To Wash or Not to Wash?

[rgoers]

Abrasive crud isn't good for any vehicle, so I wash mine when it is dirty. If I'm just riding roads or gravel, I don't worry about washing it, but if I'm riding in dirt/mud/slime water, I wash it when I get home - if I have time. I'm in the camp that understands that rust/corrosion will make my repair/maintenence efforts more difficult.

[Craneguy]

I WAXED my Vee yesterday.
I, I think I need an intervention... :(

[crofrog]

I wash after every dirt ride even if the bike is going out again the next day.

and washing it doesn't just mean spraying off all the dirt I get a rag and make sure it's clean. This is mostly done for the purpose of finding broken bits before they cause problems.


Having a dirty bike isn't a sign of being awesome, it's a sign of laziness it's funny how some of the guys with dirty bikes always seem to be having problems on rides.

[Bogfarth]

While I ride a cruiser, I don't ever wash it. Farting around town means it doesn't pick up much in the way of crud. That said, when it does start to get a little nasty I just park it at home without the cover on. It's a bonus that comes with living in the NorthWet; mid-day rains, an afternoon sun break, and walla! Clean bike.

[Young-gun-640]

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164125

[CanadianX]

The big bike sees mostly road duty now that there is a more dirt oriented stable mate so it doesn't get washed very often as it just isn't what I'd consider dirty. The little bike gets muddy and gets washed more often. De[ending on how dirty it gets I might wash it right after a ride or after a couple of ride. Its part of the ritual that allows me to do a visual inspection, do some maintenance as required, tighten a loose nut and so on. I'm not obsessive by any stretch but there is something nice about relaxing and putting some time into your toys. RIght now both bikes and me are living at my buddies place so the washings are less frequent. Due for a good wash, lube and wax soon as they will go away for the winter in the next month or so. The snow is to deep and salt to harsh to ride through the winter here.

[DRZ Charlie]

Originally Posted by ______

Ya wanna borrow my bike?

I don't care who ya are, that's funny...thanks for the giggle

[Joe3]

If the VStrom gets rained on I consider it washed. I wash the DRZ after every ride in the dirt. Helps to find anything broken/damaged and prevents corrosion like others have mentioned.

[purplehaize]

When I ride, its an epic adventure, out for about 7 or so days gathering all kinds of crud and muck. When I return it gets a good washing with a fine tooth comb, scrubadubdub, goes for a short ride to spew off any moisture and back in the garage under cover where she waits for the next epic adventure.

[opmike]

A filthy bike isn't any kind of mark of "cool" unless you've been riding off-road or you're on a long trip.

A filthy commuter or fun bike is just a sign of laziness. I'm not meticulous with cleaning, but I stay on top of chain maintenance and the usual road grime that accumulates over time. These periodic cleanings also give me a chance to look over the fasteners, and I've caught more than one loose bolt this way. Also, metal caked in dirt and other shit seems to corrode faster as it can trap moisture.

[Schnickelfritz]

I wash my bikes pretty thoroughly twice a year.

Plus, the RT gets a quick bath after a dirty or long ride. It's a 2000 and dang near pristine, so its sculpted expanses of black tupperware also get a waxing 2x/yr. The GS dirt threshold is higher, but neither of them sits around with caked-on crap--it only takes a few minutes to get that stuff off before going into the garage.

The '94 900SP oh la la! She is always sparkling, shining, glistening red and ready. (Yellow on track days.) And I have never had another bike or other vehicle which I called "she." Washing the Duc is just an excuse,

an excuse to run my hands

along her seductive curves

and slip my fingers down,

down,

down

between her

perfectly-

shaped

...

Um, sorry.

Shit, what was the question again?

[windmill]

Originally Posted by opmike

A filthy bike isn't any kind of mark of "cool" unless you've been riding off-road or you're on a long trip.

A filthy commuter or fun bike is just a sign of laziness. I'm not meticulous with cleaning, but I stay on top of chain maintenance and the usual road grime that accumulates over time. These periodic cleanings also give me a chance to look over the fasteners, and I've caught more than one loose bolt this way. Also, metal caked in dirt and other shit seems to corrode faster as it can trap moisture.

I beg to differ,

I ride my Ural full time year round in all weather. Once they start spreading deicer and salt/sand, I spray my bike with LPS 3 in critical areas, and everything else weekly with WD-40, other than a fresh water rinse before servicing or maintenance, I don't wash it all winter long (October-May) allowing it to build up in a coating that protects everything from corrosion.

It ends up looking hideous, but cleans up nice in the spring. Heading into my 5th winter, it still has virtually no rust, and no electrical issues.

[Schnickelfritz]

Just curious: where is that Ural pic taken? I used to live outside of Issaquah, at the top of Tiger Mt. Road (and, later, in Seattle), and we never had snow that deep in the seven years I was there, but I guess you guys have had a few freaky snowy years recently...

[Jnich77]

I ride mine almost daily and I wipe it down every morning before I fire it up. Usually on the weekends I detail it. My bike never starts the day dirty.

[Rollin']

Black always shows the dirt!

This dirt was loaded with calcium chloride so when I got home I washed it and washed it and washed it....