CLEAN ME!!

[Zed]

So how often do you clean your bike, and what cleaning method do you use?

I must clean mine after every longish ride I go on, and generally once a week otherwise. I like clean.

Method: Hose bike with water, wash with a nylex carwash brush & a bucket of soapy water (use a 5ltr wash n' shine liquid that lasts me about a year), hose off bike, and lastly chamois dry! Takes me about 15-25mins to complete. Will give fairings and tank a wax if feeling extra energetic!

[edit:]I will clean my bike more thoroughly from time to time which can take me up to 2 hours. This includes a complete wax job and autosol metal polish makeover.

[James Deuce]

15 minutes isn't long enough to clean a bike properly. It takes me about two hours by the method you prescribe Zed.

[Mongoose]

15 minutes isn't long enough to clean a bike properly. It takes me about two hours by the method you prescribe Zed.

Takes me about three hours just to shiney the shiney parts on the Guzzi. Actual wash I use VERY hot water and either soft brush or cloth

[Omega1]

Two Hours? Jeeez two hours and the Harley is cleaned and dryed....then theres all that chrome to polish.......

[vifferman]

I used to clean my bike about once every six months, otherwise I got hassled about "All the time you spend working on that thing". But in this new era of marital harmony, I clean it whenever I'm bored, or it's looking especially caked with road kill, bits of cars/pedestrians/cyclists/shrubbery that got in the way, or I'm worried that a Real Motorcyclist might see me riding such as execrable example of Mr Honda's deranged engineering.

I use some proprietory Wash, Kill Crap, N Wax stuff, a brush, a hose, a chamois (actually slinky skin), a medium-sized tin of elbow grease, a smidgeon of knee spooj, and some GoToIt.
I should do it more oftener, but I don't have a driveway, and I get sick of all the comments from nosey passers-by, and live in fear of The Council arresting me for Wash, Kill Crap, N Waxing their roads, gutters and fish.

[James Deuce]

Two Hours? Jeeez two hours and the Harley is cleaned and dryed....then theres all that chrome to polish.......

I have white wheels to clean, and they are an utter bastard. I also have white frame rails and a largely exposed engine that catches a lot of crap.

I always do the basic maintenance jobs at the same time.

[Cajun]

Jim your bike isn't full faired its harder to clean motor than fairing dc:<

Since i got the bike new, in the first weekend it got i think 3 coats of polish(it was wet and was easter weekend, long weekend), From then it gets maybe a wash every two weeks or so, or after a long ride. Gets a polish maybe every 6 weeks after that time its done 1000kms as long as you keep fairing with a good polsih they are easy to keep clean same with rim, polish those every once and while make easyer to keep clean.

harder are things like exhust pipes, rear shock they need more than just a bush over with sponge to clean.

Also help the me and the wife both worked for professional vehcile groomers, wo know all the little secrets, and some of the best products for different things.

Every 6 months i total strip all fairings off bikes and wash and polish and check everything, other reason due to riding all weathers it gets really dirty in there.

Thats enough for me i think for now

[Cajun]

Two Hours? Jeeez two hours and the Harley is cleaned and dryed....then theres all that chrome to polish.......

To clean my father in laws old vn1500 with enough crome to sink a battleship to clean it 'correctly' and 'polish' all the crome, would take 6 hours

[vifferman]

I have white wheels to clean, and they are an utter bastard. I also have white frame rails and a largely exposed engine that catches a lot of crap.

I always do the basic maintenance jobs at the same time.

When your wheels sadden you with their chippedness, strip the fookers! I did that on my white-wheeled VFR, and never regretted it. Not only did the stripped 'n polished alloy wheels look better, but they attracted a lot less road grime than the paint did (I think the plasticky paint actually attracts spooge).

[vifferman]

Also help the me and the wife both worked for professional vehcile groomers, wo know all the little secrets, and some of the best products for different things. Thats enough for me i think for now

Oh no it's not!! Tell us about wheel cleaners!
I used a product called Wurth Intensive Rim Cleaner till it ran out, and it was VERY good, but freakin expensive.

[Mongoose]

Two Hours? Jeeez two hours and the Harley is cleaned and dryed....then theres all that chrome to polish.......

Alloy Allloy and more Alloy, start with the rims and works it way up the bike

[James Deuce]

When your wheels sadden you with their chippedness, strip the fookers! I did that on my white-wheeled VFR, and never regretted it. Not only did the stripped 'n polished alloy wheels look better, but they attracted a lot less road grime than the paint did (I think the plasticky paint actually attracts spooge).

I'd love to - How much and who did it?

[Cajun]

Oh no it's not!! Tell us about wheel cleaners!
I used a product called Wurth Intensive Rim Cleaner till it ran out, and it was VERY good, but freakin expensive.

i personally use kero or a product we call wax/grease, and then a good coat of polish, but if you got white wheels there if no fucken hope for you, polish them, paint them or just suffer

[vifferman]

I'd love to - How much and who did it?

About $25.
Me.

[dhunt]

I generally clean mine every week or two. It really depends on the weather how often it gets cleaned. Fine weather means it doesn't get as dirty. It generally takes me a couple hours to clean everything.

David