Cleaning Regime? some advice

[Davidg1230]

I know this has probably been covered to death in past threads, but I'd like to get to grips with how to look after my bike and this first weekend I feel I need to do a full clean, just to bond with the bike;)

I've come from a background of scooters and other bikes that could always be cleaned with a full bucket of warm soapy water and the hose. I know this is probably the worst thing to clean a Monster with so I'm listing the parts of the bike that I'm not sure about or what what I think will be okay to use?

So;


Wheels - mine are white, so best use a good quality car shampoo and careful use of the hose to rinse
Front forks - as above, but dry and buff with some what?
Bodywork - shampoo, soft brush and careful to hose off. leather and polish carefully. Anything to be careful of?
Engine - WD40, Muckoff or paraffin - toothbrush or similar to remove grime and dirt, wipe clean and then apply acf50 to protect
Chain - do this every 500miles or earlier, use WD40 or paraffin, small brush and dry then apply suitable chain lube, what products are good?
Aluminium/metal parts - mainkly the swing arm, but pedals and other similar brackets, use rag soaked with WD40 or similar, buff and wipe clean with?


I guess my list is fairly straight forward and it's common sense to make sure water from the hose doesn't get neat the sensitive bits. I've got a rear paddock stand so that should help with general access. I need to get to a supplier to buy some of these cleaning products but is there a short list of stuff that I shouldn't be without?

I'm fairly anal about cleaning and enjoy spending most weekends getting the bike clean, probably not after each ride, but generally once a week

Thanks in advance:thumbsup:

[digga]

nothing i can add here David - but i await replies.

i can recommend that ACF50 stuff , just don't spray it on!! its a waste.
spray onto a cloth and then use that to wipe over the parts. keep the cloth in a zip loc type bag / airtight food container. Obviously use it for nothing else. Or spray a little into the lid and use a small paint brush to apply.

We have a general store near us called 'Wilko' [formerly Wilkinsons] that sell some nice microfibre cloths which are ideal for cleaning stuff. i bought a pack of 3 shop soiled ones from Halfrauds yest' for £10 [16" x 24"] they don't appear to be any different from the Wilko ones, albeit slightly larger..

I also wax my rims!! seems to allow easier cleaning next time ... mine are also white and on a S2R

[Capo]

Wurth High Performance Dry Chain Lube, doesnt fling and helps keep the chain area clean.

I got a pack of Wilco's microfibre cloths (about 3 quid) I cant tell the difference between ones I paid a tenner each for.

I'm now using 303 protectorant, on everything bar the paintwork

[animaluk]

+1 for the Wurth Chain Lube just awsome stuff

[utopia]

I've probably mentioned this before, but these days I use a large, pump-up garden sprayer instead of a hose. The larger sort with a spray wand on the end of a short hose, rather than the hand held sort. It has enough pressure to rinse easily, without blasting muck and water into bearings, electrics etc. or you can add some of your favourite cleaning agent to the bottle and use it in conjunction with your favourite soft brushes, cloths etc.
Also saves having to trail an unweildy hosepipe out onto the drive and connect it all up.
Much easier to get all round the bike than a hosepipe too.

[Davidg1230]

Thanks for the responses, I'm lucky enough to be able to park my bike in our garden. It's paved with a hose pipe so tomorrow I'll off some the panels and get to work on the areas that need some attention. Generally the bike is already very clean so it'll be me just playing around and learning about the different areas on it and what it all does.