The most recent time was in a mud hole This is the 4th time the bike has been down. Every time it happens the bike is moving slow, either in deep gravel, sand, or now mud. Does this mean you just go faster in the soft stuff I was going to take the bike to a car wash to clean it. Someone told me not to wash the bike when the motor is hot as stuff could break from the sudden temp change with the wash water...is this so? Are there any parts on the bike i should not be spraying?
+1000 ....And sudden temp change its not good.When i wash my TE i put nylon bag on the istrument panel and tape the air filter opening...
Wash away! Do not spray high pressure water at seals such as wheel bearings or fork seals, electrical such as displays,controls and connectors, air filter and such,gas caps, etc. As far as spraying a hot engine, no problem! Hot engines get sprayed every time you cross a stream or hit a mud puddle or ride in the rain. It may have been a problem 50 yrs ago when engines were cast iron but not now.
I never spray my bikes with any kind of high pressure water; just a garden hose with a "shower" nozzle.
New front tire will help as well as acceleratethrough the soft stuff.. steer with the rear tire/throttle so to speak.. Exhaust plugs are a must..and the tape on the airbox as mentioned above.. I am a pressure washer kinda guy.. Just be carefull where you point it.
+1 Would never use a car wash or pressure washer on a motorcycle. It gets water into places it shouldn't. Simple Green if it's really greasy or dirty, then car wash soap and a woolly mitt, hose off the grime. Wipe down surfaces with a synthetic chamois then ride around the block to warm up the motor and dry everything out. If you're really fussy, use compressed air to blow out all remaining water in bolt heads, sockets, controls, etc. Once the bike is dry I spray all metal surfaces with WD40 and all plastic with 303, wipe down. All my bikes look like new and my buddies always chide me for being OCD. While it's up on the stand I'll spray down the chain with WD and clean it real good with an old terry towel, then chain lube. Check air filter and clean if it's dirty. If it was a short ride or it's still pretty clean I'll leave for next time. There are usually a few droplets of water on the air filter, not a problem. Here's my KTM250 with 50-hours off offroad on it. It has 125 now and still looks the same. Sorry, I know it's a husky forum.
I'm w/ jtemple and cj also on this...garden hose and regular nozzle to be safe. I don't necessarily disagree w/ the power washer guys- take precautions and you're probabaly fine. My thought is that with all the electronics, etc, scattered about I don't want to fark something up inadvertently.
I used to dry my streetbikes with my leaf blower. That was awesome for getting water out of the little places you can't reach (like in the radiator fins). It used to piss me off when I'd spend a bunch of time making my bike purdy, only to ride it down the street and have water come spraying out all over it from somewhere.
I've found every time I encounter a new surface condition there's a good chance of laying it down. Its part of the fun! I'm still very much a learner, but some stuff I've found helps: Low tire pressure and fresh knobbies make a big difference. Keep your weight centered and down on the pegs. Relax on those handlebars and grip/steer with your knees. Look down the trail to where you want to go. When in doubt, gas it - a smooth gentle continuous roll-on of power ensures the weight is transferred to your back wheel and lets your front suspension do its job. If you follow an expert rider, you quickly notice they pick lines to avoid the bad stuff - so when I'm on the easy stuff I really practice looking further down the trail and picking lines to avoid stones and deep ruts. Hey, you've done gravel, sand and mud, next up water crossings and snow! I've used both power and normal hose - both work. One thing I've discovered is that adding some detergents to water makes the water slightly conductive, so I extra care with water+soap around the instrument area - I clean the instruments with a spray and cloth instead, and polish those mirrors while I'm at it.
Pin it in the sand, looking at the horizon and pulling back on the bars as you stand on the pegs. Mud? Gets me down, a LOT still ....
I've been pressure washing MANY bikes for MANY years and never had a single issue. I guess it boils down to having enough common sense to know what kind of nozzle to use and not spraying within a few inches of electrical connectors and carb/EFI components. A garden hose spray is absolutely useless on an MX bike caked in dry mud... you might as well piss on it while frantically praying to the God of futility.
i used to S100 then powerwash my bikes (road + sumo + dirt) but last season my TC's steering bearings totally locked up due to water/rust. i would never spray directly at areas you shouldn't but after finding that mess, i changed up my routine. learned this process that i absolutely love, the paint brush is key... - start with a cool bike (in shade if possible) - garden hose off thick mud - SimpleGreen Concentrate cut ~50/50 with water (can dilute less but bottle of concentrate lasts longer) - spray SG on an area at at time, not whole bike - use a wide, soft paint brush to 'paint' the area you sprayed with SG, get in all the nooks - let sit very briefly, like a minute or two max, usually it's enough by the time you finish painting the area you're working on - rinse area with garden hose - move on to next area - leaf blower dry this process has cut my wash time down considerably.
When you really want to get that grime off, this series of vids is the biz, if a bit product centric: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HREqf4wIukA
+1 There are some areas you just can't get to without taking the bike apart and after a while those spoil the look of a clean bike. Key is to know where not to spray.
