TheScooterScoop

(This is the “after” shot. Isn’t she PURDY? Let’s see how she got that way.)

Tis the season. Time to winterize the scooter. Empty the fuel, pop off the cowels or body panels (unless you ride a Ruckus), clean off the mud and gunk from another season of two-wheelin’ (unless you’re going for the rusty look). Luckily for ME Terry, a dealer for Lloyd’s Cleaner, took it upon himself to send some samples my way. What better way to prove your product works than putting your money where your mouth is.

What we got was 3 different products, each with it’s own specialty… Lloyd’s Wolfshead Polish, Lloyd’s Degreaser, and Lloyd’s Bug Remover. Let’s look at them one at a time. This story will be about Lloyd’s Wolfshead Polish.

It is advertised as “The Words Finest Polish!”.
To be that it would have to satisfy a few requirements. It would have to actually polish my scooter to a mirrory finish. It would have to be easy to use. It would have to be gentle on the skin, lungs and scooter and, most importantly, it would have to be gentle on the environment.

Could a polish with such a medieval name accomplish such modern goals?

I gave it a shot. First off, I wanted to use a waterless product… to save water and to prevent flooding my delicate scooter electronics. When you’ve got a 21 year old scoot, chances are you have a leaky seal somewhere. What I got was a 27 oz. spray bottle and a microfiber cloth with a very simple set of instructions. Spray on, polish off. Ohhhh kay. Let’s see what it can do for Leia (my 1985 Vespa T5)… the play by play is here:

Well then… how did the Wolfshead Polish stand up to the “Worlds Finest Polish!” test? Did it polish my scooter to a mirrory finish? It did a great job at removing the gunk. It worked on every part of the scooter from the plastic to the metal, to the glass to the (p)leather and I didn’t have to squirt it with a hose. But was the result really mirrory (I know I keep using this made up word)? To some degree, but it didn’t really REALLY shine until I hit it with some McGuires Wax (or your favorite wax). According to Lloyd himself, it’s to be expected from older paints. You will notice an improvement but it’s the newer plastics or paints with a clear coat that don’t need a wax once you hit it with the Wolfshead. It’s supposed to offer UV Protection and help prevent oxidation as well. I’ll give it a shot on a modern scooter soon, to be sure.

Was it easy to use? Yes. Spray… wipe… admire. It was all very quick and easy and the less crevices your scooter has the quicker and easier it is to clean. No serious elbow grease required.

Was it gentle? Absolutely. It took out the gunk and poop and smudgy stuff with no problem and left my skin, nose and lungs completely intact. When I was done I just washed my hands with soap and water. Didn’t experience any residual smell or effects (dryness, etc). It didn’t hurt my 21 year old paint, plastics, chrome or glass at all… and you should take a close look at how well it shined up my glass and plastic. Breathtaking.

Is it gentle on the environment? To see I grabbed a copy of the Wolfshead Polish material sefety data sheet. Here’s what it said:

“No Hazardous Components as defined by OSHA”. Sounds pretty safe to me.

So, would I recommend Lloyd’s Polish? Absolutely! I mean, spray? wipe? admire?! How easy is that? You can even get a smaller, more portable bottle to take along with you on the rally. There’s nothing wrong with this product. It cleaned and polished in a very short amount of time. If you wanna see more then click on the title link to go to the Lloyd’s website. I’ll get back to you on how it worked out on a more modern paint job or plastic fairings when I get a chance.

(Wolfshead Polish get’s the “thumbs up” in the “worlds finest polish” category.. a little wax doesn’t hurt when it’s all said and done.)

***UPDATE 12/17/07***
We’ve gotten a number of emails and comments asking where to score a bottle.
You can get it directly from the manufacturer HERE.