Do you guys always clean/lube after every single rain?

Yeah, I agree with what the consensus seems to be. No need to lube the chain every time. It's a waste. It doesn't hurt to wipe it down and keep it clean. I detailed cars as my job for 5 years after taking a year off after high school and during my time in community college and the period before I went into the Army after I got my Associate's degree.

I used to be totally anal after the Army but I have chilled out. It's partly a function of being so busy-work, grad school, IT certification exam training, personal life, riding, etc. Keeping everything clean and organize is time consuming. I am neat but not freakishly anal retentive.

So the moral of the story is that I am totally burnt out from detailing which is physically taxing and exhausting work. However, as much as I am sick of it, I detail my Mom's car, my car, and my girlfriends car regularly! I especially love cleaning my bike though. There is nothing like having a shiny and sexy bike!

While it was unsolicited, I'd like to share I a few pointers and recommendations. I could go off on methods and specific, but I will try to keep it simple and concise.

Have a mild car washing soap that wont eat into lubes and will not harm some of the lightly painted or surface parts of the bike. Sometimes, unless there is a lot of gunk, tar, bugs, oil, etc, you only need water to clean.

Get some quality terry cloths and do not use cheap rags that can scratch. Get some foam or cloth applicator pads and a vinyl bristled detailing brush for hard to reach crevices. There are several versions of quick spray detailing/paint clay lubricants chemicals. You use it for wipe downs to give it a shine but it is not wax. It is also used for lubricating clay bars which you use to remove impurities, overspray and gunk from pained surfaces. I recommend getting some detailing clay. Meguiar's or Mother's is good stuff for the price-it can be pricey. You can use tire shine/vinyl shiners, etc but be careful not to get it on your tire's surface of course. It's good for those plastic and vinyl non-painted surfaces to get them back to a shiny black and such. Degreaser is obviously good for leaked oil residue and tar and gunk from riding. Get a decent polish for buffing out scratches and a good wax to shine it up! I love Zymol ($$$) and Pinnacle wax but most carnauba based waxes from Meguiar's, Griot's, Mother's, etc is fine. Do not use a sealant.

So here is a basic list of chemicals and equipment:

-wax and protectant applicators (keep separated and labeled if possible-do not mix)
-detailing brush
-terry cloths
-chamois
-degreaser
-non-harsh and environmentally safe car wash detergent. Using something like Dawn diluted in water is cool.
-all-purpose like simple-green
-WD-40: great to wipe down a light coating on engine parts after cleaning which can look corroded after cleaning-be careful)
-vinyl and rubber protectant and shiner
-quick detailer
-clay bar
-light-medium polish (compound usually unecessary-if you get a gritty compound get a hand glaze to buff out compounding marks)
-carnauba wax
-glass cleaner
-metal polish

_R0b0tN1nja_BKNY Basic "DETAILING STEPS & GUIDE"

->PRE-WASH PREP (DEGREASE & DESCUM STAGE)
-degrease: areas below tire axle line where greasy substances will collect and gunk up
-de-scum: high dirt and scum area beneath seat line where majority of gunk will be
-check over serious areas of grease, oil, dirt buildpup. Now is a good time to check for leaks, etc.

_>BIKE BATH & WASH STAGE
-bike wash: wasH carefully with a good wash mitt, tire brush, and small brush for tight areas
Note: Chamois dry quickly as hard water can leave spots
-clay bar: warm clay in hand, and form it into a squarish "rag" for easy handling. "Clay" painted bike panels
one section/panel section at a time to focus on a specific area to adress & continue to work in sections. BReak
down large panels into smaller ones. Spray entire panel with quick detailer (name differs by brand) with even
and uniform misting of clay lube, clay entire perimeter & area of panel with even up/down + side to side
strokes using moderate pressure, wipe down with a terry cloth. Use harder pressure in areas with overspray
concetrated areas. NOTE: DO NOT DROP & GET SAND, ROCKS, ETC STUCK IN IT. You might be able to clean
it, but not likely. Likely a $20 piece of goo now. Feel paint. Should feel silky compared to previous unclayed
surface.
-polish each panel 1 at a time. Use a polishing panel with a quarter to dime drops worth of polish in rag & buff
excess with 2nd towel.
-wax on!: wax entire bike. If you use Zymol, do not let dry. Do a second coat for large exposed areas.
-vinyl/rubber seal and detail carefully-do not get on tire surface or painted areas!
-polish metal areas
-wax off! start removing wax starting on first panel waxed.
-clean up mirrors, windscreen
-Final checks: review bike, wipe of missed areas, 2nd coat of wax, etc
-Optional step: cold water "seal"-mist bike with cold water (put a spray bottle with water in fridge) which seals and carefully wipe off

I like 3M, Meguiars', Pinnacle, Zymol, and Mother's stuff. Some stuff can be pricey but they usually give a full spectrum of materials with varying performance and pricing matches.

Note: Quick detailers/clay lube: Mother's calls their's "Showtime" while Mother's calls theirs "Quick Detailer" and vary in name depending on manufacturer. Look at label which should suggest it uses as a quick detailing spray, clay lubricant, etc. That's what you want.

Was never really a fan of S100 stuff, but bought their motorcycle kit which is awesome for like $50. Got it due to good reviews on Amazon. You get pretty much everything you need in it and just have to find a few other odds and ends to make it complete. I was impressed with the results.

I am not affiliated with any brand in any way nor do I work in the car detailing or chemical industry. I am an IT geek.

S100 12000C Motorcycle Detailing Kit @ Amazon (I am not affiliated with S100 in any way)



I love Zymol but it is pricey. It can run you about $50-70 for their "cheap" stuff. They have stuff that run about $700 for like 20 oz to waxes in the thousand which is RIDICULOUS. They have paint type and country of origin specific type waxes. I love their Carbon for imports, Japon (Japanese vehicles) and Ebony for black paint waxes. The ebony wax is AMAZING for the Raven R3. Even if you spend $60 on a jar, you only use like less than a quarter of a tootsie roll's owrth of the wax on a medium sized car. The jar will last years which you should refrigerate.



HEre is the Zymol site. http://www.zymol.com/ Yeah, look at some of the crazy waxes. Insane, I cannot vouch for them, but I can for their cheap waxes which aren't cheap. This includes their Ebony, Carbon, Japon, Creame, and Rouge waxes. Ha! A jar of Carbon for imports will cost like $50-$60. I looked at Zymol's destiny wax, yeah, $882 for a jar. WTF! Check it out->http://www.zymol.com/destiny.aspx

Zymol actually has a motorcycle kit called "talon." It costs $77 which is reasonable IMHO but I have not tried it. If someone does, please do a review. I just got the S100, so that will keep me good for a while but I will definitely go with the Talon afterward if it stays at $77. Here is the link to the Talon Zymol mototrcycle cleaning and waxing kit->http://www.zymol.com/talon.aspx. Kind of freaking want it now.



Places like AutoZone carry some decent stuff, but you mainly have to order online if you want the good stuff. You bike is your baby so why not pamper it a bit or ask your lady for Zymol Talon, or for that matter, an $882 jar of Zymol Destiny wax for the holidays! I do not work or am affiliated with Auto-Geek, but they are my go to detailing chemical and supply eTailer. Highly recommend the, They are great, have a huge selection, tons of detailing tutorials and information on chemicals, etc. Can't go wrong with them.

If you need any pointers or recommendations, hit me up anytime via PM. I'd be happy to help. So basically, lube your chain as prescribed at the basic maintenance intervals and keep your bike clean and waxed as needed! IF you detail it well quarterly or about every 4 months, all you need to do is basic tidying up or spot cleanings in between the big detailing times.