How to best clean your bike?

[firefighter]

Brilliant thread. Wish I read it sooner as I went shopping yesterday for cleaning materials. Ah well.

Just make sure you get some kero. It's cheap and is really awesome for cleaning your chain, and wiping shit off everything. (chain/rims/swingarm etc)

it took me ages before I finally got around to getting some. Wish i'd got it earlier but glad I use it now. At $6 a big bottle that'll last forever it's really a must buy.

Chain looks brand new everytime and it takes bugger-all time.

[Brian d marge]

Wife(TM) work well for me

Stephen

[Blinkwing]

Just make sure you get some kero. It's cheap and is really awesome for cleaning your chain, and wiping shit off everything. (chain/rims/swingarm etc)

it took me ages before I finally got around to getting some. Wish i'd got it earlier but glad I use it now. At $6 a big bottle that'll last forever it's really a must buy.

Chain looks brand new everytime and it takes bugger-all time.

Kero what? Kerosene?

What do you clean it with? And how? (Take chain off & dip it in kerosene or just dab it on chain?)

Hopefully it'll get that large gunk of tar off the front of my bike & melted rubber from previous owner's boots ...

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

How to best clean your bike...

Get some one else to clean it...

or







These are the best way of getting it done...

[firefighter]

Kero what? Kerosene?

What do you clean it with? And how? (Take chain off & dip it in kerosene or just dab it on chain?)

Hopefully it'll get that large gunk of tar off the front of my bike & melted rubber from previous owner's boots ...

Yes kerosene. Your chain mostly but it does the rims well and other road spooge. I used it just the other day to get all the crap off my rims and clean my chain/sprockets/swingarm. It all comes off easy, soapies failed on the rims btw.

Your chain is very easy, but you will need an old toothbrush, a rag and about 10 mins. Longer first time, and if you are like me you will take off all the covers and get in everywhere. (it's a bike it needs more love than a car)

Put bike up on your paddock stand, another essential purchase, $80 from a guy in paeroa, get one.

Dip brush in kero, and with generous slather give the links a quick scrub, and use a rag to wipe down and around the rest, use plenty of kero it's cheap and works well.

Basically, scrub the top and bottom with the rag behind the chain to stop excess kero from flying everywhere (namely your tyre), give it a wipe then move it around. (seriously get a paddock stand).

Here's mine I did only a few days ago. Notice hoe clean the rims/sprocket and chain are. You are supposed to take it for a ride to get rid of excess kero and warm up the chain, but I just spin the wheel a bit, spray on some wax and let it sit, then after my next ride when I get home, I spray some more wax on while the chain is still warm and let it sit. (usually when I get home from work)

Also bear in mind that chain has been waxed, so it's not going to be as shiny as when it was first cleaned, and that this is a 10year old bike, with 40k on it. The kero cleans it up really well.

[Tunahunter]

Get yourself one of those chain cleaning brushes - they work well

Kero what? Kerosene?

What do you clean it with? And how? (Take chain off & dip it in kerosene or just dab it on chain?)

Hopefully it'll get that large gunk of tar off the front of my bike & melted rubber from previous owner's boots ...

[dogsnbikes]

I use the following

Motul moto wash,sponge,clean rag,CRC808,kerosene,glass cleaner,air compressor and water

First I rinse the bike with water then spray it with the motul moto wash,and hit any tar with kero I use to do my chain but the scottoiler looks after that now

once I have completed that I let it soak for about the time it takes to have a smoke then I wash the bike with a wet sponge and then hose it off,

Blow dry with aircompressor or leaf blower or let drip dry in a shaded area removing excess water with old towel

and finish bike off with the CRC808 just all over the plastics its just bling bling

And lastly I hit the mirrors and screen and light lenses with a small amount of glass cleaner

[Cayman911]

so you're supposed to clean the chain aswell? i see...... all ive done to mine is oil it....... but its only got under 4k km's on it so far..

after how long? or when it looks like what?

[firefighter]

Get yourself one of those chain cleaning brushes - they work well

Maybe, but an old toothbrush is just as good, and a lot cheaper! I was going to get one, then went at it with the kero, the old brush and a rag and it's quick enough really.

so you're supposed to clean the chain aswell? i see...... all ive done to mine is oil it....... but its only got under 4k km's on it so far..

after how long? or when it looks like what?

Well it's just part of the maintenance. I do it everytime I clean the bike, which is overkill........so is the fact that I buy an expensive chain! Some people do'nt, and claim long life out of them just by lubing them, I just like a clean bike, and it's not clean if it's not all clean. I like to play around with the bike anyway, and it only takes me 10 mins to do the chain, and a filthy swingarm and chain makes me feel like I have'nt cleaned the bike properly.

4000kms without cleaning the chain for me is a lifetime......Maybe every 1000kms?

[sinfull]

CRC

[Tunahunter]

Maybe, but an old toothbrush is just as good, and a lot cheaper! I was going to get one, then went at it with the kero, the old brush and a rag and it's quick enough really.



Well it's just part of the maintenance. I do it everytime I clean the bike, which is overkill........so is the fact that I buy an expensive chain! Some people do'nt, and claim long life out of them just by lubing them, I just like a clean bike, and it's not clean if it's not all clean. I like to play around with the bike anyway, and it only takes me 10 mins to do the chain, and a filthy swingarm and chain makes me feel like I have'nt cleaned the bike properly.

4000kms without cleaning the chain for me is a lifetime......Maybe every 1000kms?

But what about your nails, doesn't the polish come off?

[firefighter]

But what about your nails, doesn't the polish come off?

Do'nt have any nails on my bike.

[rocketman1]

Basically you sit down with a bucket of hot water and a quality detergent and rip into it. It's going to take a while. There's no simple way to do a good job.

A few tricks I use ;

Squirt the loose shit off with the waterblaster first. Take care not to directly squirt things like alloy-finned coolers, and bearing seals - you will fuck them instantly.

Use a detergent that actually works! Many car cleaning products are just slimy bubbly bottles of crap that just soften the water and don't dissolve jack shit. Find a cleaner than actually dissolves dirt and removes it. Test on a really stubborn patch of dirt and you will see what I mean. See if you can find a workshop that uses the yellow Tergo handwash (the one that smells like lemons) and "borrow" a couple of pumps of it - try this stuff when getting stubborn shit off - its fooken magic!

Keep the amount of water down and the temperature up . Use the detergent mixed as concentrated as you can.

Other than that, its just sitting next to your bike with the rag and bucket of hot water and going for it.

Steve

Steve,
My advice is that you dont touch a road bike with a water blaster, in the hand of an experienced few maybe off road bikes.
I have seen more damage done to bike with water blalsters than any other impliment. Your dead right not to touch the wheels bearings and radiators, but there are seals and gaskets all over bikes that seem to get stuufed by WB's.
What do most people do after a water balst ,....... put the bike away without giving it a good run, to dry out the water hiding in all these places..RUST / CORROSION all starts with water. I chose to have my bikes a bit dirtier an know that water hasnt been blasted into all it crevices.

[aprilia_RS250]

Agree for no hosing. I see it as it water getting into those hard to get to spots that will never get dirty anyway which might start rusting. My process is:

1. Use tyre foam first, the shit that makes your wheels look like they've driven through snow. Let it sit and dislolve the brake dust, oil, grime and with a gentle stream from a hose rinse then dry. I get a lot of oil on the back especially if after I lubed up the chain, no matter how well I do it excess oil still seems to squirt out and stick to rear rim. So I apply it twice sometimes.
2. Luke warm water and sponge to scrub of dust, dirt, bugs and dry of with a clean microfibre towel. Use soap on oily parts i.e front of bike, all around the chain etc. Clean water does the job on main fairings. Make sure you dry immediately, water that dries off due to evaporation does ruin the paint and cause streaks.
3. WD40 is an excellent cleaning agent for oil streaks around the metal bits around the chain (don't use it for lubing the chain up), gear lever, exhaust etc. It also prevents rust and help to clean shit off later.
4. Use basic window cleaner for screen and mirrors, do not use paper towels etc as that will make those small scratch marks. Only Microfibre.
5. Given my bike only sees clear sunny skies I sometimes apply the plastic UV protection formula on side view mirrors, plastic around the dash etc. Looks really smart and by the time I get to this stage I usually can't help pitching a tent.
6. And if I have an extra pair of underpants I'll spray on tire shine for the extra "hot shit" effect.
7. You admire the bike for a while, growl a bit, make "oh yeah" remarks while you sip your well deserved beer and then, this always happens, try and NOT get to this stage. You start noticing those little spots you may have missed, haven't scrubbed off properly, streaks etc. Now if you do find your self in this stage double the time it has taken you to do stages 1-6, because that's roughly how long stage 7 will take until you're fully satisfied.

[SVboy]

Not liking the tyre shine idea.....very slippery stuff-keep away from the tyres at ALL costs. Do agree with rim cleaning foam, great for cleaning wheels.