Posts
4085
Joined
1/10/2011
Location
Hollow Barrels, CA
US
Fantasy
104th
Edited Date/Time
11/18/2022 5:08am
1. Do you visit a quarter car wash or do you have your own pressure washer? If you own a pressure washer, what brand/model do you have and do you recommend it? (any Harbor Freight users?)
2. What chemicals do you spray on your bike to clean/degrease before hosing it down?
3. Do you use an air compressor to dry or do you ride it down the street?
4.What products do you use for detailing on plastics, motor, chain, etc? For example, I used to coat all my motors/pipes with WD40 to avoid rust (by the beach). What do you use?
Any special tips, tricks, products, or tools you recommend for this process?
2. What chemicals do you spray on your bike to clean/degrease before hosing it down?
3. Do you use an air compressor to dry or do you ride it down the street?
4.What products do you use for detailing on plastics, motor, chain, etc? For example, I used to coat all my motors/pipes with WD40 to avoid rust (by the beach). What do you use?
Any special tips, tricks, products, or tools you recommend for this process?
1) Standard hose for me. No pressure washer.
2) Tide with bleach in a bucket with hot water.
3) Dry it with a towel with compressed air sometimes. I will never ride it after washing because the filter gets wet and I'm not taking any chances.
4) If I use anything, which is almost never, it's SC1 to make the plastic look a little better. But usually the tide with bleach makes everything look great!
1) i use either 50/50 simple green or a wash that can be found at the GNCC's called Alco bike wash (amazing stuff).
2) i wash the heavy first. Then soak in the degreaser for 3 minutes. Rinse clean. Then i spray it again and scrub it down with the light grit scots sos pad.
3) dry with compressed air or a leaf blower
4) i then spray all the aluminum (cases, frame, swingarm ect.) With supertech lubricant. I do this to prevent oxidation on the engine cases/aluminum 5) spray the plastics down with honda polish, let soak 5 minutes. Then wipe clean with a microfiber towel.
6) as stated above DO NOT ride after washing. Filters wet. Chance of sucking water or dirt.
Enjoy a clean bike!
Step 1: Pull seat to avoid getting waterlogged, remove air filter and put on cover (usually made by Twin-Air)
Step 2: Lay bike on side, get heavy mud off bottom
Step 3: Put bike on stand, finish getting main dirt off
Step 4: Use mixture of Dawn dish soap, mixed with water. A couple ounces of soap for 32 oz. of water. Dawn is a degreaser, lathers up nice and doesn't cause any discoloration of metal like Simple Green does.
Step 5: Spray on bike, use scrub brush to scrub down bike and let it lather.
Step 6: Use SOS pad on aluminum frame to restore finish
Step 7: Spray bike clean
Step 8: Air compressor to blow dry, specifically electrical connections
Step 9: Re-install filter and seat, start and ride around to make sure any last water gets out.
Step 10: Put bike on stand, apply chain lube and let it wait til the next ride
Another quick tip is to pull plastics and fuel tank every couple washes. Grants you access to areas of the bike you weren't aware collects with dirt, rusts or deteriorates.
This method has gotten me through multiple SX and AX seasons looking sharp.
The Shop
Pressure wash
Dry
SC-1
So this Tide with bleach you use doesn't cause any discoloring to anything on your bike?
I use a ryobi electric power washer from home depot. Cost $70 or so. Works great and has already paid for itself
2. What chemicals do you spray on your bike to clean/degrease before hosing it down?
Dawn or shout. Brake cleaner for chain and sprockets
3. Do you use an air compressor to dry or do you ride it down the street?
Towel dry
4.What products do you use for detailing on plastics, motor, chain, etc? For example, I used to coat all my motors/pipes with WD40 to avoid rust (by the beach). What do you use?
Maxima SC1 on plastics. Maxima chain wax for chain. Maxima grease for whatever needs greased. I use no toil for my air filters. No toil is better than belray, pj1, or maxima by far. Red scotch brite from NAPA on frame
Most mechanics in the SX pits, unless sponsored by one of the companies like Slick or Muc Off, uses this formula.
2- Remove seat(I clean seat with minimal water, and Shout, then brush/rinse to avoid messing up seat foam)
3- Remove air filter, and use the twin-air airbox cover to keep intake water tight
4- Pressure wash all the thick stuff off the entire bike(bike on stand, bike leaned over on stand)
5- Shout it out! spray whole bike with Shout, and hit rough spots with a brush
6- Pressure wash again
7- Dry with compressed air
8- SC1 on the spots my legs don't need to grip(that shit is slippery!)
9- Sit back and admire a clean steed
In Australia we have a common product in Automotive stores - CT-18 Multi Wash (Used to be “Truck Wash”)
It’s magic. Spray on, allow to dry, even over night (I know!!) then hose off with a garden hose. The dirt leaps off.
I only need to touch a brush if I want the chain looking new. And the brake dust on my car wheels.
Nope, the tide keeps all the whites super nice and the rest of the stuff super new looking also. Been using it for years.
Oh and I use a twin air air box cover when washing the bike
Blasting water at any seal is asking for premature wear.
Pit Row
2. start it up and run it thru the gears to dry out the chain
3. now the chain is warm and dry, lube with triflow
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBVBT3I/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_tit…
even a regular hose blasted at those parts isn’t a good idea. Besides lack of maintenance will have a larger effect on those parts anyways.
I knew a guy who never ever washed his linkage or swingarm. Believed that if he never went near those parts with a hose the grease would always stay intact. This is while racing a sand track in muddy conditions.
Pig
Supercheap Auto
try this stuff i've using it for about 10yrs (used to be koala care i think)
CT18 $7.16 per litre
S/Wash $3.50 per litre
I go to the car wash. Awesome orange spray and about 8-10 min of pressure wash time. I try to avoid spraying the bars directly unless they're real muddy and I put socks over my grips so water doesn't get in
1. Plug exhaust, remove air filter and install air filter wash cover.
2. Pressure wash bike on stand. (I have a Honda gas pressure washer)
3. Lean bike over on stand and pressure wash. (Do both sides)
4. Foam cannon the shizz out of the bike on the stand and give her a quick hit with the hand mit and a soft wash brush. ( foam cannon $16 on amazon and use slick wash or chemical guys stuff in foam cannon)
5. Air dry with compressed air.
6. Spray engine and underside of the bike and fenders with belray 6-1 lubricant. Don’t wipe off just let it soak/dry on. Hands down this is the best stuff to keep mud from sticking to your bike and giving it that like new glossy shine!!! I will say again this is the best stuff ever!
7. Next I put a coat of Maxima SC1 on all the plastics and wipe it down with a rag.
8. Reinstall air filter, remove exhaust plug.
9. Lube chain with belray super clean chain lube.
The one thing I can’t stress enough is to clean your bike ASAP, especially if it’s caked. It will save you a lot of elbow grease and less chance of the dirt staining the bike. Also don’t be afraid to pressure wash your bike. Be smart don’t sit and blast your linkage full bore for 5min straight. Get the heavy stuff off and move on. If you strip your bike once a year and repack the bearings you will be fine. Well it works for me anyway.
I use a AR Blue Clean AR383 Electric Pressure Washer 1,900 PSI I have had this unit for years and I treat it badly. it sits out side all summer in the sun and has worked great.. I paid like 129.00 bucks for it.
Being a mechanic I tend to get wanting to frame the bike more often than i should so I usually frame the bike every 8-10 hours of riding ( keep in mind thats about once a month-month and a half). just something I enjoy.
After I was I put WD40 on the chain and let it sit and whip off any extra. I lube the chain before I go riding next.
MY friends always ask how my bikes stay so clean and new looking haha
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