Tis the season… For bugs!

[Tfrank59]

Hey, every day I've been riding and finding I need to clean the bugs because they're starting to come out in force.  Just a heads up that I've been using spray wax specifically turtle wax original express shine with carnauba wax (I think it was like five or six bucks for the bottle) to clean the bug guts off of my bike, and it works great.  I go over the windshield and the stuff actually dissolves the bug splatters and then leaves a nice shine it's not caking or making a nasty film.  And the nice thing about it is I can go on and do the plastics on the bike I can do the tank I can do my Mustang seat or vinyl tank bib, I can also do my acrylic Moto wings – it doesn't matter the stuff cleans and shines everything nice, long as you use a soft cotton cloth like an old shirt.

[Jess from VA]

Just a slight drift.

I have found the the most excitement with riding and bugs, is to develop the skill to catch yellow jackets, hornets or wasps out of the side slipstream into the armhole of your T or sleeveless T and then to clamp your arm down and smother them in your armpit.  This takes a lot of practice.  I have caught several this way, but have not been able to smother them quickly enough to avoid the inevitable jihadi retribution.  

Spraying Raid in the armpit is an unsatisfactory solution.

It turns out the armpit is an exquisitely sensitive area of the body (well beyond ordinary tickling).

Long sleeve Ts is a complete defense.

I've used about every kind of spray cleaner known to man for bugs, and with good advice read on here have discovered a half water-wet microfiber cloth carried in a plastic sandwich tupperware works as well or better than anything.  Esp cleaning ASAP at stops, and not letting them become petrified rock.  Also helpful is recent wax on the bike, including the shield and all wings.

[Bighead]

Yeah Jess and water is Cheap carry one with me and it takes only a couple minutes and looks like you just washed her

[Pappy!]

Jess....I feel for ya!
Had a wasp jump over the air wash at the top of the windshield last year on the way to Inzane. The bugger then dipped under my shield of my helmet and firmly anchored itself to my face..........at which time he commenced to start making me pay dearly for blocking his flight path.
Got the picture so far?
We were on I-95 for just a few miles in Ga. and doing around 75mph or so and coming up on our exit.
Lesa was right behind me on her Vstar wondering what the HELL the idiot in front of here was doing bashing the ever loving Hell out of himself with his left fist and forearm to the helmet....bike weaving about the whole time. Was bound and determined to get that ba$tard to quit stinging my face! Looked like I had been in the ring with a primordial mix of Muhammed Ali and the wasp from Hell.

[Jess from VA]

Pappy, on my CB750 on I-75 northbound, fast in heavy traffic, a bee got in my helmet (and boy is their buzzing loud in there).  I'm freaking out looking for somewhere to get over (not waiting for an exit), headed for the center median grass (across lanes).  He has so little room he is not stinging me, but trying to escape, so he crawls right into my ear hole and is working hard to go as deep as he can with all 6 fuzzy legs churning.  Now I am really freaking (and creeping) out, and slide to an emergency stop, jump off, throw the helmet straight up, and am swatting my ears with both hands dancing around.  He flies away and I have not been stung (a miracle).  As I finish dancing, I notice carloads of folks slowing driving by with a lot of pointing.  It was the 70's, and I think the consensus was that I was having a bad trip.

That was my most dangerous bee incident from coming close to a wreck, but the other multiple stings in the shirt were all more painful.  I am not anaphylactic, but my reaction to these stings over the last few years has been much worse than in my youth (not bees, hornets and yellow jackets). Got me the last two years in my back yard too, and now I hunt them and take no prisoners.  On the other hand I have big carpenter bees and bumble bees and they are tame and don't bother me at all.

[Tfrank59]

I had very nearly the same thing--bee in helmet then in ear (it's very creepy and scary)--but it was in the dirt  so I could stop right there and eject helmet--also didn't get stung!  Happy ending

[MarkT]

Man I avoid the bees in the helmet but waddaya gonna do?  Can't stand full-face helmets unless they are convertible.  Carry an epi-pen just in case.

As for cleaning off bugs - nothing approaches the effectiveness of fresh hyrogen peroxide (dilute strength, like3-6% in the drug store).  Almost free at the grocery - like 80¢ for a pint - that's the stuff you put on a cut or rinse your mouth with, and it foams like crazy while it attacks the germs.  Does the same thing to bugs and they like MELT.  Put it in a spray bottle, squirt it on the bugs and on your rag, wait one minute, and even old bugs wipe off like you won't believe.  I looked into developing this as a bike-cleaner product but there are issues with combining it with other chemicals, like cleaners and waxes.  Oh well.

The H₂O₂ needs to be fresh.  It does degrade in sunlight, that's why it's in a brown bottle.

[Tfrank59]

Apparently 'tis the season for bugs...and tomatoes.  last night I'm riding home around 10 o'clock and here's a car coming at me the other way --thump!-- the guy throws a tomato at me!  Fortunately it wasn't a direct hit he more like hit my left saddlebag and splattered tomato guts and seeds everywhere.  I did not have the nicest thoughts and prayers about that person. Where's a cop when you need one Well, I was more concerned about whether he damaged my bike than turning around to pursue him. After all, I had to figure out what it was he threw at me. Anyway when I got home I used the same turtle wax pump spray to clean off the tomato guts --worked okay . Still, not my favorite riding experience.  

[cookiedough]

Person in a car tosses tomato at me,  gonna turn around and go after him/follow him but not too close since car vs. bike (car wins) and follow him until either he stops or I stop for running out of gas.  Just hope I am on a full tank of gas.

I just wait until I cannot see out the shield too much anymore and every month or two use soap, old cotton cloth that is clean, and a bucket of hot water.   Everytime few times in the summer I do that am impressed with how clean my shield is again and can see threw it again.

Had a bee sting me near my privates down below wearing shorts on the cycle got up in there and was darn close.  Not wearing those baggy, fancier khaki shorts anymore but more tighter knit athletic shorts on the legs in summer months.

[Valkorado]

Apparently 'tis the season for bugs...and tomatoes.  last night I'm riding home around 10 o'clock and here's a car coming at me the other way --thump!-- the guy throws a tomato at me!  Fortunately it wasn't a direct hit he more like hit my left saddlebag and splattered tomato guts and seeds everywhere.  I did not have the nicest thoughts and prayers about that person. Where's a cop when you need one Well, I was more concerned about whether he damaged my bike than turning around to pursue him. After all, I had to figure out what it was he threw at me. Anyway when I got home I used the same turtle wax pump spray to clean off the tomato guts --worked okay . Still, not my favorite riding experience.  

Had my seven sting (maybe a few were bites, hard to tell) hornet in shirt encounter outside Grand Junction.  Bugs aside, people are nuckin' futz nowadays.  That's dangerous territory, and chasing 'em down could get ugly fast although I probably would.  I've had a hot cigarette butt exploding on the windshield, but have wondered about worse, beer bottles and the like.  We need mounted 50 caliber machine guns!

[Tfrank59]

Person in a car tosses tomato at me,  gonna turn around and go after him/follow him but not too close since car vs. bike (car wins) and follow him until either he stops or I stop for running out of gas.  Just hope I am on a full tank of gas.

I'd add that I was moving at ~ 50 MPH, so was he, so within seconds he had like 1/4 mile lead, meanwhile I'm trying to assess what just happened--did I, or more importantly my bike, get hurt?  And what would I do if I can catch up to the guy(s)?  Not interested in fist fighting the guy (or carload), no cops around (Murphy's law), and I don't carry--but for those that do, would you pull it out over that, and once it's pointed at them, what's next?  Lots to ponder on the side of the road.
-T

[Icelander]

Not sure, but I think this is considered hit and run in this state. Like you, I'd be first worried about the state of my bike. I'd want to chase them down enough to get a license plate and then call the cops.

Glad you're ok and a little dismayed that this is happening in the state I ride in.

Hopefully their karma will return ten-fold.

Icelander

[salty1]

Glad your OK Tfrank! If I remember my physics correctly, the velocity of the tomatoes at impact was nearky 100mph. Thanks for sharing as it reminds all to vigilant of oncoming car at what the arse holes might be tossing at you. Likewise, unhappy it happened in WA