Dr Downpipe Motorcycle Exhaust Downpipe Cleaner - 500ML Spray Bottle

Product Information

Special mention goes to the very good cleaning performance of Ammo Magnum Power Cleaner, which has a fairly neutral PH of 6, but had more noticeable marring of the bare steel plate than these others. The same applies to M16 Extreme Bike Clean, which was a great cleaner, but just marked the bare steel that little more. Some anions – like chloride – can pit metals, while others – like chromate –protect metals but damage the environment. Others – like ‘anionic surfactants’– will degrease metals. And there’s a crazy world in between. All the products worked best when agitated with a brush, and then the differences were relatively small in most cases. Most would remove my test ‘dirt’ in the end, and the effort required was not that significantly different in the scores between 8 and 10. What IS the same is that every cleaner really needs agitating to get it to work at its best, so to find what I believe to be the best motorcycle cleaner, we need to first look at material safety.

The majority of motorcyclists are looking for one product that will clean all of their bike, so that’s what I’m testing for here. This weights the test against products like wheel cleaners, but where I had motorcycle-specific ones to test I’ve kept them in, but do be aware of the potential some could have to damage items like screens. Read the instructions!I haven’t tested any exhaust cleaners, but Dr Downpipe is one example of a product designed for the job – it’s milder, and takes more agitation, but carries fewer risks.

Some materials can be affected by acidity or alkalinity – aluminium, for example, can be damaged by strong alkalis in higher concentrations – so some manufacturers might shout about their product being PH neutral.

Alpinestars Andes Suit

Apply your cleaner, then agitate with a Vikan brush. Keep the brush rinsed clean. Consider using a noodle mitt or microfibre towel to clean the bodywork, as long as there’s no grit present. Diluted to 20%, the XCP product just missed out on making it into the recommendeds, with a cleaning performance score of 7/10. But at 60p/litre when diluted to 20%, it’s the cheapest one I’ve tested by a long stretch, so the fact that it can be used as a degreaser at full concentration, a general cleaner at your choice of dilution, and that it’s safe on all materials means it’s another Best Buy for the Scottish chemical company. Another option is this Rust Remover from Pro-GreenMX. I will be reviewing it fully as soon as I can, but it’s claimed to include corrosion inhibitors. Not all motorcycle cleaners are the same – while they might have similar ingredients, it’s important to know their limitations on certain surfaces, and to follow the instructions.