[JoshStrickland]

Like I said in the title I am looking for tips from you guys on how to wash my R3. I know that sounds like a stupid question but I am brand new to riding and I just got my break in service done. What I'm looking for are the dos and don'ts, types of cleaners to use or not use, parts of the bike that shouldn't get wet. That kind of stuff.

Thanks guys!

 

[AJ Nin]

I use water from a garden hose and only wash what's dirty which usually isn't much....up under the fenders, chain, sprockets, lower parts of the bike. I keep my bikes in pristine condition and if you get water up inside the nether parts of the bike, you get water stains as a minimum. If I get some oil around such as on the wheels or lower fairing, I do use a microfiber cloth with some Royal Purple degreaser/cleaner first, but that's not good for the chain they say. You also need to dry and re-oil the chain. To assist in the drying process, I have a MetroVac which blows warm air and helps remove water from from the fasteners, chain, sprocket, and other places it hides. Then I ride the bike to dry it out some more, then let it set in the sun to dry some more before oiling the chain and polishing the bike with Plexus. I often use more cloth and even Q-tips to clean away water spots up inside the bike. My number one secret to cleaning a bike, is to not ride it in the rain or mud to begin with. I have got stuck in rain a few times and to be honest, it takes me an couple hours to get the bike clean and back the way I want it.

 

[t-rav_12]

X2 on the plexus plastic polish! Love that stuff for my bikes and helmets. Makes bug removal, after the fact, quick and painless. And X2 on the rain riding. It'll get crud in places you din't know existed. Also, if it's been awhile since your last clean, S100 is an awesome pre-cleaner spray to cut thick grime. Again, don't forget to lube your chain.

 

[JerseyR3]

No need to ever put a hose & water to a bike, unless you ride through a swarm of Locust's. Water gets into places you never know, all the nooks and crannies in a bike will slowly oxidize. If you get caught in the Rain, well SHeet happens, best thing is to blow the water out ASAP.

google griots garage and look up their spray on Car wash. The stuff works great on your car, and bike, smells good too.

And all the brands out there that sprary polish, and wax the bike are good too, Walmart is full of stuff.

I'm just not a Hose & bucket guy when it comes to cleaning a bike...too much trouble, and with water always reaching the path of least resistance, and the possible corrosion to electrical s...stick with the spray and wipe method.

 

[warlok9]

Jeez, you guys must totally freak out if you get caught in the rain! Heck, the day I bought my bike I had to drive her home tied down in the back of my Tacoma in a thunderstorm. 45 minute drive too!

Motorcycles are made to get wet. Just set up like you are going to wash your car. Make sure the engine and brakes have cooled. Wet the dirty areas with running water. Use a good car wash with warm water in a bucket and use a microfiber towel or something made for painted surfaces to apply the sudsy stuff. Rinse with cool water. Dry with a soft terry or microfiber towel. If you have a shop vac just blow the bike dry. That gets all the water out of nooks and crannies. If you don't feel like getting out the shop vac, just take her for a quick spin. A couple miles at 50mph dries everything you could not reach with a towel.

A good wax/polish is also great on painted areas, just don't get it on any of the flat black paint.

Right before you wash the bike is also an excellent time to clean your chain. This way you can wash away all the over spray and grime right after. After washing the bike apply the chain wax/lube last.

In between washings you can use spray detailers etc. But nothing gets the bike as clean as the old trusted and true method.

Good luck!

 

[Mase]

I wash my bike the same way I wash my car. 2 buckets and a wash mitt. I just lightly wash the whole bike with the mitt. I use an older mitt for the wheels, engine, etc and use my good mitt on the painted bits.

The only advice I can give, is do not wipe the windshield or the dash. The plastics on these is so soft. One solid wipe with any dust on the mitt and you'll permanently scratch the surface. I only pat the windscreen and dash. I never wipe. Actually I did wipe the dash once ever so lightly, and now I can see the permanent wipe mark going across my tach. It's annoying.

 

[warlok9]

I wash my bike the same way I wash my car. 2 buckets and a wash mitt. I just lightly wash the whole bike with the mitt. I use an older mitt for the wheels, engine, etc and use my good mitt on the painted bits.

The only advice I can give, is do not wipe the windshield or the dash. The plastics on these is so soft. One solid wipe with any dust on the mitt and you'll permanently scratch the surface. I only pat the windscreen and dash. I never wipe. Actually I did wipe the dash once ever so lightly, and now I can see the permanent wipe mark going across my tach. It's annoying.

You are so right about the dash! I was riding one afternoon and the sun hit my dash at the perfect angle and there was a thin coating of dust. I gently wiped with a glove and it left these hazy scratch marks on the plastic! Weird. Anyways, I put a coat of car polish on it and buffed it. The scratches disappeared for now. Not good plastic. Should be a harder plastic like on a helmet visor.

 

[TrueFaith]

I just wet the bike down with a low-pressure spray of water and go over it with a bucket of mild soapy water (any commercial car wash will do) and a microfiber cloth.
Then I use my leaf blower to dry it off and let it sit for a while for any residual moisture to dry.
That's followed by a little paste wax and Back-To-Black if the plastics require it.
For my windscreen and headlight plastic I use All-Kleer, a great product designed for aircraft windshields and pilot's helmet visors, ALWAYS applied and polished with a CLEAN microfiber cloth.
NEVER use paper towels or ANY paper product on your bike and especially not on your windscreen or helmet shield. They contain microscopic wood fibers that will cumulatively scratch those surfaces permanently.
I've been doing this for 4 years on my 2011 CBR250R and it has NO rust and NO scratches whatsoever from cleaning.

 

[RandyD]

my cleanings go like this. On the rear stand spray the chain liberally with maxima chain cleaner and let soak. Spray the rest of the bike, wheels, brakes , engine EVERYTHING including the gauges, mirrors, and grips with S100. Best bike wash ever made. Let stand for a couple minutes (never long in direct sun) take a wash mitt with a little s100 and water on it and wipe everything you can reach and hose it off with a pressure nozzle avoiding the chain. Last I break out a grunge brush (available everywhere for MX bikes) and scrub the chain clean. Hose it off really well. Let drip dry while I break out the air compressor and blast off as much water as I can. Once it's dry I use yamalube spray on bike polish on a microfiber and lay a coat on the whole bike. EVERY surface, matte or not then buff it off. It's what all the bike dealers clean the showroom bikes with and it leaves a nice light wax coat on the bike and doesn't streak or leave any white residue on any surface including plastic, seats, mirrors, gauges. Once the chain is dry a good coat of maxima chain wax and leave it be overnight or that stuff will sling off.

No oxidation on any of my bikes and you can eat off of them on any given day. It's a little work but I'm not a dirty bike type of guy. That's what bike cleaners are made for.

 

[anthercitecole09]

Not full of info seeing that I have not acquired my bike yet, but I recalled this video. Basic, but very informative.



http://youtu.be/rDW6i9VIK4M

 

[JerseyR3]

Not full of info seeing that I have not acquired my bike yet, but I recalled this video. Basic, but very informative.



http://youtu.be/rDW6i9VIK4M

Great video for "Dirt" Bikes, but an R3- or any Sportbike with 3/4 coverage of plastic Fairings, the hassle and time consuming ritual of hose, bucket, water, and suds....is not necessary for a bike covered in plastic fairings.

Detail spray, cpl of microfiber towels/application sponge and that's it.

 

[Tintin]

AMMO is seriously the best guy to learn from if you are new to detailing, want to pickup tips & tricks, and etc. He seriously is very very good and I myself even use some of his tips/tricks that I never thought about until I found some of his videos.

For more information please check out a bio on him at
http://carsalways.com/2013/01/07/the-story-of-larry-kosilla-and-his-passion-for-cars/

His site
http://www.ammonyc.com/

His videos
http://www.ammonyc.com/videos

Not full of info seeing that I have not acquired my bike yet, but I recalled this video. Basic, but very informative.



http://youtu.be/rDW6i9VIK4M

 

[crawfordhugh]

I recently bought a steam cleaner (BRIO 500CC) from the Vacmaster, Canada and using it to clean my r3. It works great on clearing the muck from all kinds of surfaces. Anybody ever steam clean the metal parts?

 

[Kirk Maticiw]

Water, soap rinse repeat.