Cleaning the engine fins on your motorcycle can be a tough job, but there are solutions and tools you can use to make it easier and get your bike ready to ride.
One of the most distinctive elements in your motorcycle’s engine compartment is the fin stack. These steel blades are used to help dissipate the heat of combustion from your motorcycle’s engine, but they can also be an eye-catching part of the bike’s overall design. Sometimes they might be painted or coated in chrome, while other bikes might leave the raw steel of the engine casing exposed for the world to see.
No matter the outer shell, however, engine fins have a tendency to get dirty. Air is supposed to pass through the fins by design, and so all kinds of dust, dirt, and debris can coat them. This can be unsightly, and in extreme cases, can insulate the fins so that they don’t adequately dissipate the engine’s heat. You’ll definitely want to clean and polish these fins if you’re looking to detail your bike like a pro.
Cleaning and polishing your motorcycle’s engine fins can be a bit more tricky than cleaning your car’s engine bay. The fins themselves can be difficult to access if you don’t want to remove them from the bike, and cleaning between them can be more than a little frustrating. It’s also important to know what kinds of solvents and polishes to use. Engines can get extremely hot, so you definitely want to be sure not to use anything with the potential of being flammable. Here are a few of the best ways to clean motorcycle fins.Clean them off with dish soap and water
If your motorcycle engine fins are still in good condition and are just a little dirty, then one of the simplest ways to clean them is with a little dish soap and water. It’s a simple thing, but I’ve done this on my bike several times and it’s always worked wonders. Most dish soaps, like Dawn, have mild degreasing properties that help separate oils that are stuck on surfaces. They also include mild alcohols that are designed to make the objects they clean dry quickly, without residue or water spots. The features that make these soaps good for washing dishes are the very same ones that also make them great for washing motorcycle engine fins.
