How do you keep your bike clean?
Discussion
I've not really kept on top of cleaning my bike. It's an MT07, so no fairing to remove.
How do you keep your bike clean? I occasionally give mine the once over, but don't really get into the hard-to-reach places around the engine. Any recommendations re brushes? Or do you just point the hose in there?
How do you dry the bike off?
How often do you wash it?
Any top tips~?
Cheers
How do you keep your bike clean? I occasionally give mine the once over, but don't really get into the hard-to-reach places around the engine. Any recommendations re brushes? Or do you just point the hose in there?
How do you dry the bike off?
How often do you wash it?
Any top tips~?
Cheers
Once every 3 months I cover it in SDOC100 then leave for 10 mins and wash it off, I blow it off with an airline then cover it in ACF50, I'll clean the chain with paraffin at the same time.
And that is about it.
Toilet cleaner (Harpic power plus) will give you amazing results on the headers but if you are planning to keep the bike long term its not really a good idea as it will eventually ruin the finish of them.
And that is about it.
Toilet cleaner (Harpic power plus) will give you amazing results on the headers but if you are planning to keep the bike long term its not really a good idea as it will eventually ruin the finish of them.
Jazoli said:
Once every 3 months I cover it in SDOC100 then leave for 10 mins and wash it off, I blow it off with an airline then cover it in ACF50, I'll clean the chain with paraffin at the same time.
And that is about it.
Toilet cleaner (Harpic power plus) will give you amazing results on the headers but if you are planning to keep the bike long term its not really a good idea as it will eventually ruin the finish of them.
Ah, good insight on the harpic, I'll do it when I sell it then. What does it eventually do? And that is about it.
Toilet cleaner (Harpic power plus) will give you amazing results on the headers but if you are planning to keep the bike long term its not really a good idea as it will eventually ruin the finish of them.
Hose it.
Double bucket and microfibre mitt thing.
Brush for wheels, and brush and wd40 or chain cleaner for chain.
Rinse
Dry the chain and reapply chain wax
Then some sort of wax/protectant detailer spray.
My jet wash is too powerful for the bike so just use the hose.
Comes out great every time. I generally wash it every couple of months.
Double bucket and microfibre mitt thing.
Brush for wheels, and brush and wd40 or chain cleaner for chain.
Rinse
Dry the chain and reapply chain wax
Then some sort of wax/protectant detailer spray.
My jet wash is too powerful for the bike so just use the hose.
Comes out great every time. I generally wash it every couple of months.
I'm quite ocd when it comes to cleaning,
Although I only do trackdays so unless it's rained, I don't suffer as much as a road bike does.
For me though it's :
1)Cleaning spray (nothing fancy, bit of fairy in a bottle with hot water)
2)Low pressure jet wash
3) strip bike of all fairings and dry bike with air line.
4) degrease and clean each piece inside and out (remove rubber marks)
5) wd40 the engine and clean with an assortment of brushes and microfiber cloths.
6)wheels wd40 on cloth, polish up with a clean cloth
Calipers removed and cleaned with brake cleaner and brushes.
7) chain cleaned with wd40 cleaner, lubed with silkolene oil
9) fairings polished and then waxed
10) acf 50 on all bits that need it.
Fairings back on, lock wire bits again, start, stop, bang on charger and wait for the next track day.
Although I only do trackdays so unless it's rained, I don't suffer as much as a road bike does.
For me though it's :
1)Cleaning spray (nothing fancy, bit of fairy in a bottle with hot water)
2)Low pressure jet wash
3) strip bike of all fairings and dry bike with air line.
4) degrease and clean each piece inside and out (remove rubber marks)
5) wd40 the engine and clean with an assortment of brushes and microfiber cloths.
6)wheels wd40 on cloth, polish up with a clean cloth
Calipers removed and cleaned with brake cleaner and brushes.
7) chain cleaned with wd40 cleaner, lubed with silkolene oil
9) fairings polished and then waxed
10) acf 50 on all bits that need it.
Fairings back on, lock wire bits again, start, stop, bang on charger and wait for the next track day.
Slowboathome said:
Interesting.
Whenever I park up next to other bikes, they always seem to be in concours condition whereas mine looks like a rat bike.
I thought the responses to my post would be along the lines of 'I detail it meticulously every weekend'.
Thanks for the tips.
A lot of those bikes you're seeing probably never see the rain; in the summer I can go for weeks with little more than bug removal after a long ride, whereas at this time of year a 4 mile ride in the rain and it's manky.Whenever I park up next to other bikes, they always seem to be in concours condition whereas mine looks like a rat bike.
I thought the responses to my post would be along the lines of 'I detail it meticulously every weekend'.
Thanks for the tips.
When it comes to choosing how to spend time with my bike, riding always beats cleaning!
GYTRDave said:
I'm quite ocd when it comes to cleaning,
Although I only do trackdays so unless it's rained, I don't suffer as much as a road bike does.
For me though it's :
1)Cleaning spray (nothing fancy, bit of fairy in a bottle with hot water)
2)Low pressure jet wash
3) strip bike of all fairings and dry bike with air line.
4) degrease and clean each piece inside and out (remove rubber marks)
5) wd40 the engine and clean with an assortment of brushes and microfiber cloths.
6)wheels wd40 on cloth, polish up with a clean cloth
Calipers removed and cleaned with brake cleaner and brushes.
7) chain cleaned with wd40 cleaner, lubed with silkolene oil
9) fairings polished and then waxed
10) acf 50 on all bits that need it.
Fairings back on, lock wire bits again, start, stop, bang on charger and wait for the next track day.
Wow that does look amazing!Although I only do trackdays so unless it's rained, I don't suffer as much as a road bike does.
For me though it's :
1)Cleaning spray (nothing fancy, bit of fairy in a bottle with hot water)
2)Low pressure jet wash
3) strip bike of all fairings and dry bike with air line.
4) degrease and clean each piece inside and out (remove rubber marks)
5) wd40 the engine and clean with an assortment of brushes and microfiber cloths.
6)wheels wd40 on cloth, polish up with a clean cloth
Calipers removed and cleaned with brake cleaner and brushes.
7) chain cleaned with wd40 cleaner, lubed with silkolene oil
9) fairings polished and then waxed
10) acf 50 on all bits that need it.
Fairings back on, lock wire bits again, start, stop, bang on charger and wait for the next track day.
Why ACF50 if it never sees the road?
I’ve never developed any fancy techniques or used high end products, just give it a good wash with car shampoo and a sponge , hose and towel dry pretty regularly, at least once a month. I’m a softy fair weather biker and just run sports bikes with fairings so it’s fairly easy to stay on top of. I use a bit wd40 to get chain fling crap off the rear wheel.
Muc-off bike shampoo if its really cruddy. In the summer I use a wet cloth to dissolve the dead flies, dry off with old towel, then polish the f
k out of everything with WD40 Motorcycle Silicone Shine. Apply WD40 to wheel rims with cloth, clean/lube chain maybe once a month & that's about it....
k out of everything with WD40 Motorcycle Silicone Shine. Apply WD40 to wheel rims with cloth, clean/lube chain maybe once a month & that's about it....Screen, mudguards, chain-guard, front fairing panels, bash guard, number plate and fittings all off. Spray down with water. Clean and degrease whole bike with paintbrushes and neat mild car shampoo. Rinse. Wash bike with microfibre sponge and diluted car shampoo. Rinse. Dry with leaf blower and cloths. Refit removed parts and ACF50 and polish. Probably every 500 miles or so or less if it’s seen rain.
Probably too much but I’m obsessed with keeping bikes in nice condition. Never lost much on trade in or when reselling though.
Probably too much but I’m obsessed with keeping bikes in nice condition. Never lost much on trade in or when reselling though.
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