If you love your machine you’ll look after it, not just externally but internally. Now, we all have our own maintenance and care products for our bikes hidden somewhere in the garage, but nine times out of ten we’ll be missing a certain something. Brake cleaner! Horsepower is fun but braking is essential and to keep it so we need our brakes cleaned.
Tasked for the job at hand from Motul’s MC Care Range is the P2 Brake Clean, a very powerful non-chlorinated degreaser. Even the smallest quantity of greasy film or oily residue on brake pads or discs can cause significant problems down the road. The Motul Brake Clean blasts away layers of dusty debris, dries quickly, and leaves nothing behind.
If your bike is brand new and you are on your second month or so of ownership, you can get away with a can and cloth in hand. Because your bike is still new, the chances of having a bad build-up of brake dust is very minimal. Start with a disc clean and wipe, then point the nozzle between the brake pads to spray out any last trace of debris.
Because the Motul Brake Clean is non-chlorinated, you should always spray your brakes with a cloth behind them, just to make sure it doesn’t fall onto any paint or plastic. Also, try to only apply the brake clean once your brakes have cooled down completely—when applied hot, eyebrows may disappear.
For the daily commuters and high mileage warriors, a ‘coast-to-coast’ clean is good every now and then. Crack the tools out, split the calipers, grab a brush and start to scrub. You might think your callipers look relatively clean on the outside, however, sometimes brake dust can get stuck in those confined areas causing a build-up, which could lead to seized pistons. You don’t need to get OCD about it, but I would suggest doing it every brake pad change, if you ride on the road that is. If you ride off-road, I’d give them a clean after every ride.
At the end of the day, they may not look cleaner to the eye, but you’ll be able to sleep better at night knowing that they’re in good nick.
Pro tip: one good rule with brake cleaner is to always buy more than you think you’ll need. In this case, Motul’s 400ml can, will last several cleans and only cost you around R150. So, grab a can and keep it stopping.
Motul MC CARE ™ P2 BRAKE CLEAN
For more information on the product used in this article, click on the link below…
