How do you clean your bike?

[tokarev]

Its nice out, just got back from a ride to and from university. I am thinking of cleaning the bike, and was wondering if i should wash it with soapy water again or go to halfords and buy some special bike cleaning stuff.

What do you do yours with?

[tribal_tiger]

I leave mine out till it rains.

It's all it deserves.

[nick.h]

i personally go to the petrol station, put a pound into the machine and power wash it. Job done in about 3 minutes
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[dainesefreak]

https://www.bigbikebook.co.uk/order.asp?Page=/accessories/accessories.asp§ion=0&subsection=0&Price=0&Start=1&Keyword=muc%2Doff&SearchDescription=&Zone=&product=981

I was bought one of the above for my birthday, really quick to use and good result.

[numark1]

Thats the worst way to do it. Scratch you paintwork so easy. I have a proper motorcycle power washer, not too powerful.

Spray bike with water.

Cleans fairing with sponge and soapy water.

Rinse off.

Clean wheele's, engine casing etc with soft brush and rinse. (Wonder wheels is really good for getting brake dust off the wheels)

Use leather shammy to absorb all water from bike and abit of turtle wax to protect the bits that need it.

[wantser]

Wash it down with car wash and water. Then shammy the painted bits. Thats the easy bit.
Then its out with the chrome polish. Lasts about a day with the current weather. Sometimes wonder why I bother!
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[nick.h]

[.....]

Be careful with pressure washers - they can damage bits like bearings. Don't use washing up liquid because it contains salt.

I would recommend Autoglym Motorcycle cleaner - good stuff

When you've cleaned it and it's dry give it a polish with some good wax - again Autoglym does a good polish called Resin polish I think. That will make it very shiny but also give it a bit of protection

[Kram]

i got Road cleaner stuff (courtesy of Wilts and Dorset Bus Co.) add that 20:1 with water... add sponge.. clean bike... wash off...

it's like new, cleans plastics, metals, chromes... it's perfect (and got 20gallons of the stuff)
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[TheShaggyDA]

A can of WD40 and a roll of kitchen towel. Autoglym for the furry bits that are meant to shine.
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[binge]

[palmer]

jetwash it at home, then use this wax spray stuff.

[innominate]

Put the cover over it if it looks dirty.
Job done
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[distortion]

Have to admit i don't like to see the bike dirty, the mrs says im anal about cleaning it !!!!!!

here's how i clean the zxr

WHEELS = wash them with a sponge and warm soapy water, then rinse off with cold water. Out comes the WD40 onto a rag and rub onto wheels to bring up a nice shine (make sure you dont get any on the tyres)

FRAME & METAL BITS = i find autoglym metal polish (£9 per litre bottle) brings out a nice shine. rub the polish into the desired area. do all the parts desired on the bike (remembering the order you have done them). Then with a clean cloth rub it up again to bring up a shine that a cleanaholic would be proud of

BODYWORK = warm soapy water carefully sponged as not to damage the stickers. if you do 1 side then rinse with cold water it will stop any streaks forming whilst you do the other side. Then repeat the above on the other side. Autoglym motorcycle cleaner is also good but cheap washing up liquid does exactly the same job and costs less

[Ste]

Pressure washer for cleaning is definately the best option. They can create problems if you do daft things with them like point them at bearings or electrics, be half sensible with it and you'll have no problems at all.

Of course if you point it into electrical parts or bearings/moving parts which are meant to be greased its going to cause no end of problems but the trick is just not to do that.

[Mr.Everready]

[mchaggis]

A sponge and a big bucket of hot soapy water (car shampoo), then rinse it off with the garden hose. Dry the shiney bits and go over them with an old rag and chrome polish.
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[Josh|RD125LC]

How does 'I don't clean it' grab you?. The only thing that cleans mine is the rain. But then again my bike does look pretty clean most of the time. The engine is the only shitty part with oil in.
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[The Tot]

Same as Mchaggis - Turtlewax is OK for bikes. For the rims and spokes - liberal amounts of WD40 and a rag. For furring metalling elements, i use a kitchen scouring brush + white spirit. If i'm out of WD 40, i use the White spirit on metal parts eg the engine and elbow grease to remove grime etc. dry with chamois leather. I hardly bother cleaning my rear wheel as it's always caked in chain lube or chain oil. It's also a good time to tinker with your bike before washing - like cleaning/washing air filters, cleaning breather pipes, lubing chain, topping up brake fluid/bleeding etc. Takes me a good part of 30 mins to wash and dry.
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[BLOFLY 636]

ahhh the religous sunday morning bike wash what else would we do without it
first up it's a quick slosh with kerosene and a paint brush around the wheels, sprocket, chain and anything else that has copped a dose of chain grease then wipe over with a rag to get the gunk off
Now we shower the bike in a selection of the finest mountain streams waters and apply a nourishing expensive wash and wax soapy water mix from a bucket with a sponge made from pure baby seal coat and gently massage the suds into the bodywork, clock area, bars, under seat, tank and screen.
now rinse off again with more fresh mountain stream waters and dry with a pure lint free cloth made from the hide of another rare almost extinct baby animal
then we polish the wheels, mirrors and clocks to a shine and apply polish to the bodywork for a mirror finish!
lube the chain up and return to the garage, cover with a bike cover, turn the air conditioner on to a 23 degree setting and set the cd player to continuously play songs of the wild and sea side, gently close the door and walk away! don't ride it ever again otherwise you need to do it all over again!
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[california_rookie]

Bucket o' suds and a synthetic chamois.
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[BLOFLY 636]

does anybody here grab tooth brushes and ear cleaners and polish up the brake calipers and shock mounts and all the other intricate little parts that get dirt on them but can't be easily reached without taking skin off your knuckles? I think I would spend about 2 maybe 2 and a half hours a fortnight cleaning my bike inside and out! and apply 2 coats of meguires gold glass polish every month my hands are totally ragged for a day or 2 after I finish cleaning the bike, heaps of splits and cuts arround the ends of my fingers and knuckles, probably doesn't help that I have eczema either but I like a shiny bike
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Those bloody footpegs......they ought to do away with em!

[cunni]

This might be worth a quick read: Cleaning or Scratching.
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[wildcat]

I send my 3 kids out with a bucket of warm soapy water, They love cleaning the bikes, they can get into all the bits I can't reach and my eldest girl is really getting into asking questions about all the parts. Then after they finish I power wash them. (the bikes, not the kids) then AutoGlym on the bodywork, back to black on the wheels and chrome polish on the exhausts.
Ta Da. 2 clean bikes 3 happy kids and 1 happy bike owner.
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[John]

I've never cleaned the bike.

Clean the car though.
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