By Chris Gibbany, past #ultimatebikermakeover winner
I am not easily impressed AND I have used a ton of products over the years but I am in LOVE with Star brite’s Xtreme Clean product. One of the products that my husband and I use a lot of and have not had great results with is degreaser. Between the both of us, we have 10 vehicles and 7 motorcycles! Yikes! Everything we have is vintage and my 1973 Rallye Challenger is the newest thing I own. When I bought my ’68 Charger last year, I put the 4-speed in the carport because I didn’t want to deal with cleaning the years of oil and grease off of it. One day after cleaning two oil pans with Xtreme Clean and getting unbelievable results with very little effort, I decided to tackle it. OMG, my husband couldn’t believe the difference when he came home!
Xtreme Clean is non-caustic and non-acidic, with no harsh odor and it takes very little water to wash the product off. The trigger on the bottle allows for an easily maintained two-finger squeeze and it can be sprayed upside down. The greatest thing about it is, of course, the amazing way it tackles grease and dirt. Just spray it on, distribute with a brush, cloth or sponge and allow it to work for 15-20 seconds and then rinse off. You can actually see the dirt lifting while you are waiting to rinse the product off!
Since the Xtreme Clean was so awesome, I decided to try a couple other Star brite products. My ’56 Panhead was very dirty as I haven’t cleaned it since getting back from North Carolina last June. I have NEVER actually washed the bike, just wiped it here and there. I don’t like to use up a lot of my time cleaning when I can be riding.
I first removed the rust from my Spartan springer with a MasterPro refinishing scuffing pad. I only worked on the frontend for about 30 minutes and the pad did a great job. I then washed the entire bike with Xtreme Clean. Once the bike was dry, I applied Star brite Ultimate Bike Guard to all of the metal, including the exhaust pipes, tank, fender, seat pan and other misc. chrome pieces. Bike guard is a detailer and protectant that you just wipe on and wipe off, plus it smells AWESOME! It leaves a mirror-like shine and has protective polymers that repel UV rays, so it’s like sunscreen for my bike.
I then used Star brite Xtreme Protectant on the tires and it made them shine. Since I only have a small piece of leather on my seat pan, I did not put the protectant there as I learned my lesson when I put it on the dirt bike seats; it made them super slippery! I can’t wait to use this on the interior of my cars though. It also smells really nice and has UV protection and is anti-static so it repels dirt.
After I got finished with that, I applied Star brite Corrosion Blocker to my springer. The springer is raw and has to be protected and what I’ve been using doesn’t seem to last. The Corrosion Blocker actually bonds to the metal and forms a protective barrier that is clear. I try not to get caught out in rain, but sometimes it happens. The Corrosion Blocker dries quickly and if you apply too much, just wipe off the excess. It is like a clear coat for my springer. I can honestly say I couldn’t be happier with these Star brite products and my Panhead has never looked better!