S-100 damage to chrome and paint

[steveusmc]

Originally Posted by Dansville Rob

No doubt. The sheer volume of water in a real driving rain at speed is just brutal. I was riding in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in September of '06 and was afraid I was going to drown it was raining so hard.

YOU might feel the full PRESSURE of the rain at speed but the "volume" isn't even close to a waterhose full of cold water. Not to mention, your engine isn't sitting out there in the full windstream of the water near as much as your body when riding in the rain.

Anyone who thinks it is OKAY to hose down a HOT engine with cold water is either just plain lucky or loves to work on broke motors. Spraying a fine "mist" on would be okay (as roofeditor said)..but not a steady stream right on the cylnders, heads, and crankcase.

[hamyoo06]

A heavy rain might register a few inches an hour at bursts. Water from a hose would be coming out at, what, an inch every couple seconds? There is no comparison. Also, this is assuming the engine is completely exposed to the rain, which it is not.

[Fxsts103ci]

hose will not hurt the engine. Nobody has hit a large puddle or get a soaking from the car going the other way hitting a puddle I have almost been knocked off the bike when that happens. $hit I have been caught in sudden downpours that when I got off the bike water came out the tops of my boots.Guess lots of guys dont ride in the rain.

The engine is getting hit as hard if not harder than you are in a rainstorm . Why wouldnt it? Its not covered at speed by the tank as you are driving into the rain and will also get the washoff from the front tire.


A heavy rain may be an inch or two an hour - BUT that is measured by the square inch ... At 60 MPH you are covering how many inches in an hour? Just look at your windshied wipers in a heavy rain for gods sake at 50 mph in a heavy rain you cant even see because the rain is overtaking the wiping action of the wipers so you slow down and you can see again. And for volume of a garden hose as compaired to a rain fall there is no comparison even a light rain puts down more water than a hose at full tilt..

As for the ?, S-100 when used per the directions wont harm anything.

just a quick Google
1 inch of rain

1 acre = 27,154 gallons
1 square mile = 17.38 million gallons

How long do you think it would take to get 27,154 gallons out of a garden hose?

[steveusmc]

How long do you think it would take to ride around and catch every drop of that 27,154 gallons? Not hardly possible. Again...if you QUENCH an operating temp Aluminum and Steel motor with a direct cold blast of water you are asking for trouble....and that is a scientific fact. If you have been lucky when shooting that hose on your motor...more power to you.

As for the S-100...GREAT STUFF and very hard to screw that up.

[hamyoo06]

Originally Posted by Fxsts103ci

1 acre = 27,154 gallons
1 square mile = 17.38 million gallons

How long do you think it would take to get 27,154 gallons out of a garden hose?

Sorry, I know this post is old, but I gotta check the numbers...using the numbers above...

1 square mile = 5280*5280 square feet = 27,878,400 square feet. Since my bike engine exposure covers a silhouette area of, what, 5 square feet, then, the fraction of rain water onto the bike is [(5 square feet)/(27,878,400 square feet)] times 17.38 million gallons = 3.12 gallons.

So, how long would it take me to get 3.12 gallons from a hose (the equivalent of one inch of rain over the area ob the bike)? At most 30 seconds?

How long would it take to get an inch of rain fall? If it's coming down at a rate of 1 inch every 30 seconds, you'd better find Noah.

[Dansville Rob]

Originally Posted by hamyoo06

So, how long would it take me to get 3.12 gallons from a hose (the equivalent of one inch of rain over the area ob the bike)? At most 30 seconds?

How long would it take to get an inch of rain fall? If it's coming down at a rate of 1 inch every 30 seconds, you'd better find Noah.

So I think the point you are making is that rain doesn't deliver as much water in the same time frame, as a garden hose on full blast.

Agreed. Although hitting mud puddles feels like having buckets of water thrown at you.

All that said -- I wouldn't and wasn't suggesting that you run an engine to full temp and then blast it with a garden hose at point blank range.

So let me rephrase: Since we know a motorcycle can be riden in the rain, even heavy rain, we know that a reasonable amount of water on a hot and or running motorcycle won't hurt it. Reasonable meaning up to the amount you would expect to encounter in a sudden thunderstorm or riding through a big puddle. Apply common sense and you should be fine.

[HarleyComforts]

S-100=simple green... I don't think it works for crap, but might save yourself some $$ and get the simple green

[ccryan67]

This thread is a bit moldy but to the original question, I've used S-100 liquid wash for about 5 years without a problem. This works for me: when the bike is COLD, I rinse it off and spray S-100 everywhere. Then use a soft sponge over the entire bike to clean it and then rinse it off. Water pressure is no greater than my thumb over a garden hose. After the bike air drys, buff with a microfiber cloth. The entire operation takes place in shade- no direct sunlight.

[GilbertGruman]

So why do the S100 instructions advise to spray on a dry bike?

[twicecam]

Originally Posted by ccryan67

This thread is a bit moldy but to the original question, I've used S-100 liquid wash for about 5 years without a problem. This works for me: when the bike is COLD, I rinse it off and spray S-100 everywhere. Then use a soft sponge over the entire bike to clean it and then rinse it off. Water pressure is no greater than my thumb over a garden hose. After the bike air drys, buff with a microfiber cloth. The entire operation takes place in shade- no direct sunlight.

[lgkmrk1608]

Have used s 100 for years. Works great.

[99Percenter]

I used the S-100 spray wash stuff in the past. At full strength, the crap corroded this large fastener on the motor (my shop manual is in the garage, don't know what to call it). It seemed harmless to chrome tho.. Also, the crap was hard to completely rinse off. I tried 'cutting' it 30-50% with water. It was easier to rinse off but left water spots...

.. Now I switched to Bike Brite. Awesome product! Will never go back to the S-100.

[Photo John]

I prefer greased lightning or simple green.

[TRAYLORTRASH]

Harley Davidson sent me some products in the mail for cleaning the bike, I don't know what they do so I haven't used them lol. I use regular soap, and then polish with an entire line up of maguiars products. I think I may go wash the HOG now though, ya'll made me self conscience about my dirty bike.