how often do you clean your bike?

[nikon70]

i was walking out in the sun today (such a rarity that it is, the sun not me walking)

and i saw a van parked up cleaning a bike....

hxxp://www.mo-clean.com/ (http://www.mo-clean.com/)

not bad for a deep clean £35-150

they use LOW pressure HOT water to clean everything and use a bike lift to raise up the bike (according to their website)

i know i dont wash my bike as much as i should, but if anyone is in London finsbury square and would want their bike deep cleaned 5 and above bikes get a discount - who knows maybe forum discount too for advertising???

check it out

i'm game!

[SoulKiss]

leave it out in the rain?

:p

[DJFridge]

climb? klean? clane? steam? clone? Keane? kleen? Oh, CLEAN! Not very often!

[Fruity-ya-ya]

When i can't make out the headlight :rolleyes:

[jambo]

I cleaned the SV before the AR for 2 reasons:
1) I was doing a major service at the same time, and was going to get covered in dirt and grease if I didn't
2) Anna was going to see her old bike for the first time in a while and I thought she'd give me a kicking...

I started by removing the noise test stickers from 2009, and I think they were covering the 2008 ones...

Jambo

[Dipper]

When I sell it.

[gruntygiggles]

Mine...after buying and before selling, but kept lights clean.

I once gave Stretchies fireblade a small wipe over with a damp sponge before NW3.5

He then crashed it, wrote it off and blamed it on me for cleaning it!

[Spank86]

I'd claim to clean my bike all the time but nobody would believe me, luckily the oil leak keeps it looking pretty shiny.


Must get that fixed.

[dizzyblonde]

When Pegs been using it...GRRRR!

[Messie]

I'd sell it first .... oh yeah I did!

[BBadger]

2 of them when they get dirty...the dr once a year but it generally ends up being taken to every last nut and bolt then.

[Specialone]

I clean my sprint regular tbh, it was a brand new bike, scratched, fecked up paintwork won't get a good resale price.

I also don't like riding it dirty as it looks crap.

Dirt on the paintwork causes scratches.


On my drz I just hose off the mud if i go green laning on it, that's about it.

[DJ123]

usually once a week on average. If it's been out in the rain (oh dear God no!) soon after.

[SVMAT]

I clean my sprint regular tbh, it was a brand new bike, scratched, fecked up paintwork won't get a good resale price.

I also don't like riding it dirty as it looks crap.

Dirt on the paintwork causes scratches.


On my drz I just hose off the mud if i go green laning on it, that's about it.

On the contrary, on both my sv and gsxr the dirt hides the scratches :thumbsup:, when i wash it people start to notice the war wounds.

[widepants]

Mine...after buying and before selling, but kept lights clean.

I once gave Stretchies fireblade a small wipe over with a damp sponge before NW3.5

He then crashed it, wrote it off and blamed it on me for cleaning it!
some people would be better on a pushbike:thumbsup:

[leebex]

as and when I feel like it I clean it, use it daily so it will only get dirty again,and pretty quickly with the rubbish weather were having.

[Mrs DJ Fridge]

DJ is the one who cleans the bikes, I have never done it, but in my defense he never cleans the cars, that is always me, and the answer to that is at least three times a year for both cars!

[leebex]

dont clean the car often for the same reason that it will just get dirty again, plus ive got this fear that I`ll clean it, for it to then breakdown :smt009

[BBadger]

dont clean the car often for the same reason that it will just get dirty again, plus ive got this fear that I`ll clean it, for it to then breakdown :smt009

But everyone who drives by you when at the side of the road will be jealous.

[Sid Squid]

Clean a motorcycle?

Interesting concept.

[Nobbylad]

I clean mine often, probably once every week or two. It gets used almost everyday for commuting and spending an hour or so on it at the weekend gives me time to top up the Scottoiler, check everything over and make sure nothing's on it's way out. Preventative maintenance is a good thing and cleaning off a lot of the crap helps you see stuff that's on it's way out and whilst cleaning you're more likely to spot issues such as any loose bolts/ fittings or stuff perishing.

[BillyC]

To clean a motorcycle is like removing mud from a Land Rover, after finally earming its stripes on a country lane. It's like Samson cutting his hair, or even Jesus Christ not being bothered when the last of the wine is drunk and settling for tap water instead. It's like buying leathers to match the bike, or thinking that after-market LEDs are better on the bike than left in the box from eBay.

As Mr Squid says, an interesting concept.

[andreis]

I didn't use to. The SV got cleaned ONCE, by the guy who sold it to me..
But the tiger gets cleaned about twice a month. Not by me, mind you, there's a cleaning service that uses only steam and they do a fine job for the equivalent of 3pounds (yes, Romania can be cheap :P ) and they do it while I'm buying food and stuff.
The best part is that, with the dirt off the wheels, it actually handles better :p not to mention that I get to see what is loose AND they clean the dead stuff of my radiator so it no longer stinks when I'm waiting at a stop

So yes, I'm turning into a fancy pants biker...

[Elliott]

I use my bike every day for both commuting and messing about on and it gets very battered...

I clean it maybe once or twice a week? and polish etc once a month

[NTECUK]

When i work on the Saturday and use the bike.
If its wet after a spin hose down and leather off.

[yorkie_chris]

Ahahahahahahahaha!
:smt082

[andrewsmith]

Ahahahahahahahaha!
:smt082

By the previous owner?


Mine... Possibly once a 6 months or when I've got to strip it for a service

[Bibio]

bucket and sponge once a week than a good going over once a month. ooohhh wait your talking about the bike, yes that gets cleaned to.

[Tom_the_great]

mine never gets dirty and if it does its cleaned stright away after the ride :)

[sunshine]

the vfr750 is kept clean, but then again i have only used her about 5 times then started to strip/clean/rebuild.
the tiger agrees with yc

[gruntygiggles]

To clean a motorcycle is like removing mud from a Land Rover, after finally earming its stripes on a country lane. It's like Samson cutting his hair, or even Jesus Christ not being bothered when the last of the wine is drunk and settling for tap water instead. It's like buying leathers to match the bike, or thinking that after-market LEDs are better on the bike than left in the box from eBay.

As Mr Squid says, an interesting concept.

Absolutely love this :-)

[squirrel_hunter]

Clean a motorcycle?

Interesting concept.

Agreed.

A couple of years ago... Just before going on an assessed ride the Policeman looking over my (Stretchie's) Blackbird commented that, "It won't shrink if you wash it". I responded by saying "Its a risk I'm not willing to take".

[Stuuk1]

My service is a month overdue, the bike clean is much more overdue..

[rictus01]

I love some of the views expressed in this thread, made me laugh, as for myself, normally my bikes have a layer of road grim on them; which given the use they get is quiet exceptable to me, they are oily/greasy where they need to be and clean enough on the other parts, I make an effort to clean them twice a years (before and after the winter weather sets in), but this is mainly to remove the old layer of ACF50 and reapply a new layer, in the interim they may on the odd occasion get a bucket of cold water (which doesn't remove the ACF50) to remove the worse of the grime, but little more than that.

whilst we're on the subject, chains; I don't clean chains, they are either regularly lubbed or have a scottoiler, my neglect in this regard normally results in 30-35,000 miles from a set, which I consider OK, I can live without seeing the fancy gold sideplates, chains are most definately function over form.

Cheers Mark.

[Specialone]

TBH, i dont see what the issue is, you clean your bike or you dont, doesnt mean you have a small penis either way.

Its your bike to do what you please with, if i spent a lot less money on a bike i probably wouldnt wash it much either, but spending £7.5k on a bike i want it to look decent and not look like a bag of ****, frankly i couldnt care any less what people think either tbh.

[Winder]

TBH, i dont see what the issue is, you clean your bike or you dont, doesnt mean you have a small penis either way.

Its your bike to do what you please with, if i spent a lot less money on a bike i probably wouldnt wash it much either, but spending £7.5k on a bike i want it to look decent and not look like a bag of ****, frankly i couldnt care any less what people think either tbh.

I agree, if i had a £10k bike 1'd be cleaning it 3 times a week, the more you take care of it the more you'll get for it when it's time to sell on.
As it goes I like to keep mine clean, quick 10 minute clean if it's been out in carp weather and I think a good 1 hour clean every 3 or 4 weeks

[muzikill]

All bikes corode, the sv more so due to much cheapness. Its everyones choice. I prefer to keep it clean so it will last longer, keep running costs down and the running condition good.

[aaron020873]

Sometimes I feel like I clean it more than I ride it :eek: I do like a clean bike though :)

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[yorkie_chris]

All bikes corode, the sv more so due to much cheapness. Its everyones choice. I prefer to keep it clean so it will last longer, keep running costs down and the running condition good.

You'd be surprised, just blather it in ACF50 and leave it. The layer of sh*te so accumulated is better rust prevention than anything else!

[Iansv II]

rarely at best :thumbsup:

[steveg]

I clean mine before / after winter ACF , before MOT and if I'm selling it , apart from covered in road grime as main transport

Cheers Steveg

[missyburd]

If the weather's nice enough to contemplate cleaning the bike then the time is sure as hell much better spent riding the thing :-P

I cleaned it once to wash all the winter crap and salt off. It was such hard work it will be at least another year now.

[TamSV]

I wash my bike after every ride. I have been found cleaning it during a ride. I often wash it when I haven't been for a ride. When I got to last years GM, the first thing I did was remove the luggage and wash the bike.

I just like cleaning and polishing things. Always have. I love the transformation. I quite like ironing for the same reason.

It doesn't make me a better person - I'm sure there's a name for it in mental health circles.

I find some of the more extreme pride in a dirty bike to be the other side of the same coin. It seems to border on some kind of superiority and that's not a rational position - those people are just as ill as me. :)

[hongman]

I do believe I have a photo of tam with a polishing cloth at last years GM :)

On that note I still have the midges on my bike from last years GM :)

[mister c]

I've cleaned the Triumph twice this year. I'm amazed at how well the finish has stood up to the winter weather. I didn't do anything to protect it. The SV was cleaned weekly & looked like rusty rust after a couple of years

[svrich]

More often than the Landy :p

[widepants]

I can remember Pete and Lissa washing their bike early one morning on a weekend trip to Wales. They thought we were all asleep

[femaleacid]

Depends if I spill pot noodle on it.

[widepants]

Depends if I spill pot noodle on it.
is that slang for something?

[femaleacid]

Nope, I mean the delicacy meal of england - pot noodle.
I'm being silly.

Anyway my fella' doesn't clean his bike, Ido it for him and spend all day on it because I'm a perfectionist when it comes to cleaning! :( probably once a week depends how often we go.