Dirtrider 88 My Ride Posted November 16, 2015 Thought I'd fire up a thread on cleaning our beloved machines, I use a Windex bottle with 75% laundry detergent with baking soda and the rest water, apply to bike/quad generously. But you apply it dry. Then wait 5-6 minutes and hose it off. Works like a charm for under the fenders. What's your route for cleaning your bike? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
owainyz03 My Ride Posted November 16, 2015 Sorry to be 'that guy' but theres already loads of threads on this 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lmavin Posted November 16, 2015 I just use a bucket of water with car wash soap and à sponge. Rinse off with hose. Than ride around the block to dry. After that I spray plastics and métal with detailing polish wax and wipe off. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AdamW21 Posted November 16, 2015 mr.clean multi purpose cleaner in a spray bottle. spray on bike then pressure wash it then blow it off with a leaf blower. done and done.. and oh ya DO NOT WASH THE BIKE WITH THE SEAT AND AIR FILTER ON THE BIKE. buy a air box cover and remove the seat and air filter before washing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dirtrider 88 My Ride Posted November 16, 2015 Sorry to be 'that guy' but theres already loads of threads on this I know. But I don't care haha 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Truck216 My Ride Posted November 16, 2015 Pressure washer with Slick concentrate, soft brush and a whole boat load of Never Dull and scotch brite. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Falcon 1 Posted November 16, 2015 A simple water hose and Spray Turtle Wax does the job for me.. dirt and mud basically falls off when I rinse it with the hose. The spray wax works great.. Cheers 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RScrf450r My Ride Posted November 16, 2015 mr.clean multi purpose cleaner in a spray bottle. spray on bike then pressure wash it then blow it off with a leaf blower. done and done.. and oh ya DO NOT WASH THE BIKE WITH THE SEAT AND AIR FILTER ON THE BIKE. buy a air box cover and remove the seat and air filter before washing maybe a stupid question but why not wash with the seat and air filter on? I go through water and mud and fall down in it and everything gets wet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hadiquddoos My Ride Posted November 17, 2015 maybe a stupid question but why not wash with the seat and air filter on? I go through water and mud and fall down in it and everything gets wet I understand the whole dot get your air filter wet but yeah I also get the seat muddy and end up washing it with dawn dish soap and water. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AdamW21 Posted November 17, 2015 Washing your seat will make the foam super hard over time. Nothing wrong with using a wet rag and wiping off the mud. But soaking the seat is a bad thing. I uset to always wash my bikes with the seats on them. I never kept a bike longer then two years so I never noticed the damage. But I have a 05 cr125 that I have had for 4 years and the seat is very hard due to me and others washing the bike with the seat on it all the time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hans Schmid My Ride Posted November 17, 2015 A simple water hose and Spray Turtle Wax does the job for me.. dirt and mud basically falls off when I rinse it with the hose. The spray wax works great.. Cheers Lol, where's those brake lines! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Falcon 1 Posted November 17, 2015 Lol, where's those brake lines! Monk, See attached. The brake lines are still in the plastic, I have both of my bikes (450R and 230F) currently tore down for winter maintenance since I'm all broke up and have not been able to ride for the past few months. I crashed during practice and suffered a compound fracture to my right ankle/tib, broke 2 ribs, bruised liver, (5cm mass) pissed blood for two weeks, tore my right MCL and right tendons flexors in my right elbow. Sent recent MRI reports to Dr Mark (TT Member) for review and 2nd opinion. We have spoke several times via cell, Dr Mark wants to do surgery on my right knee (MCL) and on my right elbow flexors/tendons. Currently trying to schedule the surgery with Dr Mark in the near future. PM me your personal email and let me know what you paid for the brake lines, and I will be glad to send you the money "tonight" via PayPal. Happy Holidays my friend. Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mlatour Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) I've seen (on my friends bikes) and read of too much damage done by pressure washing, you can easily get too 'aggressive' in wanting to clean the crud out of certain hard to reach areas and inadvertently push water and dirt past rubber seals. Many rusty / gritty steering stem, suspension linkage, wheel bearings or, countershaft sprocket / shift lever oil leaks can be attributed to pressure washing. I've read it's an issue as well in dirt track car racing (stock car, sprint cars, outlaws etc.) as during a race event they very often pressure wash the mud off the car in between practice heats, qualifying and main event. They're seeing more wear in suspension components caused by water/dirt infiltration rather than by the wear and tear of actual racing. Never any pressure washing on my bike, no matter how dirty/muddy, it's a quick shot of Spray-Nine, a garden hose, a bucket of warm soapy water and whatever elbow grease is required. Edited November 17, 2015 by mlatour Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hans Schmid My Ride Posted November 17, 2015 Monk, See attached. The brake lines are still in the plastic, I have both of my bikes (450R and 230F) currently tore down for winter maintenance since I'm all broke up and have not been able to ride for the past few months. I crashed during practice and suffered a compound fracture to my right ankle/tib, broke 2 ribs, bruised liver, (5cm mass) pissed blood for two weeks, tore my right MCL and right tendons flexors in my right elbow. Sent recent MRI reports to Dr Mark (TT Member) for review and 2nd opinion. We have spoke several times via cell, Dr Mark wants to do surgery on my right knee (MCL) and on my right elbow flexors/tendons. Currently trying to schedule the surgery with Dr Mark in the near future. PM me your personal email and let me know what you paid for the brake lines, and I will be glad to send you the money "tonight" via PayPal. Happy Holidays my friend. Cheers No no, it was a contest, you won. I'm glad your getting some work done and I'm sure the bike will be spectacular when finished... Monk, See attached. The brake lines are still in the plastic, I have both of my bikes (450R and 230F) currently tore down for winter maintenance since I'm all broke up and have not been able to ride for the past few months. I crashed during practice and suffered a compound fracture to my right ankle/tib, broke 2 ribs, bruised liver, (5cm mass) pissed blood for two weeks, tore my right MCL and right tendons flexors in my right elbow. Sent recent MRI reports to Dr Mark (TT Member) for review and 2nd opinion. We have spoke several times via cell, Dr Mark wants to do surgery on my right knee (MCL) and on my right elbow flexors/tendons. Currently trying to schedule the surgery with Dr Mark in the near future. PM me your personal email and let me know what you paid for the brake lines, and I will be glad to send you the money "tonight" via PayPal. Happy Holidays my friend. Cheers No no, it was a contest, you won. I'm glad your getting some work done and I'm sure the bike will be spectacular when finished... Monk, See attached. The brake lines are still in the plastic, I have both of my bikes (450R and 230F) currently tore down for winter maintenance since I'm all broke up and have not been able to ride for the past few months. I crashed during practice and suffered a compound fracture to my right ankle/tib, broke 2 ribs, bruised liver, (5cm mass) pissed blood for two weeks, tore my right MCL and right tendons flexors in my right elbow. Sent recent MRI reports to Dr Mark (TT Member) for review and 2nd opinion. We have spoke several times via cell, Dr Mark wants to do surgery on my right knee (MCL) and on my right elbow flexors/tendons. Currently trying to schedule the surgery with Dr Mark in the near future. PM me your personal email and let me know what you paid for the brake lines, and I will be glad to send you the money "tonight" via PayPal. Happy Holidays my friend. Cheers No no, it was a contest, you won. I'm glad your getting some work done and I'm sure the bike will be spectacular when finished... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adam8781 Posted November 17, 2015 spray 9, mothers milk in the moto world. I found this stuff when i got into the oil patch. Its magic. Pressure wash bike, than spray bike with spray 9, scrub down with plastic bristle brush and rinse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fulton246 My Ride Posted November 17, 2015 I just use simple green, a small brush and a water hose. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M E T A L A C I D My Ride Posted November 17, 2015 Simple green is the order of the day for this dude! Scrub and rinse, after that some nice Honda polish and a micro fiber cloth, and I always plug my muffler, since my 2 cr's have plastic stator covers I remove em after washing and wd-40 and wipe the stator-rotor off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adam8781 Posted November 17, 2015 I used to use simple green, its hard on aluminum and can tarnish, fade anodizing. simple green < spray nine Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fox Mulder Posted November 18, 2015 I've seen (on my friends bikes) and read of too much damage done by pressure washing, you can easily get too 'aggressive' in wanting to clean the crud out of certain hard to reach areas and inadvertently push water and dirt past rubber seals. Many rusty / gritty steering stem, suspension linkage, wheel bearings or, countershaft sprocket / shift lever oil leaks can be attributed to pressure washing. I've read it's an issue as well in dirt track car racing (stock car, sprint cars, outlaws etc.) as during a race event they very often pressure wash the mud off the car in between practice heats, qualifying and main event. They're seeing more wear in suspension components caused by water/dirt infiltration rather than by the wear and tear of actual racing. Never any pressure washing on my bike, no matter how dirty/muddy, it's a quick shot of Spray-Nine, a garden hose, a bucket of warm soapy water and whatever elbow grease is required. There are no seals on many, if any, of those suspension parts. Apples to oranges. I've pressure washed a bike for fourteen years straight, never changed steering bearings, have changed linkage, though not due to pressure washing. And fading anodizing, the dirt grinding off the anodizing does way more damage than any cleaner will ever do. In other words just pressure wash wd40 chain, clean filter and repeat. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rooster72 Posted November 18, 2015 Washing your seat will make the foam super hard over time. Nothing wrong with using a wet rag and wiping off the mud. But soaking the seat is a bad thing. I uset to always wash my bikes with the seats on them. I never kept a bike longer then two years so I never noticed the damage. But I have a 05 cr125 that I have had for 4 years and the seat is very hard due to me and others washing the bike with the seat on it all the timeNever heard this one, seats on dirt bikes aren't comfortable from day one anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
