Cleaning your bike??

[roadblock]

Hey! I'm quite new to biking - just got a zxr 250 a few weeks ago. I know this sounds like a stupid question but I have a question about cleaning my bike. Are there any specific cleaning materials to use? Can I use the same soap as for a car? or does it need to be something else? Wax? etc etc.. thanks!!

[vifferman]

There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers (hopefully not this one), so keep the noobie questions coming.
Yeah, use the same materials. Just be careful you don't get anything containing silicon on the discs or tyres. There are some products (like on I used for cleaning the cars' wheels) that leave a coating that's supposed to repel brake dust. In fact, it leaves a coating on the tyres that makes them slippery in the wet, so don't use anything like that. Also, using degreasers near the tyres or brake discs can leave a greasy emulsion in places where you don't want it.
I just rinse the bike, use a car wash'n'wax (Turtle wax, or whatever), and the extra dirty bits like the wheels or bits where chain spooge has got, I clean with kerosene then wash. Note that even though wash'n'wax supposedly leaves a waxy film on things, it doesn't seem to affect discs, the seat or the tyres.
Don't be tempted to put something 'special' like Armorall on the seat vinyl - it makes that slippery.
If you want to, you can use an extra polish on the paint, do the windshield and any other plastic bits with Pledge or Plexus (plastic polish), and any metal bits that are a bit dull can be brightened up with Autosol or any other metal polish.
Make sure all the bits that need lubing are kept lubed. If the chain's due for a clean/lube, and I'm thinking of washing the bike, I do the chain first.

Don't use a high pressure washer (waterblaster) on the bike!

[MotoGirl]

I wash our bikes and car with Armourall Wash and Wax and a sponge and dry them off with a chamois. I clean the wheels with a soft scrubbing brush and wash & grease if they've got tar on them.

You pretty much use the same products on a car as you do on a bike, e.g. the wash and wax / polish you use on the car you could also use on the bike.

In terms of which products you use, this depends on what state your bike is in. For example, new bikes tend to use light polishes (watery texture) and older bikes need heavier polishes (pastey texture). This is because paint loses its gloss so the heavier polishes contain a cutting compound and it makes the paint glossy again. Glossy paint = light polish. It's all very complicated!

[Krusti]

Wash?

A perfectly good waste of riding time...

[007XX]

What Vifferman and Motogirl said...

Also, something that I was advised not to do: spray water inside the exhaust pipes. Apparently, it may seem like an obvious one, but it ain't good for them.

Plus, I oil the chain again after very clean I give my bike...encourages you to keep an eye on its tension as well and for any kinks or stones in there...

i have also taken the habit of having a look at my brake pads and other bits and pieces around that area.

Basically, I like to turn the cleaning into a bit of a once over of my steed. It's amazing what you can pick up when removing dirt!

[PirateJafa]

I use WD40 for cleaning the clean before I re-lube it, kerosene for for the rims and anywhere else that has got chain scum on it (stands etc), and then a good wash with warm soapy water and a final wash off with cold clean water in the sunlight.

[vifferman]

Also, something that I was advised not to do: spray water inside the exhaust pipes. Apparently, it may seem like an obvious one, but it ain't good for them.

Not a big deal, unless you fill them up.
I usually run the bike after washing it, just to dry out any naughty water like that.

Basically, I like to turn the cleaning into a bit of a once over of my steed. It's amazing what you can pick up when removing dirt!

A very good point! It's the ideal time to notice stuff like maladjusted bits, loose nuts'n'bolts, etc.
So much so, that I reckon washing a bike would make a good pre-purchase check!

[vifferman]

I use WD40 for... anywhere else that has got chain scum on it

Chain spooge. As distinct from road spooge (all that assorted crap that ends up on your bike when you ride it on wet or dirty roads), and general spooge (assorted crap whose origin is a mystery).

[007XX]

Not a big deal, unless you fill them up.
I usually run the bike after washing it, just to dry out any naughty water like that.

Good idea thanks! Shall do next time...

A very good point! It's the ideal time to notice stuff like maladjusted bits, loose nuts'n'bolts, etc.
So much so, that I reckon washing a bike would make a good pre-purchase check!

Hmmm...never thought of it that way. Would make for an interesting scenario:

Me: "Yes, I'm interested in buying your bike, as long as I can wash it first..."

Buyer:

[mstriumph]

one good thing the drought is responsible for
totally removing the obligation to wash vehicles ...

[ninjac]

I have found that kerosene can dull paint on some painted wheels.
An awesome product to get rid of tar on any surface is Engine Degreaser By Selleys.
It even says on can 'safe for painted surfaces'.

[MidnightMike]

Im gonna look like a complete hori here.

But I use dishwashing liquid and a soft brush

[Storm]

Whatever works mike Just think of all the money you are saving :

[vifferman]

I have found that kerosene can dull paint on some painted wheels.
An awesome product to get rid of tar on any surface is Engine Degreaser By Selleys.
It even says on can 'safe for painted surfaces'.

Two things:
1. All Selley's products are shit compared to other brands.
2. Degreaser has two properties: it removes greasy stuff, and the removed greasy stuff is emulsified. Ready for washing onto (and soaking into) motorcycle tyres.
I once washed my bike in a hurry before a group ride, and looked around for summat to clean the chain spooge off with. Spying a can of engine degreaser on my gargre shelf, I set to work with that, rinsed it off, and I was all set.
Brilliant!
Until I got the T-intersection at the end of my street, and did the most massive slide I've ever done on the road. Only the extreme slipperiness of the back tyre saved me from binning it when I backed off the throttle (it came out of the slide gradually, rather than high-siding).

Awesome? It didn't fill me with awe (but I nearly filled my pants. Luckily my sphincter was firmly clenched).

If you're going to clean greasy/oily/tarry/goopy stuff off your bike, make sure it isn't redeposited elsewhere on the bike. Tyres are great for absorbing contaminants onto the bits that are supposed to be grippy. The best way to clean wheels, or bits near the tyres, is to use a cloth soaked in your solvent of choice.

"Ah, Vifferdork!", I hear you cry, "What about the chain? That's near the wheeeeeels!"
That's true. And for those of you who don't have a HandyDandyChainCleaningAndOilingDoofer like I do, just be careful where you spray the kerosene and lubricants. If you can, remove the chain to give it an extensive cleaning. Otherwise, put some newspaper under the chain, and slip a piece of cardboard or hardboard or a HUGE slice of toast in between the chain and tyre to protect the side of the tyre from the crap you spray on it.

[007XX]

Yep, I'd tend to go with the degreaser too...

After the Cold Kiwi this year, truckloads of that spooge stuff got stuck in all sorts of places on my bike...

now 007XY being a Marine Engineer, the garage is always well stocked up on good products.

Well I have pics at home of my bike before and after the "degreaser, toothbrush and elbow grease" treatment, and man! She sparkled and looked better than when I bought her.

Call me pedantic, but I like my bike to look beautiful.