Vehicle Cleaning

[Hrvstmn31]

This is going to sound pretty dumb but how do you clean a motorcycle. It's starting to look dirty but I don't want to mess anything up do I hose it or go in with water and rags.

[clonak]

High presure water blaster.

Nah, mild soapy water, some rags and maybe a soft brush. Depends what type of finish you are actually after, you can try some of those cleaning products you get at auto stores. I dont know any brands as I dont use them my self, I like 'em abit dirty. And I'm cheap. Dishwashing liquide does the trick for me, Palmolive if you have it over there.

[Water Warrior 2]

Do not use high pressure water. The water gets driven into places you don't want it to go. Past seals, into electrical switches and connectors where it causes corrossion. High pressure will also work it's way into the O-rings of the chain and wash the lube out. Be careful of high pressure on the axle seals and bearings.
A lesson I learned is DO NOT use dish soap. It works well but eventually takes the shine of the paint. Dish soap is for dishes. Any wash product for automitive use should work.
Wet the bike down with a hose, use rags, brushes or whatever you have handy that is soft and won't scratch the paint. Rinse and dry a bit with a cloth. Wax if you want.
Careful washing a windshield if you have one. They scratch at the mere thought. A scratched shield can be treated with Lemon Pledge which removes a lot of scratches if you have any.
After a wash is a good time to lube cables, kick stand and kill switch, chain, levers, and shifter linkage, foot pegs pivots. Contact cleaner in the switches to chase out any moisture is a good idea.
How did I wash my Vstrom??? Easy!!!! I rode in the rain mostly and kept the lights, reflectors and shield clean of bugs on a regular basis.

[jonathan180iq]

Just wash it like you would a car. If you only ever use places where you pay $1.50 and blast the car with a sprayer, just don't spray directly over electrical connections, components or the chain.

...But a hand wash is always going to be better.

[Water Warrior 2]

I'll just toss this in as food for thought. Lynda handwashed her GZ after a 3,000+ mile trip. She discovered 3 broken spokes on the rear wheel.

[OldNTired]

Do not use high pressure water. The water gets driven into places you don't want it to go. Past seals, into electrical switches and connectors where it causes corrossion. High pressure will also work it's way into the O-rings of the chain and wash the lube out. Be careful of high pressure on the axle seals and bearings.
A lesson I learned is DO NOT use dish soap. It works well but eventually takes the shine of the paint. Dish soap is for dishes. Any wash product for automitive use should work.
Wet the bike down with a hose, use rags, brushes or whatever you have handy that is soft and won't scratch the paint. Rinse and dry a bit with a cloth. Wax if you want.
Careful washing a windshield if you have one. They scratch at the mere thought. A scratched shield can be treated with Lemon Pledge which removes a lot of scratches if you have any.
After a wash is a good time to lube cables, kick stand and kill switch, chain, levers, and shifter linkage, foot pegs pivots. Contact cleaner in the switches to chase out any moisture is a good idea.
How did I wash my Vstrom??? Easy!!!! I rode in the rain mostly and kept the lights, reflectors and shield clean of bugs on a regular basis.


Good tip about the Pledge, I'll have to try that.

I always use a leaf blower to help dry mine. Gets all that water out from under the seat, fenders, license plate bracket, and anywhere there is a tight fit and water can gather.

[Dez]

Welcome to the grand opening of GZ250Bike.com

As of 8/3/2006 the doors are open and the forum is ready to roll (minus a few small things left to do). Come on in, register and make yourself at home.

Why use a leaf blower when you have the wind from the open road? I mean, what's better then riding a nice clean bike?

[jonathan180iq]

What the.....

Nice quote.... I don't see how you could have done that on accident.

[Water Warrior 2]

It's magic.

[OldNTired]

Welcome to the grand opening of GZ250Bike.com

As of 8/3/2006 the doors are open and the forum is ready to roll (minus a few small things left to do). Come on in, register and make yourself at home.

Why use a leaf blower when you have the wind from the open road? I mean, what's better then riding a nice clean bike?


Have you never washed your bike when it is raining so hard that you don't want to ride? Just pull it in the garage and get it done, then you are all set when the rain stops.
Also, just letting the wind dry it always leaves streaks and water runs, the blower usually dries the bike quick enough that that doesn't happen.

[jonathan180iq]

A really good product that I like on both cars and bikes is the wax/drying spray from turtle wax.

http://img2.targetimg2.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/13/72/13727482.jpg

Couple a few sprays of this with a decent quality chamois and you'll get a streak/spot free paint that has a nice gleam to it and also feels soft to the touch. (That's a good test for a decent wax. Does the paint feel soft to the fingertips when you run them across it.)