Favorite Bike Wash Products?

Dawn detergent and SC1. Never pressure wash unless time is a big factor (between races) because if I don’t pressure wash the grease in my wheel bearings/pivot points lasts for a year or so, or it lasts two washes if I use my pressure washer. 

Mr. Clean multi-purpose cleaner came well recommended to me years ago buy a friend, who's very own brother works for Simple Green. He said he can get Simple Green for free, but he rather pay for Mr.Clean cause it actually works and doesn't f*ck up coatings on your bike!

Muc-off is awesome and I’ve tried damn near everything. The biggest mistake most people make with any of these cleaners is applying it to a soaking wet bike. That just lets a ton of the cleaner just drip right off the bike. If the bike isn’t super muddy you should start with the muc off and let it soak a few minutes before washing the bike. If the bike is super muddy then blast and scrape as much as you can off first, then let the bike air dry for a while or blast it with a leaf blower etc. Then apply the cleaner and wash again. Since I switched to muc off I barely have to touch up the bike after I’m done and just hit it with SC1 before I ride to help keep the mud from sticking. 

I wouldn't do that if I was you. Not if you care about your anodizing.

Lots of guys using Shout in here but I'm telling you the ones that are buying this $25 a bottle cleaner just go buy one bottle of shout and see what you think it works the best of anything I've tried and its way more gentle than simple green or even dawn it doesnt leave everything dull. I live in NC and race off-road so I am washing red clay muddy bikes all the time and it works great. 

Dollar General brand is actually even better it is much more bubbly and probably would be okay to dilute even. 

Shameless plug for a product I helped develop, and work to support daily. 100% biodegradable, safe for all surfaces, and less harsh than typical surfactants. By far the cheapest product on the market on a per wash basis!

goproglow.com 

https://www.amazon.com/ProGlow-Powersports-Resealable-Water-Based-Disco…

not much love for chain cleaning in this thread, but that is something that I do every time. I've used the Bel-Ray filter cleaner for years and I am currently using the Pro Honda branded stuff, same time as you in the wash cycle, let it sit for a while then scrub with a Grunge Brush. Since it's oil-based, it protects from corrosion as well so there is no need to spray the chain with lube after washing.

Also I would add my final step is a small battery powered leaf blower, and then a final towel down. This is partly because we have super hard water here that spots up the polished surfaces, but also it gets a lot of final crap out of the radiator, footpeg brackets, engine, etc. I am a little over the top with cleaning my dirt bikes and my shop.

Also, shout works pretty darn good.

Keep it simple Bro.

Shout is awesome. 50/50 with water in a spray bottle.  Then soft scrub with a sponge to get boot marks off the frame and plastic.

Only place I use SC1 is under my fenders to help keep mud from building and my fork guards once they are all blasted and don't shine any more.

S100,, 

Anyone remember dirt squirt?

I have really enjoyed and been impressed with a new Nor Cal local brand Cizi Clean. Bottle lasts quite a while and seems to eat through everything while being gentle on the metal.

https://ciziclean.com/

The Dawn Platinum Powerwash stuff works amazing as well.  Spray it on, let it soak for about 5 minutes and hit it with a brush, rinse off. 

I used to use a lot of wd40 everywhere until I framed the bike and there was caked oily dirt in the crevices. Now I just try to blow dry the best I can. 

I've used the Muc off snow foam  with an electric pressure washer.

Use SC-1 or similar product before a muddy ride or  race.

Remove air filter and put an airbox cover in or plastic bag over the filter, silencer plug . Remove the seat or keep it off depending on the bike brand.  Wash as soon after riding as possible! Spray off the heavy stuff with plain water.

Then  swap to the foam gun. Spray it with foam and let it sit a few minutes. I try to do it in the shade or out of direct sun.  Then spray it off with plain water. If I have kept up with it, this can be the end. The foam works very  well on fresh stuff and ok on more dried stuff.  

If the mud has dried before washing then I'll hit it with foam again and then use a soft nylon scrub brush and scrub the bike starting at the cleanest areas working to the more dirty spots and rinsing the brush often. I have a few brushes, one for the plastic and larger areas, a wheel cleaning brush and a stiff small brush for the chain or stubborn mud. Rinse after .

I repeat the above step if needed and than blow dry with a M18 leaf blower and than air compressor air gun, and rags.  I wipe the pipe with WD40 on a rag, spray the chain and wipe with Wd40 and sometimes I'll hit the footpegs with a little WD40 and than blow /wipe off  blowing it into a rag with airgun nozzle .

I have used Dawn with similar results to the Muc Off. I used the Dawn powerwash in a foam cannon and it works great. I have not seen any long-term issues with Dawn. Other than when I've used it undiluted changing tires. I've used the Dawn more on my SXS than bikes though. I know that Dawn strips wax and is great at removing grease , so it can be a bit strong . and I use it mostly on the bodywork and areas that I'm not going to be washing grease out of when I do use it. 

This stuff?? 

I've made my own mix of Dawn Power wash.  You can find instructions online. Its Dawn and some denatured  alcohol mixed in.  The home made mix works as well in a foam gun, foams up the same as the powerwash and  similar to the Muc Off Snow foam.  It doesn't spray as well out of the Dawn foaming sprayer as the Dawn made powerwash mix though.

I did a side by side test with the Dawn made mix ,my home mix  and the Snow foam, and  all three cleaned and left a dull shine that I could not tell apart.    I did the test on a truck tailgate that had caked up dirt and tranny fluid mix. I had my lines replaced with hydraulic lines and a fitting started to leak while on a 200ish mile round trip.   It sat on it for a while  at the shop that had replaced the lines getting fixed before I cleaned it so there was a good base of crap.  The tailgate has a wrap on it so its similar to  glossy MX graphics with how stuff sticks to it.  The home made mix is way cheaper to make up.    

Water.  

I used Superclean 1 time on my CR back in 99. It made anything aluminium look like it was in a fire. black and chalky. and dulled all the anodized items.  I used it full strength when it did that.   I had been using it to clean my truck I went off roading in before getting back into riding . I had good luck with it on the truck.  But its the worst thing for a dirtbike!!

I was big on S100 forever but since Muc Off came along and supports the sport, I switched to snow foam and motorcycle clean. Get bike wet, Spray on and walk away for 10 minutes and rinse very pleased.

I'll give a tip that I picked up from the old Yamaha RD gang, Mop and Glo coating on bare two stroke pipes. Makes it look good and I never had problems with my chambers rusting.

I have a buddy who's in his 80's now...  Back in the mid 1990s he told me about Mop N Glo. 

It makes old plastic and chain sliders look shiny too.

That Muc Off is really good, but holy shit it is so expensive.  How do you not use a quarter of the bottle every time you wash?

Simple Green leaves things dull and is harsh if you leave it on a long time.   I think my last 2.5 gallon concentrate jug was less than $30.

Shout probably works really well, it has fluorescent molecules called optical brighteners.
In that way, Shout makes your clothes (or your bike) "glow" in sunlight.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_brightener


I have a bottle of shout stain remover in my laundry room that I use about twice a year.  I'll give it a try on a bike.

Kitchen broom gets into all the nooks and crannies quite well and the long handle is a back saver.

You buy the concentrate which is like 5 bottles worth. 

That's it 👍

Another plug for Mr Clean