Cleaning your bike

[hughes]

Guys,

What's everybody using for detailing your bike after a day of riding Does anybody perfer a pressure washer over your garden hose What cleaning chemicals do you use List any of your helpful tips for cleaning your bike. Thanks.

[machine]

I use a pressuer washer.
Matter of fact, I just got a new one for X-mas.

After I've cleaned it all up, I use "Lube Job" brand silicon lubricant.
I spray it all over the bike.
On the plastic, and the rubber.

I just tryed that "Maxima SC1" and I don't care for it.
It dose not shine as much as regular silicone lube. ( But smells nice!)
And it's about twice as much $$$

The silicone is safe on plastic, and rubber.
And wont atract dirt.

Just my $.02

[ebers17]

I pressure wash.  After cleaning it up I spray a little WD40 on the moving parts of the kick starter and pegs and such.  I dont know if its the thing to do but it works good for me!

[hughes]

Do you guys use any chemicals with the pressure washer or just soap. I have been using the garden hose with simple green and wd-40 on the engine and chain and sprockets. Leamon pledge works pretty good on the plactic. I need to change my chain lube. It attracts everything and takes engine degreaser to remove it.

[mikesmith]

I normally use a hose, sprayer and a brush,but when its bad from not getting all those little spots I miss with a hose or a day of mud riding Ill use the pressure whasher,just stay away from bearings and electrics.I have a plug for my silencer,and Ive sealed my mag cover but you should remove it once in a while and spray it with WD and blow it out with air.Also use a long screw driver or something to push up the shock bumper,a lot of dirt gets down in there and can cause the shaft to start rusting.Its best to start your bike up after a whashing to let it warm up and dry it ,but Im always whashing at dark and dont want to bother the neighbors.I mix Fantastic and liquid dish wash soap that I spray on and wide selection of brushes in a bucket of hot dish soap water.I also use a pump up garden/bug sprayer full of simple green or purple power,and for some nasty areas spray on wheel cleaner for cars,but you have to be carefull using where and how long you leave it on.After the bikes clean I hit the chain,all pivot points and the shock shaft with WD 40 and blow it out with air,then use moly chain lube and WD 40 on the pivot points and chain.Im planing on going to Maxima chain wax on my chain though.Ill use lemon pledge on the plastic and some of the rubber,or floor wax on plastic and 303 on the rubber,or sometimes silicone spay on most everything.I release any air built up in the forks and change the air filter or any other basic maintence and clean the brake disks with a pad and brake clean after using spray lube and wax on the bike to clean off any over spray.

[KXcam22]

I used to pressure wash after every ride. Now that I only use the garden hose my linkage bearings last a long time. Cam.

[John]

I just spray all the messy parts with white spirit before I pressure wash it off. The new environmental friendly cleaners are not up to the job and they are expensive too. What doesn't go away can stay...  When it's clean I spray all the areas exposed to wheel mud-showers with WD-40 or similar. The mud comes off a lot easier if the surface is oily. And then the usual maintanace.

Why would you polish the plastic? Is it so the dust doesn't stick? Silicon sounds like a good idea, any special brand or type you can recomend?

//John

[hughes]

I would say that we are not polishing the plastic but adding shine to it. Silicon makes cleaning the bike easier after riding and from my expericene helps reduce scratching of the plastic from every day riding.

[machine]

And brings color back to faded plastic!

[KXcam22]

Hi,
  Lemon Pledge works pretty good on plastic, especially clear goggle lenses and windscreens (my dad used to use it on jetplane plexi windows).  Another product I just started using a month ago, which is tuning out to quite excellent is Motuls "silicon clean". Really good for shining up faded plastic, quite a bit better the the old standby armour all.  I did a side-by-side shine test with all 3 on the same faded plastic parts and the silicon clean was vastly superior. Cam.

[machine]

Cam;

Where can we find that product???

[hughes]

After my mud ride this weekend I had some real cleaning to do. After pressure washing to knock the big stuff off I found that a paint brush works really good for srcubbing all around the engine,pipe,and lower link,wheel hubs. It works every where and allows you to srcub in your cleaning chemicals.

[gowen]

I can spot shine my bikes pretty much by just spray on Purple Power, then powerwash it off.. And Cam is absolutely correct!! Powerwashing without greasing really kills your linkage bearings. The pressure pushes the water in and it will rust it out. Anyway, I never have to scrub with purple power, it falls right off. No problem with fading plastic and have been doing it for years. I purchase it in 5 gallon buckets for like $12.

[KXcam22]

Gowen,
  Who makes purple power?  I don't know if ive seen it here. For machine: that Motul silicone clean is at most bike shops. It looks like about 50 other motul spray products so you have to pick up the can and read it to identify it. Cam.

[gowen]

http://www.partsamerica.com/PartDetails.asp?SourceArea=&SourcePage=SEARCHRESULTS&MfrCode=PRP&MfrPartNumber=4320P&CategoryCode=3226

That should have it there