This article is inspired by Mike. One of the very first times Mike came over to the house, his bike was astonishingly filthy. The paint looked okay, but the rest of the bike was downright grungy. When I offered to help him clean it with all the supplies I had on hand, he said okay, but as soon as I pulled out the garden hose he freaked out. "You're not going to put water on it, are you?" He asked in dismay. Trying not to laugh, I say, "Mike, its a bike from England, if any bike can handle some water, this one can.". But it got me thinking, maybe some washing tips would be in order.
So, why have a clean bike? First, clean is pretty. How many of us would pay extra to buy the dirty bike in the back corner of the dealers lot? I dare say none. As motorcyclists, we are very proud of our bikes. We tend to be much more particular than the average car owner. That's why there seems to be so many ratty, filthy cars on the road when so many more bikes look pretty good. A clean bike is less likely to get scratched because there are no abrasive materials on the paint when touched. A clean bike will fetch a much higher resale value than a dirty one. And, lets face it, a clean bike gets more attention, unless the bike is exceptionally filthy. (Ever seen a "rat-bike?")
Another advantage of clean is safety. A good detail job will gives a lot of information on the condition of the bike. The World SuperBike pit crews and the Moto GP crews are known to wash and wax bikes before a race. Not only to look pretty for the cameras, but rubbing ones hands all over a bike and cleaning everything gets the pit crews down close with the bike, allowing them to see any flaws or missed or missing fasteners.
When ready to wash the bike make sure you park in the shade and out of the sun! Sun is the enemy when trying to clean. Soap under the heat of the sun will streak paint. It's ugly! Avoid the temptation to start cleaning with the tank, or the most visible part of the bike. A good detail job starts with the dirtiest parts, and honestly, that's probably not your tank. The dirtiest parts are probably down low. What will work to clean all the road grime and oily residue all over the bottom of the bike? A couple of products work really well.
Believe it or not Kerosene does a good job of softening grease and oils and releasing them from your bike. This stuff works awesome on getting all that chain lube that is splattered all over your rear wheel. Kerosene is also what the guys who make chains say you should use when cleaning a chain and it does a great job removing chain fling from wheels (and other places) too.
Another great product is Simple Green or Purple Power. Simple Green or Purple Power are non-petroleum based degreasers that are biodegradable. They dilute nicely in water and are gentle enough for painted surfaces. It cuts through brake dust,road tar and bug juice. I have noticed, however, that it seems to clean best at a 50/50 mix diluted with water.
The problem with other degreasers is that they can be too harsh. They can result in getting absorbed into gasket materials and eventually eating them. Then you wonder why does my bike have all these leaks? Simple Green and Purple Power shouldn't do that to you, but still be careful and think about where you are spraying any harsh cleaner. And for the sake of us all, read the back of the bottle first!
Round Up All Your Gear
Its usually a good idea to have all of your cleaning stuff in one place. Keeping it together will make the bike washing process go faster. The items I use most frequently are:
- Chamois
- Bucket
- Wash Mitt or Washcloth (s)
- Two Brushes (one toothbrush and one larger brush)
- Degreaser (e.g., Purple Power/Kerosene)
- Garden Hose with Sprayer
- Wax
- Detailing Polish (e.g., Pledge)
Before you do anything else, get out the garden hose and a conventional sprayer and hose the bike down. Avoid taking the bike to a high-pressure car wash as the spray can penetrate into all sorts of nooks and crannies on your bike, like wheel bearings, gas tank seams and electrical components, and eventually destroy those components as the water corrodes them from the inside out. Never use anything more high pressure than your K-Mart flower spray er to clean you beloved bike. But even with your Kmart sprayer, avoid directly spraying delicate bits like the meters, gas cap, throttle bodies or any seals.
Spray from the Bottom to the Top!
When spraying, start spraying at the bottom and work your way up. That way when you knock bugs, grit and other contaminates off your bike they will slide down, using the water as a lubricant. Once the bike is thoroughly wet and drippy, take the Simple Green, (or other like product) and spray it onto the really nasty parts of your bike. The wheel rims, the sprockets, the disk calipers on my bike, where the engine is exposed, I spray down the engine and all of its nooks and crannies as well.
Get Into the Nooks and Crannies
Now, while that grease and grime is soaking up the degreaser, take out your brushes (in varying degrees of firmness) and get ready to attack the nastyness. When looking for brushes, hanging out in the house cleaning section of your local department store will provide you with many options for brushes. The automotive section will have some car-wash brushes that have super soft bristles for paint or wheel cleaning brushes, while the house cleaning section will have everything else. I know of some who use a toilet brushes for the really dirty places, I have a vegetable brush that I like because it is really small but still has firm bristles. I tend to mostly use my wheel brush and toothbrush.
Vegetable Brushes
Use a firm brush or a rag with lots of water and kerosene to clean chains, sprockets or chain fling. Depending on how dirty, I'll use the kerosene on many places of the motor where grime collects. For softer or more delicate porous finishes like the frame, rear fender, engine cases or plastic, fork legs, brake calipers I tend to favor the gentle degreasers. Be sure to use lots of water and be gentle. In many cases, just letting a stubborn bug or shmutz soak is enough to get it to release without undue scrubbing. As long as you use plenty of water and enough gentle cleaner you shouldn't scratch, but you should test first before you dive in.
Depressingly, I've found that the good ol' fashioned tooth brush has become an invaluable cleaning partner. In fact, I use two for most clean up jobs. They allow scrubbing access to many small, or tucked away bits of the bike, like the brake calipers themselves, or all the air-cooled fins on a Ducati. Using the smaller brush on the motor, and the other tight spots is actually quicker than trying to use a rag or a larger brush. Plus the bristles of your average toothbrush are about perfect for cleaning - firm enough to scrub, but not so firm as to scratch.
The more you clean, the more gunk get's rinsed away. Its amazing how much black break dust leaks out of calipers and the cleaned result is impressive. Use the stiffer brushes for metal bits, then move to the softer bristled brushes for your turn signals, mirrors, headlight, license plate and even your seat. Most auto parts stores sell car-wash brushes that are even safe for your paint, as long as you are using lots of water. Wheel rim brushes that are great for cleaning more stubborn gunk on more resilient surfaces, like brake rotors, exhaust pipes, wheels and tire-sidewalls (yes, I clean those too).
Clean The Tools Too
While cleaning along, stop periodically and spray out the brush so you don't drag more rubbish onto your bike as you clean. Pay extra attention to leading edges of the bike, including the grips, mirrors and switchgear - anything that faces forward will have more bugs abd grime. Don't forget to clean the undersides of things, like the undersides of your turn signals, mirrors and even the underside of your swingarm. Just because you don't see these parts, doesn't mean they don't get dirty. The devil is in the details. Also, please don't forget to wash your license plate. Just because it's this ugly state thing that you have to put on your bike, doesn't mean its not filthy.
Once you are satisfied, rinse everything thoroughly, and go get a bottle of soap and a clean bucket. While its popular to use dish-soap for vehicle cleaning, vehicle specific cleaners are designed to be gentle on clear coats. Look at the back to determine how much soap to put in. Usually a cap-full is plenty. Another tip; If it is cold outside, fill the bucket with hot water . . . very nice!
The Devils in the Details
Get a soft terry cloth towel or an automotive sponge and soak it in the water. You don't have to steal towels from hotels so your spouse doesn't get mad at you for using the good bathroom towels, you can get packets of these in your local automotive department store for a few bucks, that way your not a thief and your not upsetting your loved ones. Make sure your bike is good and wet, then start washing the most delicate parts first, usually starting at the top, working down. I start with the windscreen, then the tank... To help prevent scratches, I even go as far as using two different rags. Use one rag for lower parts and one for delicate and painted parts. If you start with greasy parts first, then go to your windscreen, you run the risk of scratching things. Be sure to scrub the underside and backside of your exhaust cans. Again, a lot of gunk collects there.
After everything is soaped up, rinse it clean and do a quick inspection to make sure you got it all the soap rinsed off. If your bike is pretty grubby, go over it again with fresh water and towels. When satisfied, rinse thoroughly. (lather, rinse, repeat as needed). The more you rinse, the less likely you'll be to have spots. Make sure you get all the soap and degreaser off the bike before you move on because the next step is one of the most important. You have to dry the bike.
If you let the bike drip dry, it will end up with lots of spots and streaks. Get a nice chamois (synthetic or leather). Soak the chamois with clean water, ring it out, then wipe it across the whole bike, starting with the delicate parts first, ringing it out frequently. The chamois will pull off all the water and actually clean out the pores even more leaving you with a very clean surface. If no chamois is available, a clean terry-cloth or used t-shirt also does a good job. It's amazing how much more grime a chamois will pull off a clean bike, even after you have soaped and scrubbed the bike. I have two chamois in this case too. One for paint, and one that gets used on the engine, wheels and other, more traditionally dirty parts.
Once the bike is dry you can move on to the wax or a quick detailer. I don't wax every time I wash because of the amount of buildup that can occur. I will usually only wax two or three times a year and before trips. If you are careful with your wax application, buffing will be a lot quicker. Try not to rub wax onto your seat, its a bugger to clean off. Avoid buying any wax that contains petroleum distillates. Petroleum distillates are a form of silicone. Silicone, over time will draw the moisture out of the surfaces that it is applied to eventually destroying it. However, waxes that contain petroleum distillates produce that really nice wet look that makes a bike really shine. Check the back of the container to find out what you are putting on your bike. We really like old fashioned, all natural "Carnauba" wax because it is one of the best ways to go for long-term protection, but Maguire's is also known for its quality products.
When waxing, make sure that your applicator is clean; you really would hate to be dragging a pebble or flake of metal stuck in the pores of the sponge all over your pretty paint. Contrary to popular belief, circles are not the best way to apply wax. Applying wax in circles results in spider webbing. Also, paint is not applied to the raw metal in circles; it is applied in straight lines. So, when you apply your wax, apply it in straight lines. Allow the wax to dry before you buff it out with another clean terry cloth, and again, buff the paint in straight lines, the same direction that you applied the wax. Turn the rag frequently to prevent re-applying wax back onto the bike. If you take your time during the buffing process you will end up with a much deeper shine and less missed spots of wax all over the bike and less waxy powder left over on the paint. I usually go through two or three rags buffing. A clean rag goes a long way, and I find the buffing to be the most rewarding part of the cleaning process.
If wax isn't needed, you can always go with a quick detailer. One of the professionals top secret weapons that they don't want you to know they use is Pledge. Pledge is one of the best quick detailers available on the market! It offers some of the best long term protection, will give your bike a wet luster, it fills light scratches and scuffs, repels dust, makes it easy to get off bugs, makes the bike easier to clean the next time and gives your bike that lemony fresh scent! (But it also comes in a variety of other wonderful scents!) And as far as long term effects of Pledge, they are substantial. I met a guy who owned a 1978 Gold Wing that still had the original paint, with the original warning stickers. He used Pledge religiously and it looked amazing. The Pledge had done a heroic job of protecting the paint and keeping it looking good for 20 years. Also, Pledge does wonders on older, scuffed windshields hiding tiny marks. The only problem with Pledge is if you use it a lot it will build up and look smudgy but comes right off with a normal washing. Pledge also does a fantastic job on speedo and tach meters, the turn signals, the mirrors, and every other piece of plastic on your bike. Just keep it away from four seat because its slippery. www.pledge.com. I personally rotate between products, wax, pledge and a quick detailer depending on how dirty the bike is. If there's only a light smattering of dust on the bike, a quick detailer works best.
However, one thing that is critical to remember is that Armor All is bad. Specifically on motorcycle tires. Some sources claim that Armor All can be used on the sidewalls of a motorcycle tire and not on the tread. However, these claims are false! I contacted two tire manufactures to find the answer to this question. Both of them said Armor All will leach moisture from the tire and will void any warranty.
In any case, keeping your bike clean is fun, and helps you to enjoy riding that much more. Having a clean bike is reminiscent of how it felt that first day you rode it home. You'll likely find a new level of pride for your bike. (Not to mention you just might notice that you forgot to tighten your caliper bolts last time you changed your tire.)