Clean-up, on aisle one!

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I wash mine with a very light stream of water only when it is totaly filthy from a very long trip riding in a lot of rain. Other than that I use the the old Honda polish/Original Bike Spirits after carefully wiping off the loose dust with a micro fiber cloth. Good stuff. :good:

GP

 
LDRydr said:
Patriot said:
no hose, no water, just this stuff (from your nearby Honda dealership) with a soft polishing cloth...
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Yep, that ought to do the trick....

P1010727.jpg
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say hi to bruno for me!

 
For those of us who live in dry climates I think it's pretty safe to wash your bike with pressure water. Any kind of standing water will quickly evaporate away.

When I wash my bike, I take it to a self service wash stall and use the spray wand on the high setting (pulling trigger) to wash my wheels and undercarriage. I then use the lower setting to gingerly wash the rest of the plastics. I don't wash the dash area at all and don't get any overspray into important stuff. After washing, I take it on a high speed freeway windblast that ensures that all of the orifices have evacuated their water. :eek:

 
FJR-Voltron said:
For those of us who live in dry climates I think it's pretty safe to wash your bike with pressure water. Any kind of standing water will quickly evaporate away.When I wash my bike, I take it to a self service wash stall and use the spray wand on the high setting (pulling trigger) to wash my wheels and undercarriage. I then use the lower setting to gingerly wash the rest of the plastics. I don't wash the dash area at all and don't get any overspray into important stuff. After washing, I take it on a high speed freeway windblast that ensures that all of the orifices have evacuated their water. :eek:
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The problem with pressure washing isn't about the water drying, it's about washing away lubricants. Most types of grease are not water proof and will wash away. If you spray high pressure water on your wheel bearings, for example, you risk washing out the grease.

I use the garden hose when I wash my bike, which I just did for the second time this year, but I am careful not to spray directly at any of the bearings or other places where there is grease.

 
Purple slime sprayed on let it sit for 5 minutes and polish it off. I have given up on keeping it super clean, but still get comments on how clean it is. I guess Cerulean Silva is still the best colour!

 
el camino kid said:
...and Glass Plus on the wheels & sidewalls.
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Dooooooood....I'm totally with you on the clean bike. I can't stand dirty cars or motorcycles. After getting back from EOM; which was 6 solid days of rain and road grime, I washed my bike and polished it with Zymol. However; DO NOT put stuff on your tires. I know it's just the sidewalls, but if that stuff drips or you accidently get it on your tire, you may have a close encounter with the pavement.

When I got back from WFO, my bike was again filthy. I took it in for service while it was still dirty. My service guy had his techs clean my bike and it looked great when I picked it up. It took me about 6 seconds to tell they had used the Honda Polish to get the job done. I didn't really think about it, but as I was leaving the dealership, I took a slow left onto the road and felt my rear slide out from under me. I barely saved it. A quick check revealed a very small spot of that stuff on my rear edge.

In my opinion; ride a clean bike, but leave the tires alone.

 
Geezer said:
FJR-Voltron said:
For those of us who live in dry climates I think it's pretty safe to wash your bike with pressure water. Any kind of standing water will quickly evaporate away.When I wash my bike, I take it to a self service wash stall and use the spray wand on the high setting (pulling trigger) to wash my wheels and undercarriage. I then use the lower setting to gingerly wash the rest of the plastics. I don't wash the dash area at all and don't get any overspray into important stuff. After washing, I take it on a high speed freeway windblast that ensures that all of the orifices have evacuated their water. :eek:
Click to expand...
The problem with pressure washing isn't about the water drying, it's about washing away lubricants. Most types of grease are not water proof and will wash away. If you spray high pressure water on your wheel bearings, for example, you risk washing out the grease.

I use the garden hose when I wash my bike, which I just did for the second time this year, but I am careful not to spray directly at any of the bearings or other places where there is grease.
Click to expand...
Good point. :)

 
I wash mine once every 1.5 weeks-2 weeks, and I wipe it down with quick detailer and microfiber after every ride (usually). I like a clean bike. There are many places water likes to hide and runs out for awhile after washing, it's normal, and won't hurt anything. I use a leaf blower to get most of the water, and then finish with a microfiber and quick detailer so there's no water spots. I usually put large Ziploc bags over the exhausts so I don't get any water down there, and remove the bags so I can clean under the rear fender (and admire my nice painted fender eliminator). It makes cleaning the rear wheel easier, too.

 
Hello, my name is HaulinAshe, and I wash my bike.

I just LOVE these bike washing threads.

The FJR pees on the floor from a couple reserves. The wheels hold some substantial water in the inner hub section. Also the foam rubber filler used in the fairing pieces retains quite a bit.

Typically I warm the bike after washing, make a quick circle around the end of the cul-de-sac, then place a small box fan in front with the bike on the side stand in the garage. The dog takes care of any residual water that makes it to the floor after that. Her name is Judy. You can borrow her if you want.

I wash my bike nearly every time I ride it, and I ride it almost every day. After 83,000 miles (I love saying that) my '07 still looks great. It gets diluted Simple Green from a small garden sprayer, followed by a pressure washer rinse with the nozzle set to FAN and at a reasonable distance from the surfaces. I've been using the same technique on dirt bikes for years and years and years. There's absolutely nothing wrong with pressure washing as long as you use it wisely and at a distance.

I don't work on dirty bikes. Have sent many a friend to the driveway and pointed them toward my permanent bike washing setup, sitting on my front porch. "Have at it" I say. I'll start work when you're done.

The spray cleaner/polish is awesome stuff. IMO it works best to use it BEFORE you take the ride. Makes the grime and crud come off much easier when you return.

 
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HotRodZilla said:
Bustanut joker said:
Umm AJ? Yer the kinda guy who powders his balls, ain'tcha :rolleyes:
:jester:
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AND the only reason you would know that is because you're the kind of guy who looks like he just enjoyed a powdered donut way too much. :eek:
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Oh Yeah?!! Well ....well... Ahhhh nevermind. I'm still sober.

The rain here washed mine again today I think it's been "washed" about twenty times this season

:blum:

:jester:

 
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I'll have to post up a picture of my bike..back from a weekend of Missouri rains, and dirty Arkansas roads.

I'm gonna wash it after I remove the dirt down to about 10 mil thickness...then the garden hose and bucket-o-suds comes out.

 

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