Degreasing oil from engine bay

[Mad Harold]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

 

As were the amount of oil leaks from British bikes! 

 

 

To be fair,as  young lads without much money,by the time a bike was cheap enough for us to afford,they were pretty well knackered and usually suffered from years of cack handed maintainance.

The usual things,cylinder fins broken off,rounded off nuts,primary chaincase (a favourite source of oil leaks) levered off with a screwdriver.

When I  had a bit more money I had a few British bikes that didn't leak oil,a BSA Rocket Gold Star, Norton Commando,Triumph T100,but there were some that defied all efforts to keep them oil tight.Velocette Venom and Matchless singles spring to mind.

I know of a Matchless 350 with the nickname, Torrey Canyon!

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

On the OP's question, I've tried gunk, jizer, etc, but I've honestly found plain old washing up liquid, hot water and some agitation as good as anything else for getting rid of oil and diesel spills. Then just chuck some more nappies down for a few days.

Don't use washing up liquid if you are degreasing to repaint. It leaves a film of silicone behind (that which makes your plates 'squeaky clean'), which stops the new paint adhering.

[Tracy D'arth]

Suck it up?

[Ronaldo47]

For de-greasing oil-contaminated metal prior to painting, I scrub  using twin-tub detergent powder, rinse with water, and finish by wiping  with a cotton cloth soaked in meths.

Edited February 5, 2022 by Ronaldo47
typos