Seacliff Washboard

SEACLIFF WASHBOARD

EVALUATION

RINSE AWAY THOSE WASH-DAY BLUES

CLEANLINESS MIGHT BE NEXT TO GODliness for some people, but for the rider who pulls his own maintenance, cleanliness can be next to impossible. That’s because there aren’t many choices when it comes to poststripdown cleanup of oily, grimy parts. He can resort to the time-honored coffee-can-full of gasoline and a toothbrush, and risk going up in flames, or he can drop more than $100 for a Safety-Kleen washer like many pro mechanics use. Or he can just bolt the dirty pieces back together and hope for the best.

Or he can rinse his troubles down the drain of a Washboard from Seacliff International Inc. Portable, sturdy, lightweight (about 8 pounds, empty) and relatively inexpensive ($49.95 from Seacliff, P.O. Box 50486, Pasadena, CA 91105), the Washboard is an alternative to both the traditional can full of gas and a full-blown Safety-Kleen pit.

Part of the Washboard’s attraction stems from its disarming simplicity. The yellow plastic base holds two gallons of solvent and sits beneath a black plastic 5-quart dip tank, connected via a hand pump and drain valve. Filling the dip tank requires

nothing more than opening the valve and stroking the pump, which pressurizes the solvent tank and forces solvent up through the drain valve. Then, with the valve closed, the plastic drain board in place on top of the dip tank, and the hand-operated sprayer clipped to the tank’s side, the Washboard is set up and ready to go. There’s even a nylon-mesh filter on the sprayer, and a steel basket to allow small parts to drip-dry.

When you’re done, opening the valve drains solvent back into the main tank, and inverting the drain board allows it to double as the Washboard’s cover, making the whole affair easy to transport to the work. It’s all very neat and convenient, and a delight to use, as well. The Washboard almost transforms the odious task of parts-washing into something approaching fun, and can have an industrious mechanic eyeing his bike for things to take apart, just to clean them.

But not everything comes out in the wash, so to speak. To start with, you need solvent, and some states’ hazardous-waste disposal laws make it impractical for auto parts stores and gas stations to carry it. The easi-

est solution is to buy 10 gallons of Safety-Kleen solvent for about $40. Oil-based solvents such as this, however, cause the rubber gasket in the hand-sprayer to swell; ours self-destructed in the first five minutes of use. Seacliff is aware of the problem and is changing the gasket’s material to an oil-resistant polyethylene, and will replace any afflicted sprayers and gaskets free of charge.

While the solvent-related glitches can be easily overcome, there’s one thing that can’t: The modestly sized dip tank ( 10 x lOx 7 inches) limits the size of parts you can easily wash. On the other hand, it’s the Seacliffs very compactness that makes it so convenient to use and store; and few riders will need to clean engine cases or other large parts.

So while professional mechanics probably won’t trade in their SafetyKleen equipment for a Washboard, the home user should find Seacliffs parts washer more than inviting, because it’s his laundry ticket to cleanliness. And to the dedicated home wrench faced with the task of working on his pride and joy, that’s not just next to godliness; it’s pure peace of mind.