Shiny vs Filthy

[chickenstrip]

Be warned - Tef-esque ramblings alert! (sorry, I'm bored, it's raining, and my bikes are clean and shiny in the shed).

Who gets more enjoyment out of their bike; those who keep it cosseted in the garage as long as there's so much as a little, fluffy white cloud in the corner of the sky; so polished, spotless and shiny that to look at it puts you at risk of burning out your retinas; or those that think, feck it, who cares about a bit of dirt, and get out on it come rain or shine until it gets so you can barely tell what the original colour of the paintwork is supposed to be, and people to start to say to you it looks good in the landscape, and you have a sneaking suspicion that's because half of the landscape is splurged all over it?

Ok, I ride less in the winter these days. I can make excuses about having done all the shit weather riding when I was younger, can afford a car now so no need to go through all that with the layers of gear etc. But it's all bullshit really. I don't ride much in the winter because I can't be bothered with all the cleaning of the bike I feel the need to do when it gets covered in road shit. Yes, I could clean it once before the onset of crap weather season (isn't that all year round in Britain? I hear the cynics shout - cheer up, for feck's sake!), then drown it in ACF and forget about it until the northern hemisphere nods towards the sun again, letting layer upon layer of grime build up like the deposited sediments of an ancient river bed.

The thing is, I do have a certain pride in the appearance of my bikes. And it's not even really connected with the idea of maintaining it's value. I don't care what it's worth when I get bored with it and want a change. I buy bikes for me to enjoy, not the next feckin sod who might want to sniff round it if it's got a price on it's head. If, when I do decide to sell, it's not worth much, then I'll scrape together some more cash to add to the proceeds for the next thing that takes my fancy.

But over the winter, I do seem to develop a bit of this over-protective mentality. I begin to treat bikes like they were some kind of rare artefact from a long-lost era that need to be preserved as close to their original state so that distant generations might benefit from the knowledge of "this is what once was." As the temperatures rise in the spring and I feel more like getting out on two wheels and exploring again, I have to break through this hibernation state, and accept that the bike will get dirty if I use it, and I may need to throw a bucket of water over it once in a while. And then you notice that enabled a bit of paint to catch the light once more, so you start to think, well, I'll just give the bodywork a quick polish.....but now, that looks a little odd when the rest is still a bit dull, so out comes the plastic cleaner or whatever else you use, until eventually, there's not a spot of dirt left anywhere on the bike, and it burns it's after-image on your eyeballs if you so much as glance at it.

And you think, I can't ride it now or it'll get dirty again, and all that work will have been for nothing!
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[haroman666]

I like to think I have a healthy balance between the two.
I have 2 very tatty looking bikes. Both far beyond perfect with chips, cracks, ingrained dirt etc. So this makes keeping them dealer-forecourt shiny very difficult in the first place.
BUT, I do regularly wash and polish both bikes, keeping all the nice bits nice and the not-so-nice bits a little bit nicer than not nice.
It might be a figurement of my imagination but my bikes seem to ride better and feel smoother when they're clean. I guess on account of me attending to the chain each wash as well.
But keeping a clean bike, even through the winter, keeps you on your knees looking at all the parts of the bike you wouldn't see if you just swung your leg over and rode off. As I wash, I notice bits and bobs that I need to keep on top of (Sweaty gaskets, brakes covered in crud etc).
I sure love having a clean bike. I certainly get a sense of satisfaction going for a post-clean ride knowing that I look the dogs-bollocks (In my eyes anyway). But I'm also not afraid to take her up the dirt track and get down and dirty the way she likes it.
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[craigs23]

I generally have both, although my more 'cherished' bikes are kept at higher levels of anality than the day to day steeds. I must admit that I enjoy a bit of bike fettling, and things get cleaned / replaced as I do.

After all, riding everyday gives me the excuse I need to don the lambs wool wash mitt at the end of the week

[DrSnoosnoo]

I think I'm only likely to wash my bike in the summer. Being able to spend the time on the driveway in the sun, just doing something, without having to think too much. It's a good escape for me sometimes. But I'll likely only wash it twice (properly). Any other time I get the garden sprayer and give it a scrub on the really mucky bits.

I'm forever being told by people at work that I "should be ashamed of" myself. Nah, I don't care too much about a 54k miles 21 year old bike. I much prefer to know that I've done all it needs mechanically. Chain maintained, serviced with fresh parts etc. If it gets dirty from me riding it to work, well, that's what I expect to happen. If I got too worried about it, I'd have to wash it twice a week.

I'm likely to buy a second bike in the future and that will probably be worth more money, though irrelevant. That would be the one I choose to look after, not ride it to work in all weathers, and really keep on top of the cleaning. It's a fact that shiny bikes look nice but There's no way anybody should want/need the workhorse to be a show bike.
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Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[grr666]

It's a constant battle because frustrated detailer and bikes are such dirty things.
Last time I rode (and picked up a piece of sharp metal in my rear tyre) it was in Tilbury and although the roads were
80% dry there was still a bit of dampness in shaded areas. When I got home I took the back wheel off to get the tyre changed
and seeing all those normally hard to reach areas all grubby triggered me and before I knew where I was I'd given all
of that under there a clean, removed and washed the hugger, and took my rear sprocket off (and the nuts that hold it
on) to clean them as well. Looks like a brand new bike again and all the Tilbury has been removed from my paintwork.
Next bike will be no different. I also love having the 'I'm just off out to the shed for a few hours love' line available.
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[chickenstrip]

[pepperami]

I try? to keep the ZX6r clean and shiny, but I am a bone idle git.
I do keep the Hyosung in a fairly clean and tidy state.

I care more that they are in a mechanically sound condition than how shiny they are.

Shiny bike dead on the side of the road is not what I want.
To arrive at my destination on a scruffy bike is fine by me.
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[stinkwheel]

Can't see it when you're riding it.

Parts for the enfield are so cheap, it's not worth cleaning them. I just wait for them to rot off then replace them. All the important parts are oily and don't rot.
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[chickenstrip]

[derillius24]

I guess I do take quite a bit of pride in my bike's appearance. I like it to look clean and shiny if I know I'm going away on a trip for example, even though I know that within a dozen miles it'll be a clarty mud cake once again.

Living and riding (predominantly) in Scotland, if I waited for pleasure weather before swinging a leg over the mistress then I'd probably ride about twice a year. Rain riding doesn't phase me, I enjoy it, I suppose because I've done so much of it now, but the bike and rider are always covered in shit afterwards.

I don't mind though as I've come to realise that I thoroughly enjoy the process of making it shiny, shiny again. As DrSnoosnoo mentions, I enjoy spending a sunny Sunday afternoon just out on the driveway, brain disengaged with a coffee or beer at the side, tinkering with the bike, doing basic maintenance and getting it looking top notch again.
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CG125, CBF250, DRZ400-SM, Z750, Street Triple R, Tuono V4R

[chickenstrip]

Guess what I've just been doing!

I washed the Striple down yesterday, planning to just hose off the loose crud, but by the time I'd finished, there was hardly a mark on it. But then rain stopped play, and it had been gnawing away at my conscience that I didn't get to finish it....so I just went out to give the paintwork a polish!

I'm toying with the idea of buying an old carb model Fazer 600, with the idea that it can be the hack bike. I'm sitting here today annoyed, because the rain cleared up later than promised and I wanted to head down to the lakes again this afternoon, as I suspect the sun may come out to play later, but it'll get filthy again An old hack might solve this problem (I could go in the car, as half the reason I go there is for photography, but hate driving - well, not hate exactly, but where's the fun).

And this is part of the conundrum: I can't have a bike that isn't also enjoyable to ride, and I know I quite enjoy a good Fazer But then, as they're nice bikes....well, you know what's coming
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[DrSnoosnoo]

[chickenstrip]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Supermoto_Fan]

I've always enjoyed cherishing and cleaning my vehicles be it a car, motorbike or pushbike. I also like to think of it as preventive maintenance.

I think it's much a personal thing mind, anyway I'm off to give my bike a wash and a polish for an hour or so
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[Lord Percy]

Probably depends on the bike.

I'm not a sportsbike sort of person (which is the type I imagine needs to stay shiny to look good) and I'm also the type to only really wash a vehicle when it comes to selling it.

Took my bike to York a few days ago, dumped it at a motorcycle parking bay by the river, then a lad who was loitering there with his own bike told me mine was the best one there.

Went to Manchester yesterday and again just as I'd pulled into the parking bay, with the engine still running and me sat on it, some bloke shouts, "I take it that's pretty old!" to which I replied yeah it is a bit! He then said it was a nice bike, gave a bit of a friendly thumbs up and got on his way.

This has all come as a bit of a shock to me because I've always felt a little ashamed of the way I look after vehicles. It has some horrible rust patches at the moment too.

[pompousporcup...]

I guess im a bit of both

I'm lucky enough(not luck really, i work too many hours) to have the use of 2 bikes. The first i keep clean and shiny at least once every week or so to keep it looking good, technically is is going to be the summer bike

The other is the shitter. It takes the worst weather and is currently down to a frame and just been covered in mastic (badly i might add) after a brief de-rust which got a lot worse over the recent winter. I don't clean it, ever. The dirtier the better i recon

[ondabike]

dirty

[rubyhorse2]

i hate a dirty bike and being forced to use it all over winter is doing my nut in.

cleaned it last night and its pissing down today

i tend to clean and lube it once a week.

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

They get dirty, they get cleaned.
I can usually make time to keep them clean.
I like them clean.

Given the choice I prefer not to ride in poor weather but sometimes I have no choice. This week I'm a taxi for my girlfriend whilst her sick Citroen gets passed from pillar to post. I don't always have a car to borrow so the bikes get used for visits to shops, family n friends through the week.

Last Saturday I jibbed-out of a BCF meet because I woke up to rain and something inside said 'Not today'. It's rare I miss out on a rare BCF meet.

It's like my Great Great Grandmother used to say 'Keep your tool clean and use it, Now come over here and lick my vagina'.
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[Piercee100]

I used to clean mine regularly but one day on my commute to work I rode through some road works. Didnt think anything about it until I returned at the end of my shift to a six month old black bike that had been tar'd and feather'd with grit and god knows what else, had then set hard on the chrome exhausts and engine, mudguard, forks etc. A week later a taxi knocked me over at some lights scratching one side too, bending the clutch and gear lever and putting a dent in the exhaust.

At that point I gave up. It's three years old in May and I've washed it three or four times since. It's just a commuter tool now. Last wash was in October before I coated in ACF50 for winter. It is minging, but I kinda like the Rat look now. Does surprise people that it's a '13 plate looking so rough. The exhaust looks like its about to fall off too. Why all this crappy looking mild steel black paint rubbish these days?

I think It's too late to make it pretty lol.
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Rides: Honda H100a (Retired), VT500e (Sold), Kawasaki ZX400 (sold), Kawasaki GT550 (Sold), Suzuki Inazuma (Daily), Honda CD185t (Broken), LML Star 2t (Last run edition).

[grr666]

^^^^

Tardis or indeed petrol or WD40 would have cleaned all that up like it was never there. I've always got some Tardis
out in my back room amongst my detailing stuff, the wifes car is yellow and shows tar spots from 20 paces away.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TARDIS-Tar-and-Glue-Remover-Car-Valeting-1L-/111628480622?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368
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[Alex A]

For me it's all down to the effort required, and how nice the bike is in the first place.

When I only had a bike, and used it all year, every day, I didn't care. Keeping it clean would have been a major time commitment. So I'd wash it a few times a year, see a bit more rust each time, and that was that.

But now, I have a car and I have a garage. I don't need to use the bike to commute, and I don't need to go out if it's wet. I can also afford nicer/newer bikes than I used to be able to afford. It's not inconvenient to keep them clean, so I keep on top of it.

To answer your question, I enjoy riding far more than I used to because it's purely recreational. I don't ride much in Winter. I don't ride in the wet if I can help it. I don't ride much in traffic either. I avoid the tiring cycle of losing and then rebuilding confidence that inevitably comes with all Season riding IME. Keeping the bike(s) shiny adds marginally to the enjoyment by way of pride of ownership, but it's not a significant factor for me.

[ZX-7R]

I like my bike to look clean but hate freezing my nuts off in winter cleaning it,so it gets about 2 washes through winter.

Summer i like to keep it looking nice because i like being out in the sun so its far more enjoyable.
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Current Bike - 2000 ZX-7R

[G]

Time spent cleaning could be spent riding.

I prefer the latter given the choice .