Washing it - how?

[Dizeee]

Whats the best way to wash it?

[BanditPat]

Go out in the rain ;)

[BanditPat]

bucket full of warm water and car shampoo is what I use and then scrub it off with a really soft brush from a pressure wash set dry it off and then get the polish out...this happens once every 5 months

[Dizeee]

So its okj o use a hose on the bike then?

[BanditPat]

So its okj o use a hose on the bike then?


Yup i use it for rinsing it

[yorkie_chris]

Best way; don't.

Hose is OK, but be very careful with it. Don't apply high pressure anywhere, jsut use it to rinse over bodywork.

[Sally]

Rain. Emmm thats about it..
Or get it so dirty you're dad gives in and cleans it, because hes a clean freak.

[sv-robo]

1/Clear warm water(to rinse **** off)
2/As above,but with a wax/shampoo in it
3/number 1 again:smt087
4/shammy dry with a soft cloth
5/wax on wax off....daniel son;)

[Red Herring]

Hose all over to get nice and wet, spray on dirt bike cleaner (get it from your local motocross shop) work it in a bit with a soft bust, one from a dustpan is perfect, especially if you can get one with a fairly narrow body, don't let the cleaner dry on though, do the bike bit by bit if necessary, then hose off using the brush again to make sure everything comes off. Leave to dry, polish if you want to, but use a lubricant spray like WD40 and a rag over the metal bits like footpegs, brake levers, adjusters etc to keep them nice and fresh.

[7755matt]

Isnt WD40 on pegs and levers a bit iffy? Making them slippy?

[Ed]

Much the same way as you would your car. I do a low power hose to get rid of surface dust, then warm water/shampoo with a soft sponge, then rinse, and if I can be arsed the warm water and shampoo again, then rinse and shammy dry.

[speedplay]

Best way; don't.

Hose is OK, but be very careful with it. Don't apply high pressure anywhere, jsut use it to rinse over bodywork.



Erm....do you actually wash your chris?

[yorkie_chris]

Nope.

[dyzio]

Erm....do you actually wash your chris?

No, he doesn't.
From time to time, when YC is sleeping, the magic GM fairy cleans his bike ;)

[hovis]

i think kwak should clean YC bike at the next AR, while YC is sleeping

haha

[Richie]

he must sleep for a long long time....

[maclovin]

find 2 cans of halfords matt black paint does the job (cover lights and clocks with hand while spraying) gives a nice woodchip finish over flies on front

[Red Herring]

Isnt WD40 on pegs and levers a bit iffy? Making them slippy?

Probably makes them slippy, definitely doesn't make them iffy. You are not relying on any surface friction when operating bike controls. What you do want is nice smooth operation.

Perhaps overlooked here is the very act of cleaning your bike should take you all over it inspecting, touching and checking everything as you go. It's the best way to find a lose part that shouldn't be lose, a tight part that shouldn't be tight or a worn part that shouldn't be worn before it tells you itself, usually late at night when it's raining..... I've always believed if you look after your bike it'll look after you.

[blueto]

best way is to put aside 2 hours a week of your tinme.

heres how i do mine....every week without fail (if its been ridden or not)

I spray with muc off first and let that do some breakingn down of dirt. I then have a low pressure sprayer i brough from homebase which you pump by hand. I fill this with warm water and gently spray all over the bike just lightly rinsing of the soap.

out then come the brushes. 3 in all.

brush 1 does in between engine cases and pots etc
brush 2 does around susupension
brush 3 does swing arm &wheels

After scrubbing down this and a final rinse i chammy dry the bike and all componenets i can get to.

this is followed by hein gerike spray on polish and a buff off.

Now for the chromey bits.Autosol these and dont be shy with the elbow grease. Once dry give it a buff with a polishing wheel and hey presto. Bikes clean.

Now the fun part......


Push it back in the garage and put a cover over it just in case it gets dirty!!!

[Messie]

Jump on bike and ride it 2 minutes down to the local car hand wash guys.
Get off bike and step aside, smiling
Watch very nice young lads wash and shine bike
Happily hand over £5
Ride away

[PsychoCannon]

Luckily the new bike seems to have most of the wheels and usualy hard to clean bits made out of some kind of non stick stuff which combined with a shaft drive means the dirt just wipes off with a wet cloth!

If possable once a weekend (if sunny) or once a month if sunny weekend has not presented itself.

*) Grab a beer
*) Consume beer
*) Turn bike engine on, put on center stand in Neutral
*) Bucket of hot water and sponge over the body work to get rid of flies, mud, dirt.
*) Grab a beer
*) Consume beer
*) Same bucket, different cloth, go over wheels and anywhere that may pick grease and oil.
*) Rinse Bike
*) Turn off bike
*) Grab a beer
*) Consume beer
*) Inspect bike (Brake Pads, Brake Fluid, Clutch Fluid, Indicators, Brake Lights, Tyre Tread, Body work)
*) Repeat clean on any spots that were missed.
*) by this point Engine oil is good to be checked.
*) Grab a beer
*) Consume beer
*) Dry bike (or by this point more like removing smears left by evaporating water)
*) Grab a beer
*) Consume beer
*) Apply polish/touch up paint where needed and buff streaks out of shiny bits and mirrors.
*) Grab a beer
*)Consume beer
*) Apply leather cleaner to seats if and where needed
*) Grab a beer
*) Consume beer
*) Attempt to get out of the garrage without knocking the bike over, crawling my be advisable.

[merlin427]

Hose all over to get nice and wet, spray on dirt bike cleaner (get it from your local motocross shop) work it in a bit with a soft bust, one from a dustpan is perfect, ....

That would be worth watching!

[Red Herring]

work it in a bit with a soft bust,........ especially if you can get one with a fairly narrow body.........

I wish I was witty enough to have written that deliberately.....could have been worse, the spell checker could have picked "bush":D

[Alpinestarhero]

Probably makes them slippy, definitely doesn't make them iffy. You are not relying on any surface friction when operating bike controls. What you do want is nice smooth operation.

Perhaps overlooked here is the very act of cleaning your bike should take you all over it inspecting, touching and checking everything as you go. It's the best way to find a lose part that shouldn't be lose, a tight part that shouldn't be tight or a worn part that shouldn't be worn before it tells you itself, usually late at night when it's raining..... I've always believed if you look after your bike it'll look after you.

+1 on what you've said here red herring; a good wash is also an oppurtunity to inspect the bike up close...to spot something loose, or something corroding. It also means that, while your getting dirty, you might aswell carry on and pubricate things. Somethings are not ment to be dirty and greasy, other things are. Along with washing my bike, I'l also clean and re-lubricate the chain :)

A bit of WD40 in the right places (e.g. axle bolts, caliper bolts, brake hose banjos, other bolts and stuff) goes a long way to protecting against corrosion aswell.

Oh yea, and check coolant, oil levels, tyre pressures at this point aswell

Matt

[kwak zzr]

i think kwak should clean YC bike at the next AR, while YC is sleeping

haha


i enjoy cleaning the bike, it takes about 4hours tho for a good clean, altho mine dont get cleaned as much as i like to these days cus i ride it too much :)

[yorkie_chris]

If you can do it without waking me up and getting murdered, it will put rest of your bikes to shame

[breakz187]

I use a £10 tin of gunk in one of those pressurised watering can things you get with the pump on top. Go over the bike and then rub with sponge, once ive rinsed this all off i use carwash and another sponge.