Wash & Cleaner from Dr. Wack "S100"

Wash & cleaner from Dr. Wack S100: motorcycle cleaners that get your bike spotless

What is the Dr. Wack S100 wash line? A range of cleaners and specialist detergents from Ingolstadt, tuned to the mixed materials on a bike. Six products, from the Bio-Gel and the shampoo to the waterless quick cleaner, for commuters and touring riders alike.

Motorcycle wash & cleaner products are the group that lifts bug splatter, oil, brake dust and traffic film off your bike without attacking paint, anodised aluminium, rubber or plastic. The Dr. Wack S100 wash line bundles that job into one system: from the pH-neutral Bio-Gel and the 2-in-1 Power Bike Shampoo to the waterless Total Reiniger Plus. S100 is regarded as the first complete care line for motorcycles and consistently thinks in mixed materials rather than plain paintwork.

• Six matched products for every kind of grime. From the Bio cleaner with over 97 per cent natural raw materials to the waterless quick cleaner, the line covers your whole washing routine. You don't have to switch brands to get chain, wheels and fairing clean.
• Safe on mixed materials, not just paint. Every formula is designed for the mix of materials on a motorcycle: clear coat, bare metal, rubber seals, matte plastics. The Bio-Gel works pH-neutral, which takes away the worry about discolouring sensitive parts.
• Made in Germany since 1975. Dr. O.K. Wack Chemie develops and produces the S100 cleaners in Ingolstadt. The formulas have stayed stable for years, so results from one bottle to the next are predictable rather than pot luck.

Detailing1's tip from the shop: We often see riders spraying their bike in blazing sun or onto a hot engine. The cleaner then dries on before it can work and leaves streaks on paint and visible surfaces. Move the bike into the shade first and let the engine and headers cool down for 20 to 30 minutes. Apply the cleaner generously, give it 3 to 5 minutes to dwell, never let it dry on, then rinse thoroughly with water. That way the dirt lets go instead of setting in.

One wash line for the whole mix of materials on your bike

A motorcycle isn't just a car with two fewer wheels. Clear coat, bare aluminium, anodised parts, rubber seals and matte plastics are all packed into a tight space, and each of these materials reacts differently to chemistry.

That's exactly where the S100 wash line comes in. S100 is regarded as the first complete care line for motorcycles and was developed from the start for this mix of materials, not for smooth paintwork. A good bike cleaner has to shift bug splatter on the fairing without leaving blotches on the matte trim, and get brake dust off the wheel without etching bare metal dull. That double act is what separates specialist motorcycle chemistry from a relabelled car shampoo.

The reason lies in the chemistry itself. A cleaner alkaline enough to cut through oil and wax residue quickly will, at the same strength, attack bare metal surfaces and anodised layers. If you want both — thorough cleaning and gentleness on materials — the formula has to be carefully balanced. That balancing act is behind the Bio-Gel's pH-neutral approach: it relies on cling and dwell time on vertical parts rather than on harsh alkali.

Dr. O.K. Wack Chemie has produced the line in Ingolstadt since 1975 as a vehicle-care specialist. The brand's strength is predictability: stable formulas that work the same year after year. For you, that means a wash that works today will turn out exactly the same next year with the next bottle. In everyday care, that reliability is worth more than any short-lived trendy ingredient that disappears from the shelf after one season.

Six products, from Bio-Gel to waterless wash

The line is graded by how dirty the bike is and whether you've got water to hand. Three products form the core for a wet wash, three more cover special cases around the bike.

The S100 "Bio" Motorcycle Cleaner is the pH-neutral cleaning gel with over 97 per cent natural raw materials, in a 750 ml bottle. The gel clings to vertical surfaces and doesn't run straight off, which extends dwell time on fairing and wheels. Instead of trickling down, the active ingredient stays where the dirt is. The "S100" Power Bike Shampoo for Motorcycles is the 2-in-1 option in a 1000 ml bottle: it cleans and lays down a light care film at the same time — ideal for regular maintenance washes in between.

For quick care without a hose there's the "S100" Total Reiniger Plus Cleaner for Motorcycles, available from 750 ml to 2 litres. It cleans with a self-drying effect and is the one to reach for when there's no wash bay nearby. Spray on, short dwell, wipe off — the bike is clean without a single drop of rinse water hitting the ground.

On top of that come three specialists. The S100 Motorcycle Wheel Cleaner in a 500 ml bottle goes straight for baked-on brake dust on spokes and rim. The S100 functional-wear detergent cleans your motorcycle textiles gently without ruining the jacket's climate membrane. And the S100 waterproofing spray makes your technical gear water-repellent again after washing, so rain beads off instead of soaking through. Six products, one care idea that takes in the whole bike and its rider.

It's worth keeping in mind which bottle does what. The Bio-Gel and the Power Bike Shampoo are concentrates you dilute with water in a bucket, whereas the Total Reiniger Plus is ready to use and comes undiluted out of the spray bottle. Mix that up and you either dose too weak or waste product. At the right dilution a 1000 ml bottle of shampoo lasts for many washes, while the spray products use more volume per session but cut the effort drastically.

Where the products differ and how they work together

The key difference is your water situation and how dirty the bike is, not the cleaning result as such.

Bio-Gel and Power Bike Shampoo both need a hose. The Bio-Gel is the heavy-duty cleaner for a thorough wash after a long tour or a run in foul weather, because as a gel it stays put longer and breaks down stubborn film too. The Power Bike Shampoo is the all-rounder for routine washes where you're only dealing with dust and light traffic film anyway. If you've got both on the shelf, pick by the situation: gel for stubborn, shampoo for regular.

The Total Reiniger Plus plays a different role. It's the answer to the problem that there's often no water supply where you park. Spray on, short dwell, wipe off, done — and the self-drying effect saves you the drying step. That way it bridges the gap between two full washes when the bike is dusty but not caked in mud.

The detergent and the waterproofing spray leave the bike behind entirely and look after your gear. First the specialist detergent gently cleans the membrane textiles, then the waterproofing spray restores water repellency. These two belong together like cleaning and sealing on paint: one without the other is only half the job. A freshly washed jacket without reproofing soaks up the next downpour, and a reproofed one that wasn't cleaned first just seals the dirt in.

How to wash a motorcycle, step by step

A clean routine affects the result more than the choice of any single product.

Step one: park the bike in the shade and let it cool for at least 20 minutes. Hot metal makes any cleaner dry on too fast. Step two: give it a rough pre-rinse so loose grit doesn't scratch the paint while you wash. Step three: apply cleaner from the bottom up. This order stops runs from drying on dry surfaces and leaving marks. Leave it to dwell for 3 to 5 minutes — on the wheel, ideally at the lower end.

Step four: go over it with a soft sponge or wash mitt, using separate ones for wheel and bodywork so brake dust particles don't migrate onto the paint and leave micro-scratches. Step five: rinse thoroughly from top to bottom until no more foam runs off. Otherwise residue in gaps and crevices dries into a white haze. Step six: chamois it dry or, with the Total Reiniger Plus in between washes, simply let it dry.

Two details from day-to-day practice make the difference. First: never leave the chain standing wet after a wash — take a short ride to dry it and re-lube, otherwise water attacks the lubrication and flash rust sets in. Chain care itself is handled by the Dr. Wack "S100" main line with its own chain sprays. Second: don't hit sensitive electronics, the dash unit or open connectors directly with the pressure washer jet; use the waterless quick cleaner there instead. That way what should get clean gets clean, without water ending up where it doesn't belong.

Always keep the pressure washer at a distance and on reduced pressure. A jet that's too close and too hard drives water behind seals, into bearing seats and into connectors, where it encourages corrosion for weeks — long after the surface looks dry again. Half a metre of distance and a wide spray angle clean just as thoroughly without risking that hidden damage. Once you've had to replace a corroded connector because of a bad wash, you'll keep that distance without thinking.

How S100 stacks up against other motorcycle brands

In the motorcycle care market, S100 stands for breadth and predictability, not for the last percentage point of specialist performance.

Compared with cheap all-purpose cleaners from the DIY store, S100 is clearly a cut above: compatibility with mixed materials is well thought out, the Bio-Gel is made of over 97 per cent natural raw materials, and results have been stable over the years. An all-purpose cleaner may be cheaper on occasion, but it risks discolouring anodised parts in a way you can't undo.

Compared with highly specialised boutique brands from the detailing scene, its strength lies less in the extreme edge case and more in the fact that one brand covers the whole bike, from the wheel to your technical jacket. You save yourself hunting down five individual products from different makers that each solve one job. That's a real advantage day to day, even if a highly specialised niche product gets a touch more out of its narrow field.

Even against the classic car shampoo that many riders just keep using on the bike, the specialisation makes sense. Car shampoo is designed for large, continuous painted surfaces and takes no account of anodised bolts, open cooling fins or matte engine covers. On a motorcycle, though, that mix of materials is the rule, not the exception. A formula tuned to the bike saves you problems in the long run that can't be fixed later.

The honest limit: S100 isn't a system for no-compromise paint correction over several cutting stages or for multi-year ceramic coatings. If that's what you're after, add a specialist brand for exactly that step. For a clean, material-friendly wash and ongoing everyday care, though, the line is sized just right. You'll find the brand's full range in the Dr. Wack overview.

Which cleaner suits the way you ride

The choice depends on how and where you ride, not on the price tag.

If you're a commuter or touring rider with a water supply where you park and you want a thorough wash, the Bio motorcycle cleaner is your starting point, topped up with the Power Bike Shampoo for quick washes in between. That combination covers most washing situations, from the wall of bugs after a motorway stint to light dust after an evening ride. If your bike lives in an underground car park or at the kerb with no water supply, though, there's no way round the Total Reiniger Plus with its self-drying effect.

If you ride a lot in all weathers in technical gear, the detergent and the waterproofing spray are must-haves, because a soaked jacket no longer protects you from getting chilled. If gleaming wheels are your main goal, start with the Motorcycle Wheel Cleaner and the matching S100 care line. The wheel is where neglect shows fastest anyway, because baked-on brake dust gets more stubborn with every season.

Our advice to start with: the Bio-Gel plus the Total Reiniger Plus. With these two you cover both the thorough wash with water and the quick clean without it, and that's the most honest basic kit for almost any rider. Everything else, from chain care to paint sealant to leather care, you build round that core as you need it. Your complete bike care from Ingolstadt stays with one maker, which makes it much easier to know the products work well together.