whats a normal duration for cleaning?

whats a normal duration for cleaning?

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A500leroy

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

117 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
My bikes dirty after two rides, do I:

A. Clean it after every ride for fear of the mud dissolving it.( I live in the sticks with plenty of cow crap)
B. Clean it once a week
C. Clean it when I can be bothered and the weather's a bit better cause it's only gonna get dirty again anyway.

It's a weekend toy/ summer commuter Honda.

What's your normal cleaning ritual?

trickywoo

11,701 posts

229 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
A500leroy said:
It's a weekend toy/ summer commuter Honda.
I'd clean after every ride, if it needs it of course. I'm assuming you don't go out when its actually raining more a case of being caught out.

I can go weeks in the Summer of never needing to wash the bike and only do so when its really dusty. If I get caught in rain I'll wash it when I get home unless I expect the same to happen the next day. I had a few days last Summer where it was great in the morning but forecast to rain on the way home. Shame to leave the bike at home just for a possible damp one way.

RizzoTheRat

25,084 posts

191 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
If I'm using it regularly a couple of times a year and then cost everything with ACF50, at the moment I'm not using it much and I think I last washed it a couple of years ago.

A500leroy

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

117 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
RizzoTheRat said:
If I'm using it regularly a couple of times a year and then cost everything with ACF50, at the moment I'm not using it much and I think I last washed it a couple of years ago.
Years ago!!!!!!!!

cbmotorsport

3,065 posts

117 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
I think it's good to keep on top of it. If you leave it to long it's harder to clean, dirt get ingrained and cosmetics of the bike start to suffer. It's also a great opportunity to have a proper good look at the bike, and spot any potential problems before they become an issue.

I'll clean it if it ever gets wet, I clean it if I ever ride it in the winter to get any salt off, and in the summer I clean it when it's really dusty or covered in serious bug splatter, or just for satisfaction on a warm afternoon after a ride.

RizzoTheRat

25,084 posts

191 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
A500leroy said:
Years ago!!!!!!!!
I was working abroad most of last year so it only ended up doing about 1000 miles between MoTs frown

scorcher

3,982 posts

233 months

Monday 20th February 2017
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Nice to clean it once a year before the MOT. The local car wash will do it for a fiver whilst you have a cup of tea in the cafe.

obscene

5,174 posts

184 months

Monday 20th February 2017
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Slag bike (the commuter): When it disgusts me
Ducati: Every ride unless it looks fairly clean which is only mid summer rides.

Wildfire

9,774 posts

251 months

Monday 20th February 2017
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I covered the commuting bike (Monster 821) in ACF-50 as soon as I could. It gets a rinse and a recovering whenever thee is a salt paste on the road. As soon as the weather stabilises (end of March-ish) it will get a full degrease and S100DOC and re-application of ACF-50. Then a proper clean whenever it gets caught in the rain.

The MV gets a decent clean after every few big rides or when it gets caught in the rain.

Tall_Paul

1,915 posts

226 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
If it's a weekend toy/summer bike what are you doing riding it when the roads are filthy?

My commuter hack cb400 gets a wash every month or 2 if its been good (and by wash I mean a foam and jetwash).

My Tuono factory gets washed and polished whenever there's a tiny bit of dirt on it (sdoc100, foam, 2 bucket wash, carnuba wax), and of course it doesn't get ridden when there's still salt on the road. It will get dirty this year as I've got a 3700 mile euro tour plannef and I'll be extremely lucky to not get rained on at some point.

Edited by Tall_Paul on Monday 20th February 12:24

A500leroy

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

117 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
Tall_Paul said:
If it's a weekend toy/summer bike what are you doing riding it when the roads are filthy?

My commuter hack cb400 gets a wash every month or 2 if its been good (and by wash I mean a foam and jetwash).

My Tuono factory gets washed and polished whenever there's a tiny bit of dirt on it (sdoc100, foam, 2 bucket wash, carnuba wax), and of course it doesn't get ridden when there's still salt on the road. It will get dirty this year as I've got a 3700 mile euro tour plane and I'll be extremely lucky to not get rained on at some point.
Because I've only just brought it last month and I had a moment of weakness! :-P

Tall_Paul

1,915 posts

226 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
Ahh, fair enough!! biggrin

I've only had my Tuono since September so have only done 1000 miles on it but I'm holding out until spring properly arrives to bring it out of hibernation!

Ho Lee Kau

2,278 posts

124 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
I keep my daily workhorse CBR600F4i dirty. I call it battle grime. cool

P.S. Will clean it, polish the clear alloy wheels and clean the golden-color chain, so that it is beautiful again...once I find time not to be a lazy ass. coffee

sjtscott

4,215 posts

230 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
When I can which is at minimum once a week on one of the weekend days. Given its a daily commuter primarily fun bike second it can get into a shocking state. Simply winter riding and stupidly cold weather recently meant it hadn't had a decent clean in a few weeks.
I literally spent 2.5 hours cleaning and polishing it yesterday and its still not OCD perfect but there is limited point seeing as I'll use it again this week and rain is forecast and it will need washing at the weekend yet again. For me getting the autoglym and autosol out means I'm going to town!
The less than OCD clean parts do tell me the areas that need more work next time wink Front wheel interior/centre is particularly difficult to get into on a Speed Triple without the right tool/large hands and removing brembo calipers which I'm not going to be doing for a commuter bike clean lol

RizzoTheRat

25,084 posts

191 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
Ho Lee Kau said:
I call it battle grime.
Stealth coating, less reflectivity for speed cameras biggrin

A500leroy

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

117 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
I've compromised!

Just cleaned all the metal parts underneath ( swing arm, exposed parts of the engine,exhaust,calipers and wheels) and left the fairing and under plastics dirty

Ho Lee Kau

2,278 posts

124 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
RizzoTheRat said:
Ho Lee Kau said:
I call it battle grime.
Stealth coating, less reflectivity for speed cameras biggrin
also fewer stone chips and easier to wash the bugs off. cool

Mr OCD

6,388 posts

210 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
A500leroy said:
My bikes dirty after two rides, do I:

A. Clean it after every ride for fear of the mud dissolving it.( I live in the sticks with plenty of cow crap)
B. Clean it once a week
C. Clean it when I can be bothered and the weather's a bit better cause it's only gonna get dirty again anyway.

It's a weekend toy/ summer commuter Honda.

What's your normal cleaning ritual?
Mine?

- Cleaned once a week... if riding in salt then it gets rinsed down with cold water after each ride.

The main reason I clean it weekly is not just to keep it shiny, but it also gives me a chance to eyeball the tyres, brakes, chain, etc. and keep on top of the mechanical jobs... the bike does a couple hundred miles a week so its necessary.

It gets deep cleaned (fairings off) a couple times a year as once it has been cleaned properly keeping it respectable is very easy but then I enjoy it.

Ki3r

7,806 posts

158 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
Last cleaned it in September when I got back from my trip to Wales.

I got fed up of cleaning it and as soon as I went back out it was filthy again.

Chain gets a clean weekly though.

Birky_41

4,276 posts

183 months

Monday 20th February 2017
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I hate cleaning them! I had to do it after every winter ride. In summer a quick waterless wash and wipe off normally sorts it

When it was winter Id end up doing it at night but had the Batman light to keep things bright