When I looked at the X-ADV's rear wheel, there was whitish grime on the rim.
The 15-inch rear spoked wheel is crowded with spokes and brake parts, so it's hard to get your hand in.
This time I cleaned the rear rim and spokes with Surluster Zero Finish and a microfibre cloth.
The short answer
- Spray Zero Finish onto the cloth, then wipe
- Keep it off the tyre and brake disc
- For the spokes, pull both ends of the cloth
- The whitish grime on the rim wiped off
The rear wheel before cleaning
There was whitish grime on the black rim, around the bases of the spokes.
I suspect it's brake dust, but I can't be sure.
I'd applied Zero Finish to this wheel just after delivery. I showed how in this article.
What I used
- Surluster Zero Finish
- Microfibre cloths (a set of about 30 from a tool shop)
- Work gloves
How I cleaned the rear spokes
Spray onto the cloth, then wipe
Rather than spraying Zero Finish straight onto the wheel, I sprayed it onto the cloth first and then wiped.
If you spray it directly, the chemical gets onto the tyre and elsewhere. The packaging also says that where overspray is a concern, you should spray it directly onto a cloth.
Keep it off the tyre and brake disc
The Zero Finish packaging says not to use it on rubber, glass or anywhere that could affect your riding (such as the handlebar or pedals). If it gets on rubber, you're told to wipe it off with a damp cloth (from Young Machine's Zero Finish guide (in Japanese)).
Keep it off the brake disc as well. It could affect braking.
The rim is right next to the tyre, so take care that the cloth doesn't touch the tyre while you wipe.
Wiping the rim
Wipe the grime off the rim with a cloth moistened with Zero Finish.
Pull both ends of the cloth for the spokes
The trick for polishing the spokes is to clean them by pulling both ends of the cloth.
Hook the cloth over a spoke, hold both ends and polish by pulling it back and forth.
The cloth wraps around the spoke, so it reaches the back of the spoke too.
The rear wheel after cleaning
The whitish grime on the rim came off.
Summary
- Spray Zero Finish onto the cloth, then wipe
- Keep it off the tyre and brake disc
- For the spokes, pull both ends of the cloth
Even the hard-to-reach rear spokes came clean by pulling both ends of the cloth.
I've also written about using Zero Finish on bug splatter on the fairing.
*This is work I did myself on my own 2026 X-ADV (18 years of home maintenance, no mechanic's qualification). Follow the instructions on the product and work at your own risk.