[shft600]

well, on the old cbr I never really worried about it much cuz it wasnt really a pretty bike anyways, but now the 636 is starting to get a few bugs on it, so I'm starting to think about washing it. So what do you do? what brands of stuff like wax or whatever do you use, and how often? what about cleaning the actual bike, like the swingarm/wheels/etc?

 

[RayOSV]

Dawn dishwashing soap (cuts grease fairly well) in warm water and a sponge for general washing. Motul biodegradable degreaser for bikes for the grimy parts. Iv'e used the Motul on every kind of part (plastic, aluminum, painted, etc.) and it works great. Just be sure to rinse it well. I even use the Motul cleaner on the chain.

 

[PuffyG]

I've used no-wet car wash, that works well nd is a wax as well. Now I use Mothers car wash and then the wax. no complaints yet

 

[Drifter]

I've tried every kind of product under the sun, and most work well, but the cheapest, easiest and best (IMO) method is to use the old brushless, do-it-yourself car wash. Use the presoak and dousche it down good and let the stuff sit until it just starts to dry. Then blast it with the high-pressure soap, then rinse once or twice, then hit it with the spot-free rinse. It's fast, it's easy and it'll net you almost the same result as spending a few hours in the driveway with q-tips and Windex. Best of all, nothing touches the paint, ensuring a scratch-free finish for as long as you own the bike. There's nothing more irritating (to me) with painted parts than those tiny little swirl marks visible in the bright sun.

 

[Ca$h]

How do I wash my bike? Anally.

not literally but in that fasion.

Every other week I wash it, I use Streak-free Car Wash detergent on it first. Then rinse. I re-use the stuff getting everything. Rinse again, then one more time, then finally a rinse. I go get the leaf blower, get a majority of the water off, the sit with a rag to dry the other parts. SO about 2+ hours. I really need to do it a little faster...

If I am doing like a wash and wax weekend.....Well thats all above, then put was on the chrome/metal. Let is sit for a day. Next day, Wax the plastic and let that sit. Third day, i take all of it off and then I am done. But that is like a once every 4 months type of thing. Too time consuming

 

[Drifter]

How do I wash my bike? Anally.

not literally but in that fasion.

Every other week I wash it, I use Streak-free Car Wash detergent on it first. Then rinse. I re-use the stuff getting everything. Rinse again, then one more time, then finally a rinse. I go get the leaf blower, get a majority of the water off, the sit with a rag to dry the other parts. SO about 2+ hours. I really need to do it a little faster...

If I am doing like a wash and wax weekend.....Well thats all above, then put was on the chrome/metal. Let is sit for a day. Next day, Wax the plastic and let that sit. Third day, i take all of it off and then I am done. But that is like a once every 4 months type of thing. Too time consuming

You need a girl, Cash :lol

 

[StretchedGixer]

Motul is good stuff, that's what I use on mine.

 

[murfnamedsmurf]

Well, so far I have had rather good results from the Honda spray cleaner/polish, so I see no reason to go through all the trouble to wash and wax. It is very simple to just spray down parts of the bike (don't need to cover it in the stuff) and buff everything away. It also leaves it nice and shiny without giving it the slickness that waxed surfaces get. If it saw more time in the rain, I might go to the effort of washing and waxing, but any polish and such it gets are really more for aesthetics than to bead water. Of course, I don't have to be too meticulous about the painted surfaces of my bike b/c it's silver, and most people pay attention to the polished swingarm and frame, so I spend a lot more time cleaning and polishing them.

The old-fashioned soap and bucket style (or the brushless carwash) is perfectly fine, but I figure there is no reason in getting the bike wet if I don't have to.

 

[mikem317]

Blue Coral or other car wash brand that's on sale. DON'T USE DISH SOAP! Dish soap is for dishes, not cars or bikes. Use hose head on shower position (without any stream-like pressure output). WD40 as solvent on rims, chain and small spots where chain crap hit the cowls. Honda Class Cleaner on windshield and mirrors. Honda Pro Chain Lube on chain. Honda Detailing stuff (forgot the actual name) after drying.

Comes out spotless after that half a day process!

Key: Use clean cloths, lint free or diapers.

 

[MichiganScott]

S-100 wash, S-100 wheel cleaner, and S-100 wax and detailer. Use the leaf blower to dry the bike off before using the wax and detailer. Less than an hour from start to finish.

Summer's too short to be washing when you can be riding.

 

[Silver350]

For on the plastic and most of the bike I use Mcguire's Car soap. On the engine i use Castrol Engine cleaner/degreaser (Works well gets off the grim with no scrubbing) rims I tried eagle on mag wheel cleaner. That stuff works for sh*t. It only gets some of the brake dust off when the rim drys it leaves a white residue. (Bottle is almost empty then I am going to try something else to the wheels)

For wax I use Mcguires wax (has a number on the bottle but dont remember what it is.) For the polish aluminum I use mothers billet polish (works pretty good)

I only wax my bike 2 a year. I was it once or twice a month. Usally when I get sick of the black rims from the brake dust I wash it.

 

[Shamu]

Mostly the Honda cleaners , alot like the S100 but cheaper at my dealer( I buy the refill and use my own sprayer) I use Meguiers 26 on my helment and the front of the bike , Honda polish everywhere else . If you really want a perfect finish , find a Castle chemicals supplyer and buy a two part finish called Crystal finish and Crystal shine , it is a two part polish for plastics that is awsome . I have heard that a fine furniture polish is a great polish , and cheaper than most .

 

[Ca$h]

You need a girl, Cash :lol

No, just a different one. Mine hates bikes, and bitches constantly :lao I don't blame her

 

[enos]

Summer's too short to be washing when you can be riding.

Which is why i practice the equilibrium principle. At some point the amount of dirt falling off equals the amount of dirt picked up. If you're comfortable with how the bike looks then, you'll never have to wash it again

 

[fiveninerzero]

Honda Polish, when it gets really dirty degrease then hose, and Plexus for the helmet

 

[fotocycle]

Dawn detergent here too... ya I know... Maybe I'll pick up a car wash soap next time I swing by the auto parts place. Then Meguiar's Cleaner Wax, after drying it thoroughly with a chamois. I tried The Absorber, $8 for the damn thing and it doesn't work quite right. I used a chamois my friend gave me, it's getting dirty and raggedy but the clean parts on it still work great. I'll have to ask him where he got it and throw out my Absorber crap.

Then comes the WD40 and chain lube - the WD40 goes into any moving metal parts that were exposed to the water (even though I wash with a bucket and microfibre sponge), such as the ignition keyhole, gas cap keyhole, shift pedal parts, and the springs that help control the rear brake pedal. I get done with everything in one hour. I also used some Amsoil metal protectant (also my friend's) on parts like the brake calipers, heel guards, swing arm, forks, and passenger pegs and that has worked a treat.

But my bike is not a toy nor a hobby, it's my workhorse (no car here) so I don't treat it as well as I should. It gets exposed to rain a lot (especially lately :rolleyes ) and all kinds of road grime. She would probably hate me if it weren't because I ride her everyday :banana

 

[Qwikk]

hand my girlfriend a bucket and sponge and then i grab a beer and chill......

 

[malik ross]

i spray the bike down first. it gets teh bike wet. helps loosen up the bug guts and knocks off teh loose dust and crap.

i fill a good sized bucket of car detergent. i was using a product by armor all. not sure what i'm using now but it really doesn't matter.

i use a wool mit like i would on a car. its thick so dirt get pulled away and i don't have to worry about scratching the finish.

get a hose and rinse it off good. i probably spend more time rinsing than cleaning.

dry it off good too. i can't reasch everywhere but where i can gets it good.

i wax occasionally. Eagle1 wet worked good. so does meguirs. thats what i'm using now.

heres a picture of my girlfriends bike. the tank has been waxed but the seat area has not.

 

[SicR6]

Shine N Go for daily touch ups and then Honda Brite and the quarter car wash when it gets really dirty.

 

[BadBoy1404]

Blue Coral or other car wash brand that's on sale. DON'T USE DISH SOAP! Dish soap is for dishes, not cars or bikes.

Jesus, typical comment from a person who does not know paint.

Use dish soap to get all the old wax off your bike/car. Regular "blue coral" soap is too mild to take any hard stuff off the bike. Then get the mothers claybar system and claybar the entire bike. Then if you want the best wax to use. Get Zaino. its the best dont argue with me. it just is look on every car users forum its all they use. I run my own mobile car detailing business with no advertising only word of mouth and i have over 150 customers, so try that out and see what u get.