Thread: brakleen

i used the item brakleen to clean off the grease on the back tire and chain.. WOW does that stuff work wonders. never thought i see things in the chain area shine.. Thanks for the advice... now i ened to go get 2 more cans tomorrow.. thanks. will show pictures after done...

It will dull the finish on painted parts and also will permanently fog plastic lenses so be careful with spraying and overspray from using it.
it does burn quite well when sprayed directly at an open flame and also smells real good when sprayed in a room with no ventillation

Trailpunisher is right about the plastic parts.

Most modern paint formulations stand up to brakleen just fine. I've used it to remove road tar from cars with no ill effects. It's also very effective at removing grease from most fabrics, like car interiors & carpet. Just bear in mind that vintage CT70s use old-fashioned laquer and it likely will dissolve...so be careful.

The stuff definitely smells evil in close quarters and can give you a nasty headache ... as well as killing off unwanted brain cells . It'll turn your hands chalky white, almost on contact, as all skin oils are instantly removed. Splash a tiny drop in an eye and you'll learn what pain really is The non-chlorinated formula is less harmful to terrestrial life, including CT70 owners, and doesn't burn at all. The older, chlorinated, formula burns like rocket fuel

Brakleen isn't mother's milk; it's a strong chemical solvent that demands respect. As long as you don't get careless/sloppy, everything should be fine.

When I was a young technician, I was very "brakleen happy". I used to hit everything with it. My boss would always tell me that it was more for an oil residue & NOT for a sticky chain lube substance. I find that a rag with a liberal dose of WD40 effectively loosens the sticky goo & THEN if you want to get the WD off, a LITTLE brakleen will do the job. It may seem like a a 2 step process, but it really is a lot better than flooding the area with the brakleen that evaporates VERY fast & then just keep loading it up. Yes, the paint on the older bikes is VERY fragile & will come off. Another point. If you go to the a motorcycle roadrace, you would expect to see brakleen in use everywhere. Not the case though. Everytime the bike comes off the track, the chain lube "spray" has to be cleaned off the swingarm,body panels & mainly rear wheel. All those surfaces are painted in most cases. You will usually see a "grunt" technician clean the surface FIRST with WD, THEN with a product like Simple Green or Spray Nine. These surfaces have to be cleaned over & over without getting dull or discolored. It only makes sense to do it in a way that won't harm the finished surfaces. Same goes for our classis bikes that we care so much about.
My 2 cents.
Enzo

Just as WD-40 goes further once applied to a rag, so does brakleen. I suppose we're basically in agreement that it shouldn't be used indiscrminately. I've seen car dealerships buy brakleen in 55-gallon drums and the mechanics go berzerk with the sure-shot sprayers.

On a one-time basis, it's not a bad way to remove 35 years of oily build-up from the engine & rear sprocket. Otherwise, mineral spirits on a rag, followed by an application of paste wax tends to be my method of choice for removing grease/oil from painted surfaces. Both mineral spirits and WD-40 leave a residue. The only areas for which brakleen is ideal as routine maintnenance are the engine guard and unpainted parts of the engine. A little bit sprayed underneath the engine and on the cylinder head, followed by a shot of compressed air works very well with no damage. Here, the rapid evaporation is desireable.

Simple Green should also be applied to a rag first. Being water-based, a too-liberal spray on the wheels/hubs can leave water inside the wheels. Split rims are the Achilles' heel of these bikes. They rust in the bead area with just a suggestion of water. With alloy wheels, of course, paint damage is a non-issue. A little brakleen on a rag works wonders. Duplicolor wheel paint also stands up to Brakleen. I wouldn't douse the wheels in either instance, just a little applied to a cloth, makes quick work of light oil residue and it won't reek like WD-40.

A chain coated with fine sand is tough to clean, especially while still on the bike. My road racer friends all run o-ring chains and use aerosol chain lube to remove surface grit. This leaves a dry film lubricant that doesn't attract dirt or "spray" the bike. #420 isn't available with o-rings and is much more susceptible to abrasive damage. The same chain lube works on non-o-ring chain, but it takes more of it since it actually penetrates the pins/rollers. In the old days, the hot ticket was to solvent clean a new chain, then soak it in melted paraffin. It looked pretty strange once cooled but, the excess was quickly shed and voila no more "breaded" chain or chain "spray" .