Oven Cleaner For Rims/Brake Parts

I ride the bejeezuz outta my bike(s), but I also believe in keeping them clean. I just picked up a project '02 GSA runner for relatively low dough. It looked the part, and besides some required mech maintenance, it needed a good cleaning. Found out online oven cleaner works well on brake dust, and damn! It does the job! Just wanna pass on the info :)

Cheers!

Thanks - good to know.



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Oven cleaner;

Excerpt from the MSDS....

DANGER -- CORROSIVE
CONTAINS SODIUM HYDROXIDE (LYE).
CAUSES BURNS TO SKIN AND EYES ON CONTACT.
HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED.
Contents under pressure.
Avoid contact with eyes, skin, mucous membranes and clothing.
DO NOT ingest. Use only with adequate ventilation. Avoid breathing spray mist.
Wear long rubber gloves when using.

Are you crazy? Using this anywhere near alloy parts will cause permanent damage. I don't even use in on my oven. It is very poisonous, hazardous and will burn your skin.

SOS pads and wd40 work well on spokes wheels for getting off road tar.
PO lived on a tar and chip road....

Yep, didn't attempt to clean my eyes with it, just my rims and hubs. Definately would never consider it as an eye wash.

Thanks DEF!

I'll update if it seems any damage is a result, but so far all I have is incredibly clean wheels and hubs with a little scrubbing.

I would DEFINETELY not use oven cleaner on any metal that is not protected with a closed cell porcelain, much less with possible stress fractures where corrosive chemicals will permeate into.
Just like using a pressure washer, easy yes; good for your aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, and other soft materials...do not think so...

just my $0.02....

+1. Highly corrosive. There are many substances that will do the same job without putting that extreme poison into the environment.

Gunk engine cleaner works well without the corrosiveness of oven cleaner. Actually WD40 followed by a little work w wheel polish is good.

Someone was telling me the other day that Gunk could be used as a cheap alternative to tyre softener, not that I'll be trying it anytime soon.

There is only one way to properly clean wire rims:

Mild soap and water, a soft sponge/cloth, and a lot of elbow grease, then rinse well.

Brake cleaner does wonders on brake dust, just don't get it on your wheels.

If I had something I didn't care about, I might use oven cleaner on it for stuff that is hard to get off -- but never on anything I remotely value. I've seen what it does to unprotected aluminum -- NOT pretty. . . .

"Extreme poison" is more than a bit hyperbolic. It's caustic, sure. Easily neutralized. Having said that, I would not use that crap on my bike. Maybe to clean out a clogged drain.

As a chemist, I used 10N NaOH frequently in analysis for measuring NH3 as N. That material is dangerous and toxic. Keep it away from metals on motorcycles.

Gunk contains citric acid and ammonium hydroxide...not good for metal on your motorcycle.

A shoe lace with polish on it does a great job on spokes. Wrap it around once and zip it back and forth.

The bike is a heavily (ab)used GSA I picked up for relatively short money. It's been down. It's been out. It hasn't seen a cleaning in probably 50K miles or so. I tried cleaning it in all the traditional ways, but the rims and hubs were caked with an absolutly evil grime, perhaps collected in trade for all the sins of the PO(s) during the 85K miles showing on the clock, and perhaps a large percentage of the sins of their forbears.

I wouldn't make a habit of using oven cleaner as a routine, but it worked wonders in this case. Extreme measures were called for and I was willing to experiment, to use this former black beauty as a guinea pig, if you will. We will all benefit from the knowledge gained. That said, the cleaner seems to have had no ill effects on the painted, anodized, or any other of the bike's surfaces. If my wheels explode as a result I will post it here.

Stay tuned. :)

Oh, well in that case: carry on.