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DRY OR WATER WASH ?

14K views 40 replies 23 participants last post by  t_tate 
#1 ·
I mostly ride to work and on paved roads, some highway , I have a 2015 Dark with 1000 miles on it, eager to give my bike her first wash, but I am torn between washing with water and soap like my Dad used to wash his and risk getting rust if I missed a spot, or use those spray and wipe products that a lot of dealerships use on there bikes ? please share your method and the products you use. thank you
 
#4 ·
Mothers wash n wax and a sheepskin mitt. i degrease around the chain before i hose the bike down. Once washed i hose it off, i don't blast the switchgear and displays but they're designed to get wet so using a hose is no big deal.
I then chamois it dry and use meguiars final inspection and a microfibre cloth to finish it off. My polished exhaust gets a touch up with mothers mag wheel polish if it gets a stain and i wax the paint with meguiars cleaner wax every so often.

I never use a gerni or high pressure washer.
i never use dishwashing liquid (it has a high caustic content)
and i never use Mr Sheen, all it does is attract dust in my experience.

I've always cared for my bikes the same way, when i rode them daily it was tempting to wipe them down but it doesn't take much to scratch them up. Better to leave the dirt where it is until it can be cleaned properly.
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
OK.

Straight up....this is how I do it.

I'm not telling anyone else to do it this way.

I've done this for years on bikes of many brands and it's worked well for me.

Degreaser (yep, that cheap $2 a can crap) sprayed liberally but only where it IS greasy / oily.

CT18 (which is not nearly as aggressive as it used to be years ago) cut 10 parts water with 1 part CT sprayed on and left for between half & two hours over the entire bike.

Hit the whole bike EXCEPT those places you don't want liquid ingress (electrics / clocks / wheel bearings etc....use your brain it ain't fuckin' rocket science) with a pressure washer using HOT water from the laundry tap.

Can't stress HOT water enough...this will get rid of the CT properly.

Blow dry the whole bike (again engaging brain if available) using either a leaf blower or a regulated compressed air line.

Finish with some nice soft microfibre cloth and assorted waxes / protectants.

My suggestions / faves

Bodywork (paint) Meguiars spray detailer and when necessary (like if you mark it or maybe twice a year) I use Turtle Wax Scratch and Swirl remover.

Intake scoops Armorall Wipes used liberally but make sure to only wipe in the direction of the linishing and let it dry to a semi shine.

Frame Armoral Wipes again don't be scabby with it.

Cables use the Wipes again in fact most black bits that aren't tyres, seat or handgrips.

Engine...Wipes again and yes I like the smell of burning wax...LoL.

Pipes...I just leave 'em but I must admit they look a bit shitty after 2.5 years and 20 odd thousand kms. (Must get them polished by machine or something).

Seat..clean it with water & detergent and dry it. No wax.

Wheels....Wipes again...

Tyres I like the tyre paint that you put on with a brush and dries in about half hour (but only if going somewhere "important" ).

The big reasoning in MY method is that by applying the degreaser, water, CT18, rinsing water and compressed air to remove any traces of oil / grease and dirt particles WITHOUT touching the bike in any physical way,

I remove the concept of rubbing any sort of scratchy abrasive shite into my precious finishes and only "touch" the bike after it is clean (with the finishing cloths / waxes).

It is with this in mind that I say "nay" to the dry cleaning systems that those kids at the servo always want to demonstrate on my bike / car while I'm filling up.

Even with a brand new cloth & a liberal spray of the cleaner, you are dragging all the dirt across (and into) the surface of the finishes on your vehicle.

Bike shops only use Mr. Sheen etc 'cause it's a cheap quick fix for a bike they are only going to see for a short time.

Again I've used these methods / products for years and they work for me.

When I sold my last Harley after eight years and 80,000 kms people were refusing to believe me on the mileage until I turned on the ignition and they could see the odometer because the bike looked too clean.

Bloody hell that got a LOT more long winded than I thought it would....sorry guys...DOH!







 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey Bud....You da Freaggin Man for bike cleanliness and long term keepin it shiney!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your post is over a month old now, and just read it for first time....Fun and informative read. Thanks4sharing.

BTW, when you gonna find the time to polish up dem pipes like I did mine? :~) Lotta hard work, but at the end of the day, you''ll LOVE IT!! Especially cuz you'll be blessed the opportunity for something more else to shine!
 

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#8 ·
"CT18 (which is not nearly as aggressive as it used to be years ago) cut 10 parts water with 1 part CT sprayed on and left for between half & two hours over the entire bike."

Hi Alby, presuming that "ensure bike is in shade or done when temperature is low" is also part of the criteria.

Cheers
 
#12 ·
CT-18 comes up as an Australian product. Haven't found it in the US yet.

Thanks to OP for the comprehensive process description (and impressed with his photos!).

Thanks! The endeavor continues...
 
#14 ·
They're not polished................

THEY'RE polished!

sorry, i'm showing off i know, but hey, look at the chrome on alby's harley!
 

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#21 ·
Haha...ever since I've owned the Diavel I have been tempted to chrome or at least FULLY polish just ONE thing on the bugger.

It needs something SHINY!

I really like those polished Termis.

I'd like my headers and intake shrouds highly polished though I'm thinking a "tint" type black see through powder coat over the shrouds to make 'em look like black chrome.

Saying that I'd like to get the bars black powder coated and replace the mirrors with those nice DP black billet ones.

I just got referred to a "TIG wizard" by a mate and maybe I can finally get my "one off" pipes built or otherwise a set of full Termi's is sounding better all the time.

(I found a reasonably priced set on Fleabay the other day that eventually sold for about $1350 AUD).
 
#20 ·
he he, i LOVE the polished cast alloy outlets on that full system CR, that looks fucking AWESOME!
 
#23 ·
First the bat now a bird? Power wash it off, and watch out for crows!

As for wash or dry, I wash all my bikes with water.

It's very easy really.

Pour some Mother's Wash and Wax into a bucket.

Add water.

Rinse bike and apply the solution to bike with a wash mitt or whatever.

Wash wheels with another sponge or mitt.

Rinse.

Dry with a chamois.

Start bike to let it heat up and evaporate water off the hard to dry areas. Apply some spray on wax while bike is running.

California Duster in between washes.
 
#24 ·
I never wash her with a hose, only dry. I used to use the polish/cleaner aerosol from the local Iron Pony store. It seems to work pretty darn good, but it does attract dust, but the finish is amazing and I have a Dark version. Since I didn't like the dust attraction as much, I started using the Meguier's interior detail cleaner spray (for plastic, leather, vinyl, etc). It has been working great thus far and it doesn't leave an oily sheen on the bike that looks like you just waxed it. The interior spray cleaner leaves more of an original factory clean look to the bike, which I'm starting to like more than the whole freshly waxed and shiny look. I guess it comes down to your own personal preference at the end of the day. There was a time when I was younger when I used the super slick, wet look waxes and supreme shine gloss for my tires on my vehicles. I've since outgrown that and lean more towards the natural factory clean look. Still looks clean and spotless, but doesn't give you that "I just put armor all on my tires 5 min ago" appearance.
 
#26 ·
Here is my routine living/riding in Florida:
  1. Spray the bike with a 50/50 mixture of water and SimpleGreen
  2. In a bucket, pour few caps of Meguiars Ultimate Wash+Wax and fill half way with water
  3. Using a garden hose, rinse top to bottom with a medium pressure mist and using more pressure on the engine/wheels/swing arm
  4. Soak a microfiber wash mitt with the mixture from the bucket and use generously all over the bike
  5. Use the hose again top to bottom with medium pressure to remove any leftovers
  6. Blow dry with a leaf blower
  7. Ride few minutes to let any remaining water out
  8. Use a microfiber cloth to polish ( and if needed, Orginal Bike Spirit Spray Cleaner and Polish)
HTH
 
#31 ·
I would say that any bike might have more parts prone to get losen while riding and/or washing, so you need to take that in consideration.
Does your car has many carbon fiber parts? You can't use the tire dressing on the bike, etc.

HTH
 
#32 ·
Hello everyone, I recently was facing this choice and used an old Mr Clean setup that connects to a garden hose and has a water softener cartridge in it, unfortunately they quit making them and the only place I know of to get the rig or the cartridges is Ebay and Amazon and some are pricey.
In the rinse mode it fogs or mists the bike heavily, no blasting pressure to drive water into every electric connector.
In the old days there was a tail light, turn signals for the back 1/2 of the bike to worry about and I never worried about it and never had problems, however this bike has many connections at every point front to back.
I am an HVAC service tech and know you could wash an old (pre 1978) furnace with a garden hose if you wanted to, anything made after 1978 however if you try that you would destroy the circuit board/s and many sensors and proving devices that never existed in the early part of our lives.
I mist the entire bike if its much beyond dusty, just like washing a back car, plenty of water with new microfiber towels if they seem to be getting dirty at all, otherwise if its simple dust from being stored indoors the waterless products seem ok although I still worry about scratching and use more towels than I need to, I use at least 3 so I dont rub in accumulated grit to the surfaces on the last area I wash.
I use the natural type de greasers for the swing arm area as they do an amazing job , I like the orange type of products but the simple green stuff is good too, I do not like the smell .
 
#34 · (Edited by Moderator)
I only wet water wash when it gets excessively dirty from a rain shower/wet streets.

Otherwise I'll just spray Invisible Glass to rid rims of brake dust build up, all painted surfaces, exhaust pipes, instrumentation, windscreen, rear views etc.etc. and polish dry with a sparkling clean cotton terri bath towel.

A heavy squirt of Palmolive/Dawn/bucket/2 cotton shop towels. Wash down everything below the tank... the rear/front rims, under seat area, rear hugger, fork tubes under headlight, brake calibers, belly pan assmbly....Rinse clean, but always pay special attention not to spray rinse directly into the upper fork cavity behind the headlight where many of the exposed wiring harnesses are. Then dry with a couple of sparkling clean terri towels...
Viola...She shines like a new nickel!
 
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