how often and how do you wash/clean your pride and joy?

[arva_imp]

hi all, i am a new owner of a 2014 std cb1100 and have done about 250 miles and never washed/cleaned my bike yet... 2 questions for the experts:
1. how often do you clean your ride?
2. how do you clean it?

is there a brain dead easy way of keeping the chrome shining etc?

i am pretty negligent with my cars so please the easiest methods only

thanks
arva

 

[the Ferret]

About twice a year..spring and fall

Bikebrite or S-100 sprayed on cold bike not in direct sunlight and a water hose to rinse it off...soft towels to dry then about a 40 mile ride to make sure its dry.

Spray chain lube on chain after returning from ride

I may use Honda Honda Pro polish on the tank and side covers, and mothers chrome polish if I'm feeling guilty.

.

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

^^^^^ The ferret said it all. Follow that routine and you're better than good to go! ^^^^^

But I may wash it 3 or 4 times a season.

 

[veech_imp]

I use S-100 or Bikebrite as well for the main washings, but usually only when needed (like after riding in the rain or some other event that durties things up.) In between, I will use Mequire's quick detailer (or something similar) to touch things up either right before or after going for a ride to keep it looking sharp. I usually only have to do a main wash maybe 3-4 times a season with this approach.

 

[kmoney_imp]

Never. Not with water anyway. I usually just wipe it down with Mother's show-n-shine detailer and a microfiber cloth after every ride. It never gets enough of a buildup of dirt to need a very thorough cleaning.

 

[redbirds_imp]

Two to three times a year I'll give the bike a wash down using the S-100 or the similar Honda product. I rinse with a gentle spray comparable to a soft rain. Dry with soft cotton towel and take a ride to finish the drying process. Give all the metalwork a shine with the Honda Brite and lube the chain. Much the same as Ferret and others here. In between a quick rubdown with the Honda Brite keeps everything clean enough.

 

[DocRid_imp]

Never. Not with water anyway. I usually just wipe it down with Mother's show-n-shine detailer and a microfiber cloth after every ride. It never gets enough of a buildup of dirt to need a very thorough cleaning.

Pretty much what I do. I never wash down my bikes, I just use quick wax and waterless cleaning products as needed.

 

[DAC]

I use S100 on the engine and similar parts only - not painted parts. Brush the grime off and then rinse it right away. Then I use a mild dish soap like palmolive to wash it down with. Then dry it off and wipe it down with Original Bike Spirits. The OBS leaves a little silicone polish that makes the bugs and stuff come off easier next time.

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

Does anyone else have the sneaky suspicion this can wind up being like an oil thread?

 

[JustJohn_imp]

never mind

 

[4 Paws_imp]

I ike to keep them clean, elbow grease works well. I picked up some baby diapers at Wally World and use them for polishing and shining. Not anal about keeping it - or anything else clean - but heck, I keep stuff a long time. Don't mind riding or driving old vehicles but will take the modest amount of time necessary to keep them looking respectable, even my Ural.
Man, these things cost a lot - I respect the value of a dollar.
So - if I ride in the rain I clean it fairly soon. If I'm just out riding every week to ten days, but I ride almost every freakin day - at least 5 days a week. One bike or another, I ride.
Good excuse to drink a beer and putter.

 

[ride4now_imp]

If the bike gets really wet... and the chrome no longer shines... it gets washed. But I try NOT to ride in the rain if I can help it.

 

[Cormanus]

20W- ............. oh, wrong thread.

Every minute spent cleaning is a minute not riding.

 

[hb9400_imp]

Not nearly enough

 

[metallyguitarded_imp]

Other than rinsing my pipes after applying Optiglanz, I've never used water on my CB. At least, not yet. I've had it for roughly 10 months now. About once a week or so, I'll spray some Pledge on a microfiber towel and wipe it down. Occasionally, I'll use some Maguire's polish. She's still looking rather fancy.

 

[LARIDER_imp]

Microfibre cloths. Rarely water. I use Aerospace 303. That stuff works like magic.....use it on my car too. It made my dash look new. Also, Simple Green and Windex. SG sometimes leaves a film so be careful where you use it.

Also, Marvel Mystery Oil is pretty great for getting the chain lube gunk off of the rims and inside the chain guard.
Just be careful not to get it on the tires. Though I switched to chain wax for the first time and now do not seem to have as much of a problem with splaying as opposed to traditional oil lubes.

 

[Ghis_imp]

This is when everyone tells me that I'm totally crazy, but my bike are never ever dirty, except when they are being ridden. They are completely washed regularly, but I use clean & polish before every single ride, and I never put them away dirty either. If I get caught in the rain, they get washed with soap and water. If not they get wiped down again, and covered up. Going over the whole bike to always keep it clean allows me to assure that everything is always in perfect working order. During cleanings, I have caught sliced rear brake hose, nails in tires, loose parts, and more. I also check tire pressure everytime I live the house, but no more than once in a single day. It's quite time consuming but I like my bikes way to much to have caught something way to late, or ever getting rusted, or faded. I really try to minimize the ravages of time.

 

[jrns_imp]

I haven't washed my bike with water yet (this is my 1st season)...but I will do that end of season and very carefully before I put her away for the season.
however-before every other ride she gets a cleaning of some sort. I keep all the chrome polished, and I regularly polish the headers. the tank gets a wax every now and again as well. wheels / rims-everything.
basically shes kept in super clean condition always. I like a clean bike and I enjoy cleaning it and keeping it that way.
I use various spray on cleaners/ degreasers, windex, and waterless wax all from Canadian Tire generally, with an array of micro fiber clothes and polishing wipes. for the headers I use autosol paste, applied with a rag in small amounts and polished with a buffer cloth with lots of elbow grease. I would like to find something better tho-the autosol is ok, the results are not what I would like to see. But Im picky ...

 

[ChipBeck_imp]

Gentlemen,

I guess I'm the odd man out. I hose my motorcycles off with a nozzle, wash them with a sheep skin mitt in a bucket of soapy water, hose it off to remove the soap, and wipe everything dry with an old soft towel. I wax my bikes about once a year. I've never had anything damaged by hosing off a bike. When I bring my dirt bikes home they are often so muddy that they must be hosed down. My CB11 always looks great. Cheers.

Chip

 

[flynrider]

Gentlemen,

I guess I'm the odd man out. I hose my motorcycles off with a nozzle, wash them with a sheep skin mitt in a bucket of soapy water, hose it off to remove the soap, and wipe everything dry with an old soft towel. I wax my bikes about once a year. I've never had anything damaged by hosing off a bike. When I bring my dirt bikes home they are often so muddy that they must be hosed down. My CB11 always looks great. Cheers.

Chip

That's my procedure exactly, right down to the sheepskin mitt My bikes only need a good washing about once a year. No rain to speak of. The desert dust does build up, so I go over them with a California Car Duster periodically. If you don't know it, it looks like a big brush with paraffin impregnated yarn instead of bristles. It sucks the dust right up.

I've never had any problems using a hose either. I just make sure to keep the pressure down so as not to push any water into places where it doesn't belong.