motor is slightly cleaner than yours before you blasted it but I'd really like to give it a good going over before refitting. Not just a degrease. Will the S100 product move all that grime? At 50 bucks a litre it'd want to be bloody shit hot. Kind of like the idea of using that pink stuff.

Cheers
Rob
 
  Hey Rob, get hold of some commercial truck wash, sometimes known as TFR or traffic film remover. I buy it by the 25 litre drum for around 20 quid from my local chemical supplier. Dilute it 5;1 with hot water and arm yourself with a selection of stiff bristled nylon brushes, some rubber gloves and eye protection, scrub in and rinse off it will bring your motor up lovely, it does dull polished cases but they come back with a bit solvol or belgom alu.

  Keith
 
Good on ya Keith, I'll have a look for that when I'm in Perth next. Not overly keen to pay 50 bucks for a litre of degreaser that may not do the job I'm trying to achieve.
Onyone used anything like an oven cleaner??
 
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/Chemtech-CT18-Superwash-5-Litre.aspx?pid=2012#details
 
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned steam cleaning. I used a small industrial steam cleaner to rid a 75 Honda CB500 four of 30-odd years of accumulated grease and grime. The unit i used could be adjusted for pressure and had different tips with stainless steel scrubbing heads. i borrowed from a friend who uses it in a restaurant/brew pub to clean various things. It was still lots of work, but really seemed to be effective at getting grease out of pores. I suppose there was a small risk of pushing moisture into places, but i didn't find any evidence of that. It worked with almost pin-point precision, and no worries of media getting into oilways and such. And the finished engine looked excellent. Ran great, too.
Richard
 

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A lav is a bit of a different kettle of fish, as the castings are not painted or lacquered, as the Honda is.  Renewing the appearance of a Lav casing is much more than just degreasing, once any grease/grime is removed you usually still have an extremely dull and discoloured surface from X years of road grime, salt, corrosion, etc.  That surface layer of oxidation and build up needs to be peeled away to reveal spanky nice aluminium beneath.
In my experience, the only way to safely achieve a really nice "as new" finish again is to strip the engine, seal it up, and blast it with some form of abrasive. 
For engines that are essentially ok but a bit gunked up from a few thousand k's of use will come up quite well with non-etching mag wheel cleaner (the type for painted rims). 
I've given up using any sort of more agressive chemicals for renovating more delapidated motors, as the results are usually patchy and look somewhat bleached.  If you want bling you've got to put in the hours.
Cheers
Steve B
 
Hydroflouric Acid has been used successfully on laverda crank cases giving a factory finish only removing dirt and corrosion . I don`t know the ratio of acid to water maybe someone here can help . Does make a fantastic job .
Regards
Tetley 
 
Tetley Laverda said:
Hydroflouric Acid has been used successfully on laverda crank cases giving a factory finish only removing dirt and corrosion . I don`t know the ratio of acid to water maybe someone here can help . Does make a fantastic job .
Regards
Tetley 
Click to expand...

Great for skin and muscle as well :o Flippin dangerous stuff.
 
Hydroflouric Acid? Good God tetley, isn't that the stuff that seeps through you skin and eats the bones. The only cure being amputation?
 
Tetley Laverda said:
Hydroflouric Acid has been used successfully on laverda crank cases giving a factory finish only removing dirt and corrosion . I don`t know the ratio of acid to water maybe someone here can help . Does make a fantastic job .
Regards
Tetley 
Click to expand...

It is really dangerous, and I supposed that the acid can go into the engine too. May be hot and high pressure water will clean as weel as acid, if you don?t want to blast.
 
Just in case anyone has a bottle of acid and is thinking of giving it a try... to dilute acid...add acid to water..NEVER water to acid.
It will blow up in your face  :-\
 
Yeah, be careful recommending HF to anyone, it is SERIOUSLY nasty and can kill or maim you in many different ways.  Should not be handled outside a chemical laboratory fume hood IMHO.

Among other aggressive cleaning products, the "etching" mag wheel cleaners available in some countries contain small amounts of HF and Oxalic acid.  As per my earlier comments in this thread, I've given up on them as even in dilute form they need to be handled with great care, results are variable and give an odd bleached look to the cases.

Stripping and blasting is a big job, but the only way to get a really nice factory-new finish.

Cheers
Steve
 
Hydroflouric acid is kid stuff. Try using picric acid. It will certainly get rid of any engine grime, but you, your bike, and a large portion of your house will probably disappear too  :D

Cheers,
Cam
 
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