SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - View Single Post

14-01-09, 02:32 PM

My usual bike cleaning method involves waiting a year or so before crashing it in such a spectacular way that a new bike purchase is required. Unfortunately new job located next to a building site whose trucks have as much regard for wheel washing as I have for bike washing has meant that there is now so much mud caked onto the bike that everything's clogged up (seriously need to kick the caked mud off the sidestand pivot in order to raise it).

So how do you clean your bike? Bear in mind I am lazy. Lazy with a capital L. The A, Z, and Y may as well be capitalised too. I will not be spending hours with a toothbrush and a tube of autosol.

Jetwash? As in garage forecourt jetwash? Only worry is that this might be too strong and start driving grease out of linkages?

Next up - chain cleaning. This is one area where I do tend to pay some attention as neglect here is more than cosmetic. Normally I do the whole kerosene and toothbrush trick then wash off and lube, but given the afore mentioned muddy field (aka my commute to work) - I'm doing this more and more often and it takes so much time, is nasty and messy, and frankly I've got better things to be doing. Are there any cheap tricks to get this done more quickly? I vaguely remember I used to have a pushbike chain cleaner which was a clip on plastic vat of solvent with spindle mounted brushes that scrubbed from all angles and did a pretty good job of cleaning - haven't seen anything like this for a while - any hints?

14-01-09, 02:32 PM	#1
MiniMatt Guest Posts: n/a	How do you clean a bike? (and chain?) My usual bike cleaning method involves waiting a year or so before crashing it in such a spectacular way that a new bike purchase is required. Unfortunately new job located next to a building site whose trucks have as much regard for wheel washing as I have for bike washing has meant that there is now so much mud caked onto the bike that everything's clogged up (seriously need to kick the caked mud off the sidestand pivot in order to raise it). So how do you clean your bike? Bear in mind I am lazy. Lazy with a capital L. The A, Z, and Y may as well be capitalised too. I will not be spending hours with a toothbrush and a tube of autosol. Jetwash? As in garage forecourt jetwash? Only worry is that this might be too strong and start driving grease out of linkages? Next up - chain cleaning. This is one area where I do tend to pay some attention as neglect here is more than cosmetic. Normally I do the whole kerosene and toothbrush trick then wash off and lube, but given the afore mentioned muddy field (aka my commute to work) - I'm doing this more and more often and it takes so much time, is nasty and messy, and frankly I've got better things to be doing. Are there any cheap tricks to get this done more quickly? I vaguely remember I used to have a pushbike chain cleaner which was a clip on plastic vat of solvent with spindle mounted brushes that scrubbed from all angles and did a pretty good job of cleaning - haven't seen anything like this for a while - any hints?