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el camino kid

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I don't find anything on this in "Never-Ending Threads", so here goes...

I wash my bike on the center stand. When I'm done, I start it up and do a few lazy-eights in the cul-de-sac to shake off the excess water and then park it in my garage to finish drying it off. It doesn't matter if I park on the centersatnd or the side stand. Water starts pouring out the front, lower area of the body work. And I don't mean just a couple of drips! A good 1/2 to full pint of water comes out and it makes a slippery mess out of my garage floor. Is there supposed to be a drain plug under there> Anybody else experience this?

signed...

the leaky teaky

 
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Geez, it Friday couldn't you have posted this earlier <_<

Your first and most obvious mistake is you wash your bike. FJRs are meant to be ridden hard and put away wet. Washing, waxing and polishing is an affront to your manhood. Stop it now or you'll be searching for Enzite on sale.

Cul-de-sac = rich mans dead end

:rolleyes:

 
It is normal. You'll have to park the bike outside for a few minutes to let it drain. Or, drill a couple of weep holes.

 
So you are saying that you take like a garden hose and spray water all over your bike to wash it?

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW...

Sounds pretty barbaric to me. You are just putting water in places you can not even get to you know... Might as well just push it outside and leave it in the rain instead.

The only thing you need to clean if you feel the need is the areas you can see. You don't need to drown the poor thing.... Buy a spray bottle and clean small areas at a time, the bike is not that big, won't take long.........

Or... just get a hoist in the garage to pick the bike up by the front wheel to hang it to dry.

KM

 
no hose, no water, just this stuff (from your nearby Honda dealership) with a soft polishing cloth...

509000362.jpg


 
To [SIZE=8pt]ghey[/SIZE] fookin [SIZE=8pt]ghey[/SIZE] easy [SIZE=8pt]ghey[/SIZE].. I ain't gonna touch this one. [SIZE=8pt]Ghey[/SIZE]

:jester:

 
Garden Hose--I agree to aggressive.

Water with pressure, has a tendency to go upwards, bikes are designed to handle the flow downwards, not exactly waterproof.

Just washed, em. watched my neighbor and he uses a bucket of soapy warm water to wash by hand, and a bucket of warm water to towel rinse, then towel dries...

Seems to work for me him.

 
To [SIZE=8pt]ghey[/SIZE] fookin [SIZE=8pt]ghey[/SIZE] easy [SIZE=8pt]ghey[/SIZE].. I ain't gonna touch this one. [SIZE=8pt]Ghey[/SIZE]
:jester:
Hey...hey...HEY! Easy there, Barry. I've washed mine a couple of times. :rolleyes:

Er....riding through a rainstorm qualifies as "washing", doesn't it? :bleh:

All this time I thought the bike was getting even with me by "peeing" on the garage floor. NOW I find that someone else's FJR does the same thing. :blink:

 
hmmmmm...

water egress happens with mine each time it gets a bath. I just think that she's getting excited (in anticipation of a ride occurring VERY soon)

 
I don't find anything on this in "Never-Ending Threads", so here goes...I wash my bike on the center stand. When I'm done, I start it up and do a few lazy-eights in the cul-de-sac to shake off the excess water and then park it in my garage to finish drying it off. It doesn't matter if I park on the centersatnd or the side stand. Water starts pouring out the front, lower area of the body work. And I don't mean just a couple of drips! A good 1/2 to full pint of water comes out and it makes a slippery mess out of my garage floor. Is there supposed to be a drain plug under there> Anybody else experience this?

signed...

the leaky teaky
It's Saturday now (at least here), so here's the serious answer.

When you ride your "lazy-eights", there is no reason for water to drain any more than the bike being ridden in a straight line. Maybe some rapid acceleration and/or braking might shift it.

What I do after the bike's been washed is put it on its side stand, wait for any water to drain, then sit astride it and lean it to the right as far as I dare, hold it there for a bit.

Finally I put it in the garage, and it still drips a bit.

Or, if SWMBO is in a good mood, I say "Just going round the block to dry it off, dear". Of course, I don't say which block :rolleyes:

 
As earlier stated, it is water in the radiator fins draining. Five minutes on the side stand usually gets most of it out (or go for a longer ride).

 
I spray the whole bike with Renew Cycle Wash, rinse it off real good with a hose, then blow it off with compressed air then dab the tight spots with a towel. Whole process takes 12 minutes and people always ask when I got my "new" bike. I,v e been using this stuff and water on my bikes for 15 years now and have never had any "water related" issues

just park it for a while on the side stand, the upright on the center stand and its totally dry by the next day

 
OK boys....your positions on Hi pressure, using some discresion on where I'm directing the flow & not drowning the poor thing are duley noted. But I'll fess up to wanting my scoot in pristeen condition at all times. I don't like looking at, riding or working on dirty machinery. Living in the PNW, I have to temper this desire with the reality that if you ride em, they're gonna get dirty. So I just grit my teeth and try to avoid dirt roads & mud puddles as best as I can. But I usually clean it up post ride. I use Novus #1 Clean & Shine on the windshield & headlights, and Mequiar's Quik Detailer & a soft cloth for dust & bugs on the bodywork, and Glass Plus on the wheels & sidewalls. But when I'm dealing with some serious chunks, I think a low pressure hose is best to "float" the big stuff off, followed by warm soapy water and a thorough rinse (low pressure, staying away from the instruments & seat) and a towel dry, followed by more "Mequiar's", keeps her lookin' good. As a previous poster stated, this model isn't that big and it cleans up pretty easy. I was just wondering why it was peeing all over the garage floor. Never thought about letting it drain BEFORE I put it in the garage.....duh! I tell ya...it's hell gettin old. It's a good thing I've got you young whipper-snappers around to slap me back to reality!

Thank you for the kindly words-of-advise and for not piling on to severely!

Paul S.

 
Hmmm... what year is yours?

Mine's an 09 and they added a 'Shake like a dog to dry off' button... I just push it and it shakes better than my Border Collie... no drips after that! :p

 
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