How do you clean YOUR bike ?

[CarlosSV650S]

whats the best way to clean your bike and engine ?

Should you just wash it with soapy water then hose the lot down or just go over it with a damp cloth ? I would imagine having to hose the engine though. is there anythin to use to clean / keep engine clean ?

[davepreston]

i adheare to the YC method its tried and trusted

when it rains take the bike out for a ride, job done

[jambo]

Rain for the top, puddles for the bottom!:smt040

[shonadoll]

cold water rinse, auto glym motorbike cleaner, rinse, acf50.

[Sid Squid]

I'm not sure I understand the question.

What is this 'clean' of which you speak?

[Jester666]

Rain for the top, puddles for the bottom!:smt040

+1 now that I don't have a little foreign bloke to clean it every week!! :lol:

[arcdef]

slightly OT but had a peek under my bike the other day and the bottom of the suspension links/dog bones are caked in crap (its the best word to describe what i saw) which im guessing is a mixture of dirt and grease, what's the best way to clean these bits up, ie the hidden parts that probably need to be kept clean!!!

[Dave Bullet]

First, I use WD40 or CRC to remove any fling off / crud on the wheels, engine bits and swingarm. Gets them real clean, real quick

Then wash the whole bike down with plain old car wash.

Finish with a good rinse, then towel dry what I can get to. Anything that looks like it might pick up a little bit of rust / be exposed, gets a quick WD40 squirt.

Every two months (or more often since it doesn't take much effort compared to the cage) the tank and rear fairing get some Meguiars to polish them up.

[mikebrooman]

First, I use WD40 or CRC to remove any fling off / crud on the wheels, not the rubber bit mind!

[the_lone_wolf]

paraffin on the wheels and anything else with grease or chain lube on it
hose
muc-off
hose
more muc off and a toothbrush on the engine casings if i'm feeling enthusiastic
hose again
leave to dry out of the sun
wax or polish to bring up the shine on the paint

[dizzyblonde]

a new tested product....Herbal Essences hair shampooo......lol :-) Particularly good for black bikes

Rinse well.

Dry

Autoglym Super resin polish
Autosol for all my shiny parts..rims, forks, hangers, downpipe.
Do again with Alu magic
Grease bits that need it. Clean chain in WD40 on a rag, then re apply chain oil
WD40 all over the engine

oh yeah, then do the others..hehe

[Spokey]

slightly OT but had a peek under my bike the other day and the bottom of the suspension links/dog bones are caked in crap (its the best word to describe what i saw) which im guessing is a mixture of dirt and grease, what's the best way to clean these bits up, ie the hidden parts that probably need to be kept clean!!!

Here's some motivation for you :mrgreen:

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/3spoke/dogs.jpg

[dizzyblonde]

Here's some motivation for you :mrgreen:

file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-53.jpg

even my OCD in polishing isn't that motivated...do you actually ride it:-D

[Spokey]

Er ..... no

I even took all the front brakes apart at the weekend - and polished the copper pads ..... :smt040


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/3spoke/pads.jpg

Oh dear ...... NURSE !

[zunkus]

You call that inspiration, look at me autosol polished clip-ons...
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2233/76/80/1079155957/n1079155957_30307518_2920.jpg

[Spokey]

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/3spoke/200.jpgI'll see your clip ons and raise you a KTM exhaust ...:mrgreen:

[arcdef]

Here's some motivation for you :mrgreen:

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/3spoke/dogs.jpg

Yeah how do i stop that looking black and gunky lol. I want my bike that clean!!!

[Viney]

How do you clean YOUR bike ?

I dont any more...well, once a year

[Girth]

Well i've had the week off and spent monday doing the first clean with muc-off and water.

Tueday i stripped the bike down of its plastics and rear wheel. I cleaned the swing arm and polished up the chain adjusters and put the rear wheel back in all cleaned up. I also clean a few nuts and bolts

Today i cleaned the engine and shock, sprayed down the fairings with bike spray and then waxed them all. Fitted the nose cose back and polished up the cans.

Tomorrow, fitting the remaining hugger and lower fairing and then cleaning the front wheel and cleaning up the brakes and chain.

:D

[dizzyblonde]

OCD
:D

and i thought taking 2 days to do mine was over the top:rolleyes:

[kwak zzr]

Here's some motivation for you :mrgreen:

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/kwak-zzr/dscf0030Copy1.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/kwak-zzr/dscf0037Copy1.jpg

[dizzyblonde]

Kwak, my downpipe is that shiny, but its ten yr old :-) It got a right good doo on monday...yyaay

but the engine.....gawd, you can't eat your dinner orff mine.....but then you wouldn't want to eat burnt bambi....lol ;-)

[zsv650]

kwak how and why just two question's i gotta ask.

[Girth]

and i thought taking 2 days to do mine was over the top:rolleyes:


You would be proud of the polishing i have done!
My chain adjusters turned that lovely colour of manky suzuki build finish after 2 years of winter, they now have a shine!
It was the first deep clean of winter




Oh and Kwak, mines never going to be that clean, the amount of **** there is stuck on the engine, even battery acid would not shift it!
Its that bad, but looks better now :smt040

[Spokey]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/kwak-zzr/dscf0030Copy1.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/kwak-zzr/dscf0037Copy1.jpg

State of that oil cooler and those fittings !!! ... don't know how you have the nerve to publicise that ... nice soft toothbrush and some polish, that's what you want ....:mrgreen:

[TheRamJam]

Thats a fancy radiator cover mate.

Where can one source one from??

[MattCollins]

whats the best way to clean your bike and engine ?

Should you just wash it with soapy water then hose the lot down or just go over it with a damp cloth ? I would imagine having to hose the engine though. is there anythin to use to clean / keep engine clean ?

Half an hour, once a week with soapy water (truckwash), kero, degreaser (carefully) , sponge, nail brush bi-carb soda (occasionally - applied with a brush), white spirits, a hose and pressure wash (but keep it away from places it shouldn't be used). Wipe down with a chamois.

The idea is to stop the crud from building up and to keep it looking respectable. I give it a really thorough going over a few times a year, but I don't ride on salted roads.

I actually ride my bikes and don't have a lot of time to spend polishing. Some people have way to much time on their hands.

Cheers

[dizzyblonde]

The idea is to stop the crud from building up and to keep it looking respectable. I give it a really thorough going over a few times a year, but I don't ride on salted roads.

I actually ride my bikes and don't have a lot of time to spend polishing. Some people have way to much time on their hands.

Cheers


you can ride on salted roads and still keep it looking respectable. Although this year is a rarity for me, as I'm off on a longer holiday than usual:cool: so haven't been out as much. Usually I'm riding around at 5am on really horrid roads at this time o year. Still haven't had time to clean it in the last 2 months or so, but I did this week:cheers: its been so nice outside i thought I'd make the most of it, before it changes its mind....nowt to do with going on the PM rideout at the weekend:-dd....or letting down the shiny downpipe club with a reet minger(for me anyway) I just make time to keep em clean, its all part of riding a bike. Better than let it rot, like a previous owner who I shan't mention!

[arcdef]

Found these videos on youtube, they seem like a very good guide to me.

Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HREqf4wIukA)

Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iJ5WDHk_N8)

Part 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUh93do88II)

Part 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K_ms8kCysk&feature=related)

Part 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjHwB7dsi-0)

[kwak zzr]

Thats a fancy radiator cover mate.

Where can one source one from??

eBay, was from Germany.

[CarlosSV650S]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/kwak-zzr/dscf0030Copy1.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/kwak-zzr/dscf0037Copy1.jpg


Do you actually use that bike ??? LOL

Seriously though, how often do you clean your engine an that to keep it that clean ??

[kwak zzr]

i clean it everytime its dirty, i rarely rode that bike in the rain so it always stopped dry, the engine was always wiped down with WD40, pookie now owns that sv1000s but he uses her regular what ever the weather.

[CarlosSV650S]

I hope hes kept it as clean as that ! lol

So best just to wipe down engine with wd40 on a rag regular then ? i wana keep mine as clean as i can. only had it 2 days and got it dirty when i picked it up ! Gutted ! the fella i bought it off cleaned it before i picked it up aswell.

[Lozzo]

I generally don't wash mine too often in summer, but am a bit particular about washing it down after a winter ride. Twice a year I strip the whole bike down and give it the deep clean - this can take up to 2 days to complete

[Alpinestarhero]

I use some castrol spray thingy, like muck-off, for the engine and exhaust and other metal bits. soak the bike, spray it on, have a cuppa tea, go around with a brush to agitate more stubborn grime, then rinse of while wiping with a sponge. The plastics get a wipe over, but they are plastic and dont corrode. The lights and mirrors get a proper wipe though, i make sure they are clean. Bike gets dried with a tea-towel.

Then moving bits like the gear shift lever and rear brake lever get WD40'd, as does the axle nuts. Clean chain, lube chain. Check tyre pressures, oil level, water level, keep an eye out for any signs of corrosion and damage through-out the whole shbang.

bike cleaned, bits fixed, dirty alpinestarhero.

Oh, in addition because lozzo's post made me think about this, I'll often clean the clutch mechanism and lubricate. With chain lube. Don't shout at me, it works and my clutch is loveeerrrrllllyyyyy. My brakes will now get stripped and fully rebuilt once a year after they got crapped up recently. Each time i have fiarings off, any electrical connectors will get unclipped and cleaned out and a blob of vaseline on them to stop water getting in

[Jester666]

The other option is to park next to either TSM or Jambo.

That way your bike looks gleaming!! :lol:

[Quiff Wichard]

The other option is to park next to either TSM or Jambo.

That way your bike looks gleaming!! :lol:


and if the owners are with the bikes it makes you look good looking too.. :-D















oh TSM... sorry (he's a cutie... ) I thought you meant spiderman. xx;)