How to Clean Your Motorcycle
Last Updated: April 1st, 2024
When the summer time rolls into Phoenix, we know that riding can become quite the effort. Don’t feel like riding? You can still be close to your ride by giving it a good cleaning. While cleaning it, you’ll have a fantastic opportunity to spot any areas of concern like loose nuts and bolts.
Before you jump right in, there are some things you may want to know. Despite good intentions, you can actually damage your motorcycle if you don’t clean it in the proper way. Dirty rags, harsh detergents and neglected areas can cause scratching, dulling and, yes, galvanic corrosion. Keeping your motorcycle clean is crucial to its long-term well-being and value. A clean bike is also easier to maintain and more likely to maintain its value.
The Supplies
Here is a list items you may need to help you with cleaning your motorcycle:
- A bucket for soapy water
- Motorcycle-specific cleaning agents! Cleaning agents will get on the paint, saddle and chrome, use products that are not going to cause problems with discoloring the finish or “blue” the chrome. When it comes to motorcycle cleaning, many bikers make a mistake of using the wrong motorcycle cleaning products, which can damage your motorcycle
- Gloves (to keep your hands clean)
- Bug and tar remover
- Degreaser and/or engine cleaner
- A toothbrush
- WD40
- A brush for wheel cleaning
- Wheel cleaner
- Leather conditioner for saddle and any accessories
- At least three microfiber or 100% cotton sponges
- A variety of soft cotton towels and more abrasive rags
- A chamois cloth for drying
- Cycle-specific air dryer or leaf blower
The Down and Dirty
If you’ve just come in from a cruise, you must let the engine cool down before washing the bike. You can cause spotting, streaking, chrome damage and actually crack your engine! So give the engine and pipes time to cool down; an hour should do the trick.
Now that the bike has cooled to the touch, you can begin the wash. Using the motorcycle cleaning product recommended by your motorcycle manufacturer, mixed properly following label instruction, prepare your cleaning solution.
If you have heavy dirt or have bugs on the fenders, hose down those areas gently from top to bottom first. This will allow them a kind of “pre-soak” to loosen them. Then hose once again to rinse off any debris that has loosened.
Beginning from the top to the bottom, wash gently, using a clean soft cloth or a wash mitt. If your cleaning cloth becomes soiled, do not take the chance of scratching the paint or chrome; change to a clean cloth. If you use a sponge, be absolutely certain no debris gathers in the sponge pores and causes scratches.
- Rinse the bike from top to bottom, paying special attention to any areas of extra heavy soil
- Check every little place that dirt can hide to be certain you have the motorcycle completely clean
- Use a wheel cleaner and soft rag to completely and thoroughly clean each wheel.
- Dry your motorcycle off with clean soft rags. NOTE: The tank always gets its own, clean new rag!
- When drying, look for spots that water tends to pool and take an extra bit of care to be sure those areas dry thoroughly. Use a motorcycle-specific dryer or leaf blower for the hard to reach areas.
- Maintain your leather with the products your motorcycle maker recommends. Treat the saddle, and any leather accessories.
Once the bike is clean, get out there and show it off! Doesn’t it feel great to have a clean motorcycle?
-Luc
