What to clean on a bike and with what?

[lizardywizard]

So I know the basics: soap and water on the plastic parts, chain lube on the chain (not sure what to clean off the old gunk with - I'd been using WD40 but apparently there's a perennial argument about it), WD40 on moving and rust-prone parts, nothing lubricating near the brakes.

I'm also getting some ACF-50 to use instead of WD40 for rust protection, since I live relatively near the PCH and it's a nice ride, but I don't want to destroy my bike with rust.

I have no idea what to clean the brake discs with, however. Does one clean them? What about things like exhaust pipes and various under-the-fairings bits, if road gunk gets on them?

Also, after being near the ocean what are the important parts to clean/lubricate to make sure nothing rusts? The obvious answer seems to be "exposed metal", but how exposed is exposed? Under the fairings?

I know some people are just gonna say "hose that sucker down" but I like to do a thorough job, heh. (Besides, we're under water restrictions.) Also helps me discover any maintenance issues which has been useful a couple of times now.

[Motofool]

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_do_I_wash_the_bike%3F

Brake discs can use water and detergent or brake cleaner spray (keep those, except water, away from the pads).

Clean the chain with kerosene and a tooth brush or rug.

My bike lives at 3 miles from the Atlantic ocean, air humidity is mostly above 75% and nothing has rusted so far.

[Mechanikrazy]

I would say wash anywhere you could conceivably spray with a water hose? If road gunk/water can get flung up or drip to it, wash it. I am a proponent of the hose it down method.

If you can, you'll want to wash all metal, including the under fairing things. I had a bike parked outdoors under a cover for a year in Santa Cruz. Various bolts and things started surface rusting.

[Flying]

Don't bother with the brake discs, you are always scraping those with the pads.

[ZeroGravity360]

Originally Posted by lizardywizard

So I know the basics: soap and water on the plastic parts, chain lube on the chain (not sure what to clean off the old gunk with - I'd been using WD40 but apparently there's a perennial argument about it), WD40 on moving and rust-prone parts, nothing lubricating near the brakes.

I'm also getting some ACF-50 to use instead of WD40 for rust protection, since I live relatively near the PCH and it's a nice ride, but I don't want to destroy my bike with rust.

I have no idea what to clean the brake discs with, however. Does one clean them? What about things like exhaust pipes and various under-the-fairings bits, if road gunk gets on them?

Also, after being near the ocean what are the important parts to clean/lubricate to make sure nothing rusts? The obvious answer seems to be "exposed metal", but how exposed is exposed? Under the fairings?

I know some people are just gonna say "hose that sucker down" but I like to do a thorough job, heh. (Besides, we're under water restrictions.) Also helps me discover any maintenance issues which has been useful a couple of times now.

My bike was actually vandalized with in the first few weeks of bringing it home. Someone threw eggs and berries all over it, I just went to auto zone and got a good car cleaner and a soft sponge and scrubbed it off. I dont have a hose, so I just got a second bucked and poured clean water on my bike to rinse it off, didnt seem like water got anywhere it shouldnt have gotten. I was careful not to get too much on the dash or exhaust.
Not really sure about anything else I just used car cleaner on the rims and everything else. Not sure if I was supposed to do that or not!

[sharky nrk]

Just some thoughts on this one:

You can hose your entire bike down with low pressure and not hurt anything. Do not use high pressure (pressure washer) though. The thing to keep in mind is how to make sure the water gets out of areas you do not want to have it stay in.

I have used low pressure air to blow water out of nooks and crannies around the bike, either regulated way down on my air compressor or more recently, I have a little shop vac that has an exhaust blower function which works decently.

A better method I have used recently is ONR (Optimum No Rinse) wash. Keeps water to a minimum and less drying necessary. This works more for the exterior panels on the bike though, not so much for engine/frame/real dirty cleaning. I will generally do a ONR wash once every 2 weeks to a month (while I clean and lube the chain normally) and then a real hose and two bucket method scrub down every quarter or so.

Products I like? Obviously ONR but also Megs Gold Class wash (relatively inexpensive), Sonus clay and Glyde, for paint protection 845, for plastic 303 (really important for UV protection to keep them from fading and looking like garbage).

I also really like to take my Megs tire brush and really scrub down the tires with it. It keeps them looking nice and black without having to put slipper crap on the tires. I also like to use Simple Green Extreme (the aero certified once) diluted to use as chain cleaner, engine cleaner, and general degreaser.

[DEFY]

I use brake cleaner for the chain degreasing and then Dupont Teflon Chain Saver for lube. Cleaning the bike is as simple as letting it sit over night to collect the morning dew and wiping it down with a microfiber before riding to work. Your need a little more elbow grease though if you want to get those bugs off the front.

[RacinNinja]

This paint is 13 years old now. Nothing more than good car wash soap, clean microfiber wash mitts, Meguairs Paint cleaner wax and Gold class Carnuba every once in a while. I wax the frame and wheels too, keeps things from sticking and makes it easier to keep clean. Metal gets some polish every year or so. No need to clean brake rotors unless you're installing new pads. Then use Brakleen. If the rear wheel gets really nasty, I use Purple Power on it then wash and wax since the Purple Power will strip the wax.

I use WD-40 to clean the chain since it's mostly kerosene anyway. Then just plain old oil every 500 miles or so for lube.









All saddled up and ready for a trip!