How Often Should I Clean My Motorcycle?

Cleaning your motorcycle is obviously a very important thing that you need to do in order to maintain your motorcycle. and if you do not clean your motorcycle often you may damage its parts and suffer from dirt and stains on your motorcycle

So How often should I clean my motorcycle? Cleaning your motorcycle must happen at least once a week to keep all parts clean and not every day which can even damage the motorcycle since daily washing can also make the plastic rough to gray and make it rusty so washing your motorcycle once a week should suffice

If you want to know more information about motorcycle cleaning so keep riding because I have written you this guide to show you step by step how to properly clean your motorcycle

So, let’s start!

How to Wash a Motorcycle:

Step 1. Prepare your motorcycle for cleaning
Step 2. Clean your motorcycle

Step 3. Clean hard to reach parts
Step 4. Let your motorcycle dry
Step 5. Clean the seat

Step 6. Add a protective layer to your motorcycle

Things to do before you start cleaning

Let your motorcycle cool – The last thing you want to do is pour water on a hot motorcycle because it can destroy your engine.

Therefore, it’s very important to let your motorcycle cool down for at least 5 to 15 minutes, especially after riding.

Clean the chain – It is very important to clean the chain before you start cleaning your motorcycle so that it does not disturb you.

To clean the chain, you need to clean up all the dirt and oil that has accumulated and to do this you need to use this cleaner from Amazon, which is the best you can use to clean your chain.

I was in shock to see how cheap the price is on Amazon – click here to view.

Wear gloves – Wearing gloves is not a must, but if it’s important to you that your motorcycle is perfectly shiny and clean, I highly recommend you buy rubber gloves so that you don’t accidentally dirty your motorcycle with your hands. You can find lots of rubber gloves on Amazon for a very cheap price.

Cover the important parts – You must cover all the sensitive parts of your motorcycle to avoid damaging it, especially the engine.

You will need to cover mainly the engine parts with a rubber sheet or even a towel to prevent water from entering the engine which can completely destroy it. I would even recommend that you try to direct your water hose as much as possible onto the motorcycle body and not the engine.

Stand your motorcycle – I highly recommend that you use a motorcycle stand to made it easier to clean it.

There are loads of stands that you can buy at a very cheap price on Amazon, so make sure you have one.

How to clean your motorcycle (in 6 steps)

Step 1. Prepare your motorcycle for cleaning

The first thing you want to do is to put it on a stand so that you are more comfortable cleaning it and then start pouring cold water on the motorcycle.

It is very important to be sure that you use cold water rather than hot water because hot water can damage the motorcycle’s graphics.

Also, as I said before, wear gloves so that you not dirty the motorcycle when you are cleaning.

After pouring water on the motorcycle you are ready to go to the next step.

Step 2. Clean your motorcycle

After you have poured water on your motorcycle, you now want to start spraying detergent and start cleaning the motorcycle

At this step, you will need a sponge or brush and detergent. I personally use this detergent from Amazon which is, in my opinion, the only detergent that can clean your motorcycle in a good way without damaging the graphics – click here to view.

However, if you do not want buy detergent and you want to use soap then it is very important to check if the soap contains any chemicals that can damage your motorcycle.

After you have squirted the cleaner on the motorcycle you need to start rubbing with a brush or canvas until you remove all the dirt from your motorcycle.

It is very important that you do not rub too hard so as not to scratch the frame.

Step 3. Clean hard to reach parts

Now you need to clean the areas that are more difficult to clean with a brush.

In general, you need to clean the entire bottom of the motorcycle, the tiers and the engine components.

Also, it is important to use a good brush that will not damage the parts.

Step 4. Let your motorcycle dry

After you finish wiping and cleaning the motorcycle thoroughly you now have to give it time to dry.

To properly dry the motorcycle, you need to take a dry cloth or towel and gently rub the motorcycle down until you remove all the excess water on it.

Also, I do not recommend that you dry your motorcycle in front of the sun because it can leave stains on your motorcycle.

Step 5. Clean the seat

After giving your motorcycle a few minutes to dry, now is the time to clean the seat.

In fact, in this part you have to be a little more careful because most seats are made of leather which makes them much more vulnerable.

To clean the seat well, you will need to use a skin care controller to protect your seat from the vulnerability.

Step 6. Add a protective layer to your motorcycle

Once you have finished cleaning your motorcycle, you will definitely need to add a good layer of protection to it.

To protect your motorcycle, you will need to use high quality wax to protect the frame from dirt.

I personally use this wax from Amazon which is, in my opinion, the only wax that can protect your motorcycle well. Click here to view.

What to avoid when cleaning motorcycles:

1. Never use detergents you do not know, such as car fats or any motorcycle cleanser.

Such materials can damage the design and graphics of the motorcycle and therefore discolor it.

2. If you use soap that you usually use to clean the dishes you will have to leave the soap for no more than a few minutes.

If you leave the soap on too long you may see spots that are framed and it may even affect the graphics.

And because of this, I highly recommend you only use detergents that are suitable for cleaning motorcycles and not different types of soap that contain chemicals that can be harmful to graphics and framing.

3. Do not dry your motorcycle in front of the sun – Leaving a motorcycle in the sun over time can create water spots in the frame and even fade the color.

4. Don’t wash your motorcycle when it’s hot, only wash it when it’s cold. Washing the motorcycle when it’s hot will be much harder because the cleaning materials and water dries at a faster speed, which can cause soap and water stains that are very difficult to remove afterwards.

5. Do not use too strong a water stream because the water can reach the components of the engine and do a lot of damage.

Tips for washing your motorcycle

Wash your motorcycle with cold water

Lots of riders think that washing your motorcycle with hot water is better than cold water but that is very wrong because hot water rinsing can take a very short time compared to cold water. The motorcycle is much better washed with cold water because it’s easier to use and it helps the bike last for much longer.

Also, from my experience hot water can cause burns which are very uncomfortable and distressing and this is one of the reasons why I stopped using hot water.

Know when and where to wash your motorcycle

It is very important to know where and when to wash your motorcycle so as not to damage it.

I highly recommend not washing your motorcycle in the parking lot, wash it in your garden or in a public park to be more efficient.

Also, don’t clean your motorcycle after a long ride because it will be very hot.

Don’t rinse the motorcycle in full view of the sun because it makes it much harder to clean the motorcycle because of soap and water stains that are very difficult to remove afterwards.

Know what water stream to use

Using a powerful water stream is definitely very effective at removing difficult stains and dirt however, this can be very dangerous because of the risk of the water penetrating into the sensitive components such as the engine, chain, and brakes.

Therefore, I do not recommend rinsing in a too strong stream of water but with that, If you do wash in a high water stream so make sure to cover the important component with the duct Tape and also try not to direct the water to the important vehicles

Clean the hard to reach parts

If you want your motorcycle to look brilliant and perfectly clean then you will definitely need to clean the hard parts of your motorcycle like cables, or holes that are hard to reach and more.

To do this I highly recommend you use a cloth or an air compressor to remove water and dirt.

Smear wax on your motorcycle without doing any damage

Waxing your motorcycle is very effective in making it more brilliant and cleaner however, using the wrong wax can cause very large damage to the frame of your motorcycle.

I personally recommend you only use car wax and it’s important to make sure that it adds a layer of protection.

Also, I personally would not recommend you use wax on your motorcycle if the frame is made of plastic or other materials that are not durable because it can do damage. Wax can be excellent for those who have a steel frame that is resistant to chemicals.

If you’re not sure the wax is suitable I would recommend trying it on your car and then check it on your motorcycle.

Dry the motorcycle without doing any damage

Drying your motorcycle may seem like a very simple thing that requires no effort, but that’s wrong because you will have to dry it very carefully so as not to cause any damage to the frame.

The biggest mistake you can make is accidentally dropping the cloth you use on the ground and then drying the frame with it because the dirt that sticks to the cloth can scratch the frame.

In addition, always check that the cloth you are using is soft and that the material won’t cause any damage.

I personally recommend you use an air compressor and then a cloth because it is also more comfortable and there is less risk of scratching the frame.

Never use detergents that not intended for cleaning motorcycles

Cleaning with detergents that are not intended for motorcycle cleaning, such as bus or bike cleaners, can do very serious damage to the motorcycle’s graphics, plastic, and metal.

Therefore, I would never advise you to use anything other than motorcycle cleaner.

Be ready to clean the motorcycle

You need to have a clean and tidy workspace so that you don’t accidentally get confused with the detergents.

Make sure that all unwanted cleaning materials are outside your workspace and also make sure all your materials are arranged in front of you such as; detergents, wax, cloth, brush, bucket etc.

Also, I would highly recommend that you arrange the cleaning materials according to the cleaning steps I showed you.

After you’ve used cleaning materials that are no longer needed, put them aside so that you have more room.

What equipment do you need to clean your motorcycle?

Hose – You will need to use a garden hose to wash your motorcycle. If you do not have a hose in your garden you can use a bucket of water.

Brush – The job of a brush is to help you get to the hard parts of your motorcycle. You can buy a lot of great brushes on Amazon that will help you do the job perfectly.

Towel – You will need to use the towel to dry your motorcycle faster. If you want to dry your motorcycle even faster I would recommend you use an air compressor.

Waxing – Waxing isn’t something you must do however, it is definitely an important thing that I highly recommend you invest the time in doing. The role of wax is to protect your motorcycle from dirt, and it will give your motorcycle a glossy look.

Summary

In summary, today I have shown you step by step how to clean your motorcycle.

It is very important that you implement and remember all the tips I have shown you.

I would even recommend that you read this article while you are cleaning your motorcycle make sure you do not make mistakes.

For any questions feel free to write to us in the comments, and we will reply as soon as we can.

Thank for riding. Until next time.