[Range]

I have used a pressure washer without any ill effects . I am careful where I spray the water

[Viper817]

so basically wash it like a car only without high pressure. any ideas for making tires look nice. keep hearing people say dont use armor all or other tire shiners.

[Black_peter]

so basically wash it like a car only without high pressure. any ideas for making tires look nice. keep hearing people say dont use armor all or other tire shiners.

I bought a toilet brush.. Works awesome on the engine and swing arm areas..
I use armor all..
On a rag.. Only on the side wall (duh)
I do the seat too.. Never had an issue sliding..


Now I've done it!

[StevieB]

Three-Towel Method

I watched a guy in an apartment wash with a soap bucket then just use another bucket to rinse it off. Bike looked good.

He was using the three-towel method, whereby you use one towel (and a bucket of water with carwash) to wash, a second towel and a bucket of clear water to rinse, and a third towel to dry. You probably saw him do one section at a time- roof, glass, hood, left front fender, right front fender, hood, drivers door, passenger door, trunk lid, rr fender, lr fender, rear filler panel, lower fenders and lower doors, bumpers, wheels and tires. The trick is to do wash/rinse/dry of each section before moving on to the next. Advantages: you dry off the water, not the sun, so there is not water spotting, better coverage and attention to detail (you are working on a managable area). Also, the method uses far less water than the flood-and-wash method. I've washed an entire car using only about 10-15 gallons of water- a real plus if you live in an water-ration area.

[WildKat]

Honda spray polish/wax is a good cleaner . Cuts the dirt and bugs , leaves a good coat of wax , and SMELLS lovely , too . I used to use that stuff all the time on my previous bikes . I don't wash my Katana though . Every time I do , I break a chain .

The new formula of honda polish doesnt work near as well as the old formula, IMO. Still works good, but the previous formula they used seemed to be easier to get off and left a nicer shine

[fasteddie]

I have yet to have a pressure washer ruin anything (I said yet). But it does soak everything under my seat, so I'm done with that route. I watched a guy in an apartment wash with a soap bucket then just use another bucket to rinse it off. Bike looked good.

I love Mequires. I have the quick detail stuff and use it when I'm getting ready to head out and want to get rid of the dust.

I concur with Brooder.

[Kooch80]

I just went to a bike show and there was a both for a company called Excela wash .http://www.excelawash.com/

They had sample bottles of the product to seems to work great. It is one of those waterless wash deals. I was impressed with it on the bike!

[Viper817]

watched the little demo video at the site, but not sure how good it actually works. i mean that hummer was kinda clean already. buy some and let me know how it works.....

[NMwildKatB]

For removing light dust, I use a California Car Duster I bought at Walmart. I use a Swiffer duster to remove dust from my windscreen. I can definitely recommend AGAINST using Armour-all on a motorcyle seat - When I came to a stop going downhill, I suddenly ended up sitting on my gas tank! Didnt drop the bike but, I'm sure I looked stupid no matter how nice the Armour-alled seat looked !

[SKNL2]

The real danger with Armor All and motorcycle tires is not slipping (though it is a concern if you are shining up your tread, dip). The main problem with using Armor All on motorcycle tires is the leeching effect on the tire is accelerated thus causing the tires to dry out and dryrot quicker.

If you go through tires every 4-5 months or so, like I do, this isn't an issue. However, if you are buying tires from a larger warehouse type seller and ESPECIALLY if you have odd sizes, you can bet that your tires sat around in a hot warehouse leeching for a lot longer than you may have suspected. Add to that some shiny sidewalls and you have crappy tires sooner than you wanted to.

OH and the secret weapon "quick detailer" is Pledge.