How do I wash my baby?
 

Yes, a stupid question :oops: but I am not too certain of as I have never had to wash a bike before and after a recent rideout she is a bit mucky to say the least. :(
What do I avoid with the hose and what can I do to clean the chain? I have some autoglym degreaser and some autoglym motorcycle wash (No they dont pay me...I just got a good deal on a cleaning pack from HG) :)
Any other tips will be really helpful. :D

I prefere not to use a pressure washer. If you wash it by hand you are more likely to spot anything amis whilst washing it. Such as loose bolts and stuff. If you do decide to use the pressure washer route, be gentle on the brakes and the chain. Hi pressure can cause damage to seals etc etc.

I have always found WD40 to be great for cleaning anything on the bike (apart from the brakes and surrounding area, ie disks.) I give it a soapy wash first to get rid of the road muck and then WD40 for those more difficult to shift bits of grime.

Finish off with a nice polish.

If you need to speak to an expert on how to clean your bike have a word with Jonboy. He's the master :D :D :D

Thanks for that...I was just gonna use the hose to wash off most of the muck and then use a bucket and sponge with some of that autoglym bike cleaner. I need to clean the chain as well because i want to fit my scottoiler as well.

jdubya - Get your self some Scottoiler FS365 spray for when you have finished cleaning your bike, its a bit like WD40 but better and cover the bike in the stuff! Once the water evaporates (sp?) lightly polish it off the plastics for a nice finish.

Yes, will do thanks...but what can I and what is not good to wash? :?

You can wash everything, just particular parts need consideration on what you use. Brakes and disks just use normal bike cleaning gear. Chain use WD40 and then re-oil.

Only other thing to watch out for is that you don't swap the electrics or spark plugs.

Oh and I wouldn't wash the tyres in oil or anything "slippy" like that :wink:

Ta! :lol:

Also, never stick a pressure washer near anything greased, or any sort of bearing... They can blow the grease out.

I used a cheap pressure washer whenever I cleaned my bike all summer, but now i'm just using an unpowered hose and it does the job almost as well imho... If there was some way to mix some sort of shampoo in at the same time I'd be delighted. "Take your bike into the shower? Not me... I just hose and go!"

If you get a cheapo garden spray, a pressurised one is best, then mix the cleaning fluid with water that will help reach bits that normally take skin off your knuckles. I wouldnt use a pressure washer though,

a sponge is ok for bodywork and tank :idea:

I dont clean mine often , but I read that somewhere :P

I cover the bike in "Muck Off" or something similar (HG do their own that's pretty good, and Autoglum's Bike Cleaner is the same sort of stuff) then use a pressure washer (carefully) to rinse it off. This gets rid of most of the surface crap and weakens the hard to shift stuff.

I then use a car shampoo with a bucket & sponge and go over the whole bike getting into all those hard to reach places with cloths and brushes, making sure I have got rid of all the stuff that doesn't want to go. I then get off all the oily bits from the swing arm and wheels with WD40 or a degreaser.

Rinse with the pressure washer and then dry the bike off.

Then I do the WD40 thing all over the bike (except the brakes & chain) leave it to dry and then give it a wipe over with a dry cloth. In the summer I apply loads of polish but as I use my tank cover in the winter I just leave it as is. Takes about an hour or so.

It gets a full clean like this about every 2 weeks. I then hose/pressure wash it down after using it, lube the chain once or twice a week, and clean the lights/mirrors every time I go out.

You can use a pressure washer without a problem, just stand away from the bike to reduce the force.

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