How to clean my bike

Ok this might sound a little silly but can anyone give me some top tips when it comes to cleaning my bike, never owned one before and i'm trying to find the best and quickest way to clean my new curvy. Any pointers anyone has would be much appreciated

where do i start?

car shampoo if its filthy, warm water and a soft sponge, wd40 will get the chain lube and oily bits off your bike, when clean i use a good car polish about once a week but mr sheen inbetween just to keep bodywork looking good.

[Speedy]

Is it new?

If it is, I always get my new ones either Diamondbrite or AutoGlym LifeShine treated.

They are easier to keep nice!

Anyway, tips....

Wash first with just water, this removes all the loose dirt.
Then get all the sticky chain lube off with WD40 or Gunk or similar.
Wash with a CLEAN sponge in a decent shampoo/wax.

Then, and this is important, buy yourself a really good Chamois/Leather (I use a Flunky one, synthetic, and very gentle!!) use a clean bucket of fresh warm water to rinse it in!

Job done!

If you use a power wash thing like a Karcher or similar, avoid your wheel centers, steering head bearing areas etc, as water can be forced in causing damage to bearings.

nothing such as a quick clean buddy, take your time and do a good job of it. pay attention while you clean, checking for condition of the bike, fixtures, nuts and bolts, tyre & chain etc. get to know your bike inside out

[Shellywoozle]

Rent a kWAK !

http://motorcycles.about.com/od/moto.../HowToWash.htm

Fairly fool proof guide.

Originally Posted by Rob969

Ok this might sound a little silly but can anyone give me some top tips when it comes to cleaning my bike, never owned one before and i'm trying to find the best and quickest way to clean my new curvy. Any pointers anyone has would be much appreciated

Zymol car shampoo, get it from halfords, good at removing road film etc and doesnt foam too much.
Wash / polishing mitt the really soft one, otherwise you will get swirl marks in the paint.
Good quality wax, regularly applied, this makes washing a doddle.

Lick it

Originally Posted by sv-robo

Lick it

doesn't everyone do that with there bikes anyway

defently take your time with it, i found a nail in my tyre the other week when i was washing the bike.

Give it a good clean and if its very dirty take the fairings off and give it a good scrub. i use stuff from halfords i used:

de greaser - muckoff ( toget the crap off the chain and all the greasy crap else where)
Protectant - muckoff (spray this on once the bike is dry and clean it will help the crap to stop sticking to the bike, use on the hard to get area once its clean)
Wd40 (gets the oily bits off)
Chain lube - PJ1 Blue label from the motorbike section
auto gym polish
Auto sole ( for the metal bits)
Shampoo ( i use a non smearing one)
disk break cleaner - muckoff

i degrease all the bits that need doing like the chain if it look cruddy, then wash the bike with water first them warm water with shampoo and a soft sponge. then rinse off the shampoo with the hose. dry the bike with a towel or you can get the blue paper towel from halford which also works well. i then used the wd40 on any other oil flickers and to clean the wheels better. then i usedthe polish and leave that on for a sec and then take it off. then i use the auto sole polish for any bits that need doing. i then give the break disks a clean with break disk cleaner.

and then it should be looking all nice and shiny

chompy