How To Wash Your Motorcycle
How To Wash Your Motorcycle by KingsMotorcycleFairings.com
When you take your motorcycle out for a ride two things are bound to happen, a good time and the accumulation of dirt, dust, bugs, salt, sand, grass and gum all hitching a ride onto your bike. It's annoying, but we have all been there! As most motorcycle riders know, cleaning your motorcycle is not just for aesthetics, but it significantly helps maintain the quality of your bikes body and mechanical parts by fighting off potential corrosive substances from irreversible damage.
That being said, the team at KingsMotorcycleFairings.com is here to help provide recommendations on the best ways to clean your motorcycle and maintain its looks, performance and value! Are you ready? We sure are….
Prepare Your Motorcycle
Before you start, it's important to note you should not be washing your bike right after a ride. You’ll want to make sure your bike temperature is cool to prevent thermal shock from occurring. Also, make sure that you select a shaded area to wash your motorcycle (or at least an area out of direct sunlight). Why? Because the sun can cause the soap or bike cleaner you are using to dry faster, leaving behind streak residue, thus making your washing experience more difficult and time consuming than necessary. Pro Tip: You’ll want to plug those exhaust holes! If you don’t have plugs, you can use a simple rag or a rubber glove you have at home. It's good to get into the habit of doing this before you wash your bike every time, the less water pooling in your exhaust the better.
Gather Your Cleaning Supplies
It’s Washing Time
Start off by showering your bike with water, go over it multiple times to try to take off as much dirt as you can. The less you physically have to touch your bike, the less chances you have of scratching it. Next, you’ll want to grab your spray bottle full of hot, diluted motorcycle soap cleaner or Dawn dish soap. Then begin to spray the soap cleaner all over your motorcycle and let it sit for a couple of minutes to allow any stubborn dirt, grease, grime and gunk to loosen up. Once you feel like you have allowed enough time for the dirt spots to loosen, thoroughly rinse your bike again with water. Now, it's finally time for the sponge. Dip your clean sponge in the hot bucket of water which also contains your soap mixture. Carefully and gently scrub your bike from top to bottom. If the sponge you are using gets dirty in the process, it’s important to rinse it off in the second bucket we mentioned before (or use an entirely new and fresh sponge all together). Remember, scrubbing your bike with a dirty sponge can quickly lead to scratches. Once you are done scrubbing, give your motorcycle a final and thorough fresh water rinse. Pro Tip: Avoid cleaning your bike's chain and brakes to prevent unnecessary stripping of the lubricants that help them function properly!
Drying Your Motorcycle
You’ll want to start drying your motorcycle fairly quickly after the final rinse to avoid water marks and streaking. Simply grab the microfiber towel and get to drying! If you’re feeling ambitious and have a leaf blower at home, feel free to power it up and air dry your motorcycle for a more hands off approach. Once your motorcycle is dried, now would be a good time to re-lube your bike chain. Lastly if you're feeling extra ambitious, you can wax your motorcycle fairings to give it the final sparkle and layer of protection it needs before heading back out onto the road!
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