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| gr82bthe1st |
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gr82bthe1st
Scooby Slapper
Joined: 30 Jul 2008
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 Posted: 20:38 - 09 Nov 2014  Post subject: How do you clean your bike? |
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As above...
Interested to know what products you do and don't recommend?
Leaning toward the whole "waterless" type clean as I only ride in decent weather, but not sure if it'll damage paintwork etc over time.
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A2 passed 25/07/2008 --> restriction ended 25/07/2010
Yamaha Neos 50 --> Suzuki GN125 --> Honda CBR600F --> Yamaha MT-07
My bike does not leak... its marking its territory! |
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| Ste |
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Ste
Not Work Safe
Joined: 01 Sep 2002
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| Posted: 20:51 - 09 Nov 2014 Post subject: |
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| Sable |
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Sable
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Joined: 27 Jul 2012
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| Posted: 20:56 - 09 Nov 2014 Post subject: |
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I rub my bike down in used chip fat from my deep fat fryer. Helps take most of the mud off and protects the bike from rust. Also if you get some on your exhaust your bike smells of sunflower oil and chips for 3 weeks after. |
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| sensi5446 |
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sensi5446
Trackday Trickster
Joined: 12 Feb 2014
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| Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg
nimbA
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| grr666 |
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grr666
Super Spammer
Joined: 16 Jun 2014
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| Posted: 21:22 - 09 Nov 2014 Post subject: |
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I have a confession to make. I like cleaning stuff.
I could and have spent entire days cleaning cars and bikes.
It's an illness. I easily have 4 figures worth of polishes, cleaners,
shampoos, treatments, equipment and waxes in stock in my man cave
at any one time. Anyhoo now that's out in the open... 
I use Chemical Guys P40 (misprinted labels with a 4 instead of R) or
PRO detailer on mine but I am quite a keen
detailing enthusiast with my cars so have a LOT of different
products and machinery specifically for cleaning different stuff.
I wipe mine over after each ride, it only takes a few minutes but
keeps it looking good. It's part of my putting it away ritual. (Fnarr fnarr)
I use QD because
- I can use it in the shed whatever the weather.
- Very easy to use, spray on, wipe off.
- Leaves behind a little carnuba protection after buffing off.
- Breaks down dirt, grease and dead bugs pretty well.
- A bottle lasts ages and I also use it for cleaning my lids/visors.
- Can use on metal, paint, plastic, acrylic, glass, chrome and even rubber.
- Just need a big supply of microfibre cloths, no other equipment.
Asda does these for much cheapness.
- If however if bike/car is really filthy and needs a jetwashing off first spray the QD on
to wet vehicle once it's clean to prevent waterspots, and dry with a MF towel.
Here's where I buy it. https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detailing-sprays/chemical-guys-pro-detailer/prod_662.html
I have an account there as I buy loads of different gear from that site but ebay has a variety of sellers too
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off. |
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| Ben90 |
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Ben90
Brolly Dolly
Joined: 06 Feb 2014
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| Posted: 21:27 - 09 Nov 2014 Post subject: |
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Non-contact washes are your best bet if you want regular cleaning with no risk of swirling the paint. Get some muc-off (other, far cheaper brands are available) a place near me refills litre spray bottles with similar stuff for £5 a go. Spray on, hose off. Or as grr just said, QD is your friend. 
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Yamaha FZ6 S2 |
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| Beehive Bedlam |
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Beehive Bedlam
World Chat Champion
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| bikertomm |
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bikertomm
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Posted: 21:36 - 09 Nov 2014  Post subject: |
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I use the two bucket method, or get a hose.
1. Wet the fuck out of the bike.
2. Turtle wax car shampoo all frothed up in hot water in a bucket.
3. Get a sponge and go over the whole bike, starting at the top / least dirty bits.
4. Rinse with water.
5. Sponge the shit out of it again.
6. Rinse.
That is fine for a 'normal' wash.
But, if you're anal like me, you then:
Take it out round the block (Careful now, tyres/discs are wet) to dry it.
Get the paddock stands out and WD-40.
Bike up, get a cloth with WD-40 on and go around all the rims.
Get the muc-off 'Speed Polish' out, and start spraying as though it's your first time onto some titties
Polish with a decent cloth and it will look stunning. Then all that's left is to take pictures to whore.
Total cost is under £18 and will last a good while.
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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change! |
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| P.addy |
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P.addy
Red Rocket
Joined: 14 Feb 2008
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| grr666 |
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grr666
Super Spammer
Joined: 16 Jun 2014
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Posted: 21:46 - 09 Nov 2014  Post subject: |
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| bikertomm wrote: | I use the two bucket method, or get a hose.
1. Wet the fuck out of the bike.
2.  Turtle wax car shampoo all frothed up in hot water in a bucket.
3. Get a sponge and go over the whole bike, starting at the top / least dirty bits.
4. Rinse with water.
5. Sponge the shit out of it again.
6. Rinse.
That is fine for a 'normal' wash.
But, if you're anal like me, |
A sponge! A sponge! And you're claiming anal??? 
Lambswool mitt my friend, rinsed in clean water as per two bucket
method (with grit guards) before each and every dip into shampoo
solution ...
Now that's anal.
Oh and in b4 some link to some actual anal
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
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| Tamsin |
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Tamsin
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| grr666 |
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grr666
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| Posted: 21:56 - 09 Nov 2014 Post subject: |
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That's what cleans my van, now that I don't give a crap about.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
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| Dave500 |
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Dave500
Traffic Copper
Joined: 26 Feb 2014
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| Posted: 23:01 - 09 Nov 2014 Post subject: |
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| grr666 wrote: | | bikertomm wrote: | I use the two bucket method, or get a hose.
1. Wet the fuck out of the bike.
2. Turtle wax car shampoo all frothed up in hot water in a bucket.
3. Get a sponge and go over the whole bike, starting at the top / least dirty bits.
4. Rinse with water.
5. Sponge the shit out of it again.
6. Rinse.
That is fine for a 'normal' wash.
But, if you're anal like me, |
A sponge! A sponge! And you're claiming anal???
Lambswool mitt my friend, rinsed in clean water as per two bucket
method (with grit guards) before each and every dip into shampoo
solution ...
Now that's anal.
Oh and in b4 some link to some actual anal |
I use 2 mitts as well as the 2BM with many many extras 
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Bye bye Z hello Versys |
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| Rigga |
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Rigga
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| Ben90 |
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Ben90
Brolly Dolly
Joined: 06 Feb 2014
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| Northern Monkey |
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Northern Monkey
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| DrDonnyBrago |
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DrDonnyBrago
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| Monkeypony |
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Monkeypony
World Chat Champion
Joined: 21 Sep 2011
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| Posted: 12:58 - 10 Nov 2014 Post subject: |
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Bike gets cleaned with 99p store car shampoo, then made shiny with 99p store spray wax. 
Chain, sprocket and wheels get cleaned with WD40.
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Current bike - 2018 H2-SX, 2004 SV1000s, 2016 Aprilia RSV4 RF, 2017 Sherco SERF 300, 2003 Suzuki DRZ400 (stolen - AY53 JUU) |
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RedPanda
Could Be A Chat Bot
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bikertomm
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| InquisitionCh... |
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InquisitionCh...
Nova Slayer
Joined: 02 Jul 2014
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| Posted: 14:20 - 10 Nov 2014 Post subject: |
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I use a £40 Black and decker jet washer from B&Q.
Its got a shampoo input thing on it too so I use shampoo like some of the guys above.
To get bugs and stubborn things off I use Demon Shine Muck Shifter. Just dissolves flies straight off. Also good for your visor 
But as with most pressure washers, stay away from the seals and gaskets. I learned the hard way with my fork seals (IE: im a jac**ss)
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Currently Riding: CBR125-R7 (and having too much fun doing it) + Kawasaki Z750 (She's called Clementine for a reason!) |
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| Albigularis |
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Albigularis
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Posted: 14:41 - 10 Nov 2014  Post subject: |
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After I put up these photos, a few people wanted me to write a guide-
(Click photo for album)
https://i.imgur.com/0g3Oxyq.jpg
| Quote: | So, as requested on my pictures thread, I’m writing a How To that will also serve as an Question hub for everything related to bike cleaning.
As a quick background, I’m an Autoglym Lifeshine certified car valeter, worked as one for about 7 years. We did get the occasional bike which I took and done myself along with my own.
So, to the bike cleaning-
What you will need
This guide is designed to give you an idea of a full in depth wash, so it will be listed as so. This is the sort of wash that would cost you about £20/$30 to get done. If you want any information on alternatives or good products, just ask, it’s a questions thread as well!
Pressure washer (for best results) or any controllable source of running water
Bucket
Sponge
Car/Motorcycle shampoo (you may see some that are called ‘wash & wax’, these are better as they leave a slight protective coat over bodywork that helps water run off)
A pre-wash spray - often called TFR (Traffic Film Remover)
A wheel cleaner with a brush
Silicone spray
A spare cloth that’s relatively clean
A spare towel big enough to cover a portion of a wheel
optional Chamois leather pad
I’ll break this down into sections and address any possible issues as I go.
Foreword on Pressure Washers
Many people have showed concern at pressure washers on a bike. A pressure washer can be used at point blank range to clean mould or moss from concrete, or take paint off walls. Ideally you will be using a small household pressure washer here, not some industrial beast. There are a few things to watch out for. Firstly, you want the pressure pretty low, basically the lowest that it will go. Secondly, you want to have the spray coming from the gun to be a good fine mist. Not a huge spread, but not a single stream of water that will uproot plants. Between 25 and 40 on this is what your spray should look like. Most household models you can adjust the spray by twisting the end of the nozzle on the gun. The third point is how you use it. You want to avoid holding it in one solid place where there may be a bearing to force water into, and maintain a distance of about 50cm-1m (1.5-3ft ish) from the bike. Also when you are rinsing the bike, think of it like spray-painting a car. You don’t start the spray at the start of the panel, and stop it at the end. You start spraying before hitting the panel and then stop the spray once past the panel, the same principle applies, you don’t want to be starting the spray when it’s pointing at the bike. Other than that you’ll be fine. Remember your motorcycle can probably do 100+ mph and it was tested doing that speed in wet conditions.
tl;dr - keep the nozzle at least half a metre from the bike and don’t spray straight into bearings.
Anyway, onto the wash.
The pre-wash and rinse
So, first thing to note. Do not clean the bike when it’s hot, do it when it’s cool. Now to start the wash, use a pre-wash product and apply it all over the bike (minus brake discs/chain). Don’t be afraid to use a good bit, you can’t really use too much here. Now, leave this to soak in for a minute or so - check your Facebook or angry Reddit inbox messages whilst the product works in. For pre-wash I use Muc Off Bike Cleaner but there are many other products you can use. They’re usually called either pre-wash or TFR (Traffic Film Remover), all the name brands stuff is good, but any spray on bike cleaner will do really if you don’t feel like using a specific product. Now, time to do the first rinse. When rinsing here, you want to start from the top down with the washer facing horizontal or pointing down slightly at the bike. Pointing upwards could possibly force water under your tank pad, or under your seat and so on. You want to agitate the pre-wash by rinsing over it quickly so that it turns white like this. That’s just water being sprayed onto pre wash, it turns it all white from the agitation. Keep doing this until the bike has no more of the pre-wash left on it, and it’s just water running off. Another thing you should do here is spray the tyres with water to get any grit off, so that it doesn’t stick to your sponge. Don’t be afraid to get up close and personal with the washer on dirty swingarms and other flat bits of the bike that aren’t in any danger from high pressure, such as the wheels
The actual wash
So your bike should already look pretty clean, but that’s mainly because it’s wet. Here is pretty simple, put the correct amount of shampoo in your bucket, if you’re using a ‘wash and wax’ shampoo then add in some extra, it’ll just add more of that wax coating to protect your paintwork. You want to use hot water here. Hot enough you can keep your hand in it comfortably, not hot like when your girlfriend runs a bath and comes out looking like zoidberg though, chuck some cold in if it gets this bad. So here’s the easy bit. Grab your sponge and clean all over the bike. Nothing more to it than that. Just clean from the top down, bunch up the sponge and force it into all the nooks and crannies of your engine or fairings to get it all clean. Do one side of the bike and then rinse it, move to the other side and repeat. Do use a fair bit of pressure here, as that’s needed to get most of the dirt off, especially on things with rough coatings like frames and swingarms - lightly dragging the sponge over these may make them look clean, but then when dried off, they’ll look dirty again, so put a bit of force into it. If you’ve ever had your car cleaned with a sponge and there’s a bit still dirty when it’s dried off, the valeter didn’t put enough pressure on, even if they did go over it.
Protip: If you drop the sponge, bin it. There will be bits of gravel/sand/dirt/dust stuck in the cavities in the sponge that you’ll never get out, and you’ll hate yourself when you feel them scrape up your paintwork. So buy two sponges just in case. You don’t need expensive sponges, but don’t but the economy super saver extreme price drop ones, they’ll fall apart very quickly. If you just want one wash out of it though, that’s fine, but you may be picking bits of yellow out of your bike if it catches on stuff.
Just follow the same rinsing procedure once you’ve done each side and you’re pretty much done.
Wheels
So now you want to get your wheel cleaner and apply it liberally to the rims. Only put it on the bits of the rim you can see, as those are all you can wash. If you get a spray on one, spray it on the wheels and leave it for a minute. If you get a liquid one like Wonder Wheels (costly but amazing stuff however don’t breathe it in - this applies to any strong wheel cleaner actually), use a paintbrush or similar to apply it to the wheel and you’ll see how much cleaner the wheels can really get. Even if you have a spray on one, I’d recommend getting a brush and agitating it before rinsing it off. Even an old toothbrush will work if you have one lying about. Again, get all in about them, clean all up the spokes and such, using a good deal of pressure. Once done, rinse it straight off and rinse your discs as well, in case you got any cleaner on them. It’s safe to use the stuff on discs as they expect you’ll get some on, but it stops any sticky spots, getting cleaner on the pads and so on. You shouldn’t need to rinse the wheels too close as the brushing should bring up all of the crap. You’ll find the foam this creates will be grey, brown or if you have really dirty wheels, it’ll be jet black. Your wheels will look brand new after this. Once you’ve done the section of the wheel you can see, move the bike forward a bit to get to the rest of it, complete for both wheels and don’t rush it, that’s how you miss stuff! Just be mindful of the wheel bearings and calipers here and you’ll be fine, remember you’re only using the mist from your washer as a strong and even rinse at this point.
Disclaimer: If you have any missing paint or lacquer flaking off your wheels, be very careful to not let the cleaner stay on it too long, as many of the very strong acidic cleaners out there will eat into the metal. These tend to be industrial grade stuff though, so you should be fine with stuff from your local auto store.
Drying
Now, you can either let the bike air-dry which is fine, or you can speed up the process. Firstly, hold the bike straight up off the stand and shake it about a bit, this will release any trapped water - a good idea for this is to push it forward slowly and slam on the front brake, that’ll shake it out. Here you can either use a chamois leather cloth or some other type of absorbent cloth to dry the bike. Don’t worry about the tiny beads of water in the gaps, it’s mainly all the big drops you want off. After drying, leave the bike to sit for about half an hour or so, go grab a burger for all your hard work.
What’s silicone spray for?
This is the part that will make your bike stand out from the rest of those clean bikes out there. In fact this is what they do to some new cars to make them look good. Get your towel and put it over your back tyre in case of any spillage. Take your silicone spray and shake the hell out of the can, pretend you’re mixing paint. Once it’s shaken enough, spray it on the bike. Avoid the clear plastics of your lights/tyres/discs/seat/handlebar grips. Spray all the plastics and spray a fine mist over your engine if it’s painted. Then take your cloth and go over the bike and work it in, so that the silicone gets into the texture of the plastics. You’ll probably notice a few hidden beads of water run down the bike here, and when they touch the silicone, they bead up and don’t stick. I wouldn’t use this spray on the paintwork, because it will look odd on a smooth, painted surface. Plus the contrast of the colour coming through on the rest of your bike with the paintwork will look really good. Use the cloth which is now embedded with silicone spray to put some on the black housings of your switchgear, dash surroundings, anywhere that will look better with some colour depth and shine to it. Under NO circumstances put it on a seat, you’ll be sliding about when sitting on the bike for the next week. I use Muc Off Silicone Shine and if you’re in the UK, these are currently on sale in tesco for £2.12. Any silicone shine spray will do though. If you’re not confident in it going on tyres and such, just spray it onto your cloth and apply it with the cloth.
So I hope that’s covered all the bases. As I said this will also serve as a questions thread, so if you have any questions about bike (or car I guess) cleaning, I’ll be happy to answer as best as I can. |
____________________
Biking history so far-
Aprilia RS125 - Kawasaki ZXR400 - Triumph Street Triple R - Suzuki GSXR1000 L3 - BMW R1200GS - Kawasaki Z1000 - Kawasaki ZX10R C1H - Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring - Suzuki Hayabusa |
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| Polarbear |
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Polarbear
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| MarkJ |
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MarkJ
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 11 years, 191 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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