cleaning bike

[smallpaul31]

hello all

i pick up me 1st bike on saturday, kawasaki zx600r, now wot is the best way to wash and dry the bike after a ride in this weather with the salt on the roads. may sund daft to most ppl but bein new to biking and all that
av heard lots bout getting mug off and spray that dispers the water
____________________
Passed CBT 23/10/06
Passed theory on 14/11/06
Passed pratical test 24/01/07

[angryjonny]

Muck-off or similar should do a good job.

I understand that rubbing WD40 into the exposed bits is supposed to protect from corrosion too - obviously not any bits where grip is essential (don't get any on the tyres or brake disks for example) and not on anything that gets hot, like the exhaust.

[Whosthedaddy]

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=97576&highlight=cleaning
____________________
Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[Ariel Badger]

Do not clean it, protect it.
Spray it with WD40 if you like or if you are a cheap skate like me use cheap furniture polish.
Clean it in the spring.
____________________
Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[JonB]

Use FS365 to protect it from the salt, like ariel said, wash it in the Spring.
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[krebsy]

Don't spray WD40 onto the engine or Exhaust as it bakes on and is a bugger to shift.

Get a squirty bottle of AutoGlym shampoo, some degreaser, a few sponges, some furniture polish (with Beeswax in it) and some FS365.

Wash down with warm water and scrub off any stubborn oily muck with the degreaser. Coat the whole bike in shampoo, rub in with a clean sponge then rinse down with warm water and another sponge to get the clean water into all the gaps. Dry her off with a towel then start her up and let the engine/exhaust heat dry the rest.

Check the bike over for any signs of corrosion or damage and once dry, spray fs365 into all the nooks and crannies and use the polish everywere else (bar the seat).

then check the fluid levels, top up as required (brakes/oil etc.) and clean and re-grease the chain. don't put too much oil/grease on the chain otherwise it'll fling off all over your nice clean swingarm/wheel/tyre etc. (as mine did this week.. .

Take her out for a spin to shake the cobwebs off and to dry anywhere that's been missed.

K.
____________________
What's my New Year's resolution?

1280 x 1024.

[stinkwheel]

[niceguyeduard...]

K, Good advice man , some of the best instructions on t site. No more cleaning topics now, all should be refered to your post.

[imabikr]

I also heard that the best thing to do is use loads of cold water first rather than hot, as hot water just makes the salt corrode more.

My general think is to get home & douse it with the hose for long enough to get it completely rinsed down. Dry it off by running the engine, wipe the other bits down with a microfibre cloth to get the water beads off.

Then smother it in lots & lots of FS365!

Seems to work for me...

(oh, if I’ve got a spare couple of hours every few days I’ll hose it, autoglym spray cleaner thingy, autoglym shampoo, dry then FS365)

[krebsy]

Well, bar dropping it in the mud afterwards it only took an hour to get the bike clean. I start off with warm water as it's better for losening up the grease and crud and to be honest, unless you are leaving it on a bath of hot water for a while, then the salt will be off before it can really start to react...

K.
____________________
What's my New Year's resolution?

1280 x 1024.