Washing it - how?

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.

Originally Posted by 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, ....

That would be worth watching!

[Red Herring]

Originally Posted by 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"

Originally Posted by Red Herring

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

Originally Posted by hovis

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

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.