whats the best way to clean all this grime of my bike? my guess is the guy i bought it of of dident keep it as clean as i want to. at least 2 riding seasons of grime!

i was thinking about using my pressure washer but what soap works best for degreaseing/deep-cleaning ect and has any one used a mothers bowerball to clean up all this crome?

Personally I would think twice before using a power washer on anything but my tires as pressurized water can be very destructive and intrusive but if I was going to do it anyway I would go to the local car wash and get the guys in the back to use their steam guns on it.Dawn dish washing soap is the best degreaser I have used but make sure you rinse it and rinse it again and I do not use it as my regular soap for the paint as Tigh pointed out rumor has it,it is not good for clearcoat so if you use it rinse it thoroughly .Nevr-dull is what I use on the chrome to clean it....Coug

DON"T use a power washer !!! it can force water into places that will cause grief for a long time. a garden hose, bucket, car wash ,sponges & brushes,& strong arms/ patience work the best. the joys of ownlng a clean ride . PS the 1st time's the worst. as time goes on,you'll learn your own detailing shortcuts

what about the burned on bugs and ect on the crome? is there a cleaner that works well?

I have yet to run across anything that NevrDull wont remove off chrome but there is always a first time .I know for the bugs on my oil filter I just keep spraying water on them and I guess they sorta rehydrate then I wipe them off....Coug

Try the S100 total motorcycle cleaner. Not cheap but it works great.

I use one of the regular car wash solutions available at Wal-Mart and a shoft cotton mit. Polish the chrome using Never Dull if it has anything stuck to it.

If it's not too bad, I use Bom to clean the bike back up... take me about 30 minutes to do the whole thing. Shines like a new penny....

A motorcycle wash is best as it's designed to remove the crap and not hurt anything. Wal Mart sells some in motorcycle dept next to auto dept. get two. Although any solution designed for Motorcycles will work.
A wash mit works great as you can get it into places a sponge won't.
A wheel brush ia also helpful. I get the loop kind and the long one shaped like a cone.

Follow directions on the bottle, But most importantly let what you spray on cool bike work before you go rinsing it off. I see too many people spray it on and rinse it right off. Do a section at a time. Sometimes like after my recent winter blizzard soaked in salt run, I had to do the routine more than once to be satisfied I got all the salt and grime off.

I do sections and when I am done I do the whole bike again. Be sure to do the underside as it's most important especially if you have ridden in any corrosive environment (salt, fertilizer, whatever, just more than whats obvious)

When I am done I dry it with a micro cloth to get the most water off, then I hit it with the leaf blower to get more off and then I hit it with an air blow tool with the extension tube. That is amazing blasting water out of very hard to get areas. I feel great knowing no water is hiding in there and causing rust, and, it spotlessly dries the bike.

Then, i use a quick detail er type product to keep the wax refreshed and kill any water spots. Or a good coat of wax.

Wal Mart also sells other bike cleaning products and I have used all of them. I go through the most of the Blackhawlk as it is great and i do mean great for on the run touch ups removing all bugs and can be used on anything and I do mean anything, Leather, chrome, plastic shields, anything! I never ride without it!

MC

I wouldnt think degreaser would hurt anything if you just used it on the bottom part of your bike. Mine has never got that dirty and I dont think yours will again after this

Do it yourself car wash with wax and spot free rinse...in and out in 10 minutes