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CVO Technical => Cleaning/Detailing => Topic started by: 1abastarsmda on January 02, 2009, 01:09:30 AM
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Okay, I went on the Polar Bear ride today and my bike is covered in salt dust. It looks like it's time to give it a good total bath. Here are my assumptions and steer me where I am wrong:
1. Remove seat (should I spray some WD-40 in the electrical connector before washing?)
2. Wash the saddlebags before handling them with all the salt dust on them. Then remove the saddlebags. (should I spray WD-40 on the electrical connectors here also?)
3. Jack up bike enough to get front wheel off the ground for cleaning.
4. Wet down bike, other than the inner fairing, and wash with warm sudsy solution.
5. Rinse with low pressure setting on hose nozzle.
6. Jack up more to do the rear wheel.
7. Take the bike down from the jack.
8. Rinse, blow off excess water, then dry.
9. Clean the inner fairing and instruments by hand.
10. Go out and get it dirty all over again and repeat.
At least, that's my general plan of action. Is there anything else to avoid with water? How about the rear speakers and the amp? The amp is under the tourpack, isn't it? I'm not asking about what cleaning solutions to use or what kind of towels or blower or anything like that. I've already noticed in other posts that there are as many products and opinions on what is best as there are members on the forum. I think I'm mostly concerned about any electrical areas that I should avoid with water, or at least any direct spray of water. It's all going to get wet one way or the other. The other thing is the open electrical connections from the heated seat and saddlebags when they are disconnected. I thought that maybe a shot of WD-40 or something. What other something would I want to consider?
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On the electrical connections, pick up a tube of di-electric grease instead of the WD..
As far as the gauges, speakers etc-you can get them wet, just don't spray directly on them. Just mist those areas and wipe/blow off.
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In addition to what Bob said on the electrical connectors that you have to take a loose I would wrap them in a baggie to prevent them from getting deluged w/water. They are designed to get wet (water tight/resistant), but that is when they are connected (just a precaution and probably not a necessity). I don't worry about getting the inner fairing wet just mist as was stated earlier. I've been in frog choking rain worse then I've ever sprayed it w/a water hose and haven't had any problems.
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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I'd be a lot more concerned about the salt that's covering it now than any damage I could do to it with a garden hose! :nervous: :shocked2: :nixweiss: Get that sheeeit off of there - all of it!
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Don't be afraid to wash the inner fairing just like you wash the rest of the bike.
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One more tip: Be sure to check your front & rear turn signals for moisture after washing. If you see moisture behind the lens, you will want to remove the lens and dry them out. A good option for drying is to mop all the moisture out that you can with a clean paper towel and then use a blow dryer to finish drying. A light coating of the di-electric grease in and on the bulb socket is a good idea too. Left alone, they will eventually rust the bulb socket.
If you do a search, you will find that others have sealed the turn signals with silicone. Good idea, but you still need to check them after washing or riding in the rain
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One more tip: Be sure to check your front & rear turn signals for moisture after washing. If you see moisture behind the lens, you will want to remove the lens and dry them out. A good option for drying is to mop all the moisture out that you can with a clean paper towel and then use a blow dryer to finish drying. A light coating of the di-electric grease in and on the bulb socket is a good idea too. Left alone, they will eventually rust the bulb socket.
If you do a search, you will find that others have sealed the turn signals with silicone. Good idea, but you still need to check them after washing or riding in the rain
Ok, for washing. Rinse the hell out of it. Soap it down. Rinse it again. Repeat if you're dissatisfied. Then dry it. To quote the Buddha; it ain't rocket science. You're just washing a bike.
For the front lights mentioned above consider one other thing also. Some water gets in past the lenses. That's not the water that does the most damage nor is it the water that's the most difficult to get out once it gets in.
Look on the inside of each signal light stalk. Where the harness enters the stalk. That hole allows water in and it gets behind the bulb and socket. The more dielectric grease you shove in the front the more that water gets trapped in there. That's the water that really kills those sockets and all too often causes them to eat bulbs.
Use some good marine grade silicone and cover that hole on each side where the harness enters. It's nearly impossible to do very neatly. But you can't ever see it anyway. Once you stop that water from getting in the front sockets and bulbs will last a lot longer.
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Ok, for washing. Rinse the hell out of it. Soap it down. Rinse it again. Repeat if you're dissatisfied. Then dry it. To quote the Buddha; it ain't rocket science. You're just washing a bike.
For the front lights mentioned above consider one other thing also. Some water gets in past the lenses. That's not the water that does the most damage nor is it the water that's the most difficult to get out once it gets in.
Look on the inside of each signal light stalk. Where the harness enters the stalk. That hole allows water in and it gets behind the bulb and socket. The more dielectric grease you shove in the front the more that water gets trapped in there. That's the water that really kills those sockets and all too often causes them to eat bulbs.
Use some good marine grade silicone and cover that hole on each side where the harness enters. It's nearly impossible to do very neatly. But you can't ever see it anyway. Once you stop that water from getting in the front sockets and bulbs will last a lot longer.
Who you callin Buddha Willis? :nixweiss: :nixweiss: :nixweiss: ;D ;D ;D
Hoist! 8)
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Here is a great tool for safely cleaning/detailng your saddlebags - Bagrrest Bag Stands (http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=7394.0).
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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It's amazing how much better the bike looks after it's been washed. I don't think I'm taking it out any more in the winter unless we've had a good rain storm after the salt on the roads. It's just too cold to clean the bike. I got lucky it hit 40 today and I could take it outside to wash it.
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Here is a great tool for safely cleaning/detailng your saddlebags - Bagrrest Bag Stands (http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=7394.0).
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
Dood you're full of chit. You put dirty bags on one of those stands for an hour or a day and they'll still be dirty. Water works a lot better. Geez.
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It's amazing how much better the bike looks after it's been washed. I don't think I'm taking it out any more in the winter unless we've had a good rain storm after the salt on the roads. It's just too cold to clean the bike. I got lucky it hit 40 today and I could take it outside to wash it.
That's a tough choice to have to make. Ride on the occasional good day or not ride to avoid having to clean the bike up. Ride or not ride? Ride or not ri..... Wait; it's got to be a trick question. There's not really a choice there :drink: .
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If the choice is to let the bike sit the rest of the winter covered with salt, then the choices are cut back. I've been riding about every day the roads are dry here, which has by coincidence been after rain has melted the snow and washed the roads clean. I rode yesterday, against my better judgement, for a polar bear January 1 ride. From now on, I am going to stick to my former conditions for riding...lack of salt on the roads. In fact, yesterday the roads weren't even dry and the guy I rode with hit an ice patch and did some fishtailing before regaining control. He decided to jump on the throttle just as he hit the ice...talk about bad timing. The other problem is not being able to find anyone else that wants to ride in this weather. I tend not to ride as far when I'm on my own in the cold weather. I've already got stuck once in a blizzard and was lucky to make it home. One of the guys I was riding with that day dropped his bike 5 times on the way home. I would have been making some phone calls after the first one. Five times is just stupidity...but now he's got the whole winter to get his bike repaired.
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If the choice is to let the bike sit the rest of the winter covered with salt, then the choices are cut back. I've been riding about every day the roads are dry here, which has by coincidence been after rain has melted the snow and washed the roads clean. I rode yesterday, against my better judgement, for a polar bear January 1 ride. From now on, I am going to stick to my former conditions for riding...lack of salt on the roads. In fact, yesterday the roads weren't even dry and the guy I rode with hit an ice patch and did some fishtailing before regaining control. He decided to jump on the throttle just as he hit the ice...talk about bad timing. The other problem is not being able to find anyone else that wants to ride in this weather. I tend not to ride as far when I'm on my own in the cold weather. I've already got stuck once in a blizzard and was lucky to make it home. One of the guys I was riding with that day dropped his bike 5 times on the way home. I would have been making some phone calls after the first one. Five times is just stupidity...but now he's got the whole winter to get his bike repaired.
No debate there. There does need to be limits. And I'd likely not head out on terrible salted wet roads just because it happened to be a nice (enough) day. The mess is certainly annoying. Be safe and have fun :2vrolijk_21: .
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It's amazing how much better the bike looks after it's been washed. I don't think I'm taking it out any more in the winter unless we've had a good rain storm after the salt on the roads. It's just too cold to clean the bike. I got lucky it hit 40 today and I could take it outside to wash it.
Good idear. :2vrolijk_21: It's not worth riding w/the chemicals on the road and have them get into places to eat your bike away. :nervous:
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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Dood you're full of chit. You put dirty bags on one of those stands for an hour or a day and they'll still be dirty. Water works a lot better. Geez.
Duh!!! I said tool :D :D... just like any other tool it's not going to do it for you... you have to do something w/it to get the job done.
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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Good idear. :2vrolijk_21: It's not worth riding w/the chemicals on the road and have them get into places to eat your bike away. :nervous:
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
And what about them bugs you could run into in the summer that could damage your paint with their chemical bug goo. :o :o :o Better leave it in the garage all year-better safe than sorry!! :verkleidung005: :verkleidung005: :verkleidung005: Think of all the (beer) money you could save by not having to buy all that Glare. :huepfenjump3: :huepfenjump3:
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Duh!!! I said tool :D :D... just like any other tool it's not going to do it for you... you have to do something w/it to get the job done.
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
Hehehe. Had $5 on whether you'd actually try to explain it or not. I won :huepfenlol2: .
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And what about them bugs you could run into in the summer that could damage your paint with their chemical bug goo. :o :o :o Better leave it in the garage all year-better safe than sorry!! :verkleidung005: :verkleidung005: :verkleidung005: Think of all the (beer) money you could save by not having to buy all that Glare. :huepfenjump3: :huepfenjump3:
Don't have them kind of bugs here. ;D And even with the bug (guts) I still wouldn't be as concerned with them as I would be w/the chemicals that are put down for snow, and riding in an area near the ocean (salt water). Oh, and BTW I don't use Glare. :D :D One other note I do wipe the bike down at the end of the day after I ride so the bug guts don't eat at the paint. :2vrolijk_21:
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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And what about them bugs you could run into in the summer that could damage your paint with their chemical bug goo. :o :o :o Better leave it in the garage all year-better safe than sorry!! :verkleidung005: :verkleidung005: :verkleidung005: Think of all the (beer) money you could save by not having to buy all that Glare. :huepfenjump3: :huepfenjump3:
Oh :idea2: , I guess it's the bug guts that are causing the rust to start in the driver's door of my truck and also causing the aluminum wheels to start oxidizing! Hmmmm, wonder why the front of the truck where all the bugs hit still looks just fine?!? :confused5: ::) ???
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The bugs are giving you a protective coating to keep the salt out and that keeps the front from rusting. :orange:
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I think I'm about 2/3 of the way through waxing the entire bike. Waxing those wheels was a real pain. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had very few water spots on the bike after washing. I usually have them all over the place. After I washed the entire bike, I then sprayed S100 on the bike and then rinsed it again. I used my Cycle Dry dryer and I didn't have time to wipe the entire bike down. I only did a real quick wipe down and I expected to see water spots everywhere. Maybe it's the wax from the factory that did me so well, but I decided that this was a good time to make sure I had a good coat of wax on the entire bike. The bike is glowing right now. It did not look this good when I bought it. There's definitely more time involved in waxing this bike compared to the Road King.
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I think I'm about 2/3 of the way through waxing the entire bike. Waxing those wheels was a real pain. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had very few water spots on the bike after washing. I usually have them all over the place. After I washed the entire bike, I then sprayed S100 on the bike and then rinsed it again. I used my Cycle Dry dryer and I didn't have time to wipe the entire bike down. I only did a real quick wipe down and I expected to see water spots everywhere. Maybe it's the wax from the factory that did me so well, but I decided that this was a good time to make sure I had a good coat of wax on the entire bike. The bike is glowing right now. It did not look this good when I bought it. There's definitely more time involved in waxing this bike compared to the Road King.
Couple of things here. I washed the bike Sunday. Took me 5 (five) hours to do it right. After the wash, I plugged in my Cycle Dryer and it caught fire! Sparks flying everywhere, smoke all about. Anyway, finished it the old fashioned way with a chamois. I know d00d loves his bag holders and I haven't bought a pair yet. But here is a tip whether you use the bag holders or not: go to the hardware store and buy plastic feet that go under furniture! Get the self adhesive ones about the size of a nickel. One in each corner of the saddlebag. This way if you have to place the bags on top of a rag on the floor they will not get scratched.
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Couple of things here. I washed the bike Sunday. Took me 5 (five) hours to do it right. After the wash, I plugged in my Cycle Dryer and it caught fire! Sparks flying everywhere, smoke all about. Anyway, finished it the old fashioned way with a chamois. I know d00d loves his bag holders and I haven't bought a pair yet. But here is a tip whether you use the bag holders or not: go to the hardware store and buy plastic feet that go under furniture! Get the self adhesive ones about the size of a nickel. One in each corner of the saddlebag. This way if you have to place the bags on top of a rag on the floor they will not get scratched.
This is an excellent piece of info. I've had pads on the bottom of my bags since June 07. Even though I use the Bagrrest during any prolonged task requiring bag removal, the pads are mighty handy if you gotta pull off the bags to make a quick adjustment to the Bitubos.
Thanks, AJ! :2vrolijk_21:
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If you use pads on the bottom of your saddle bags, won't you see them off the reflection of your pipes? I had some tape on the bottom of one of mine when I picked up from the dealer, saw it from the service desk, stood out like a sore thumb! You should have seen the face on the service writer when I asked if they scratched the bottom of my bag. The dude that brought it out got on his hands and knees and said "No its just some black tape." Service writer didn't figure out how I knew there was something on my bag. His face kinda looked like this... :o Probably thought I was psychic...uhmm, maybe more like psycho! :huepfenlol2: :2vrolijk_21: :bananarock:
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If you use pads on the bottom of your saddle bags, won't you see them off the reflection of your pipes? I had some tape on the bottom of one of mine when I picked up from the dealer, saw it from the service desk, stood out like a sore thumb! You should have seen the face on the service writer when I asked if they scratched the bottom of my bag. The dude that brought it out got on his hands and knees and said "No its just some black tape." Service writer didn't figure out how I knew there was something on my bag. His face kinda looked like this... :o Probably thought I was psychic...uhmm, maybe more like psycho! :huepfenlol2: :2vrolijk_21: :bananarock:
That's why my saddlebags are safe and sound in MY garage whenever I take my bike in for service. :2vrolijk_21:
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If you use pads on the bottom of your saddle bags, won't you see them off the reflection of your pipes? ...
JR, you would be hard pressed to see the pads on the bottom of my bags. They are clear and are less than an inch square. I would much rather have pads than scratches.
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If you use pads on the bottom of your saddle bags, won't you see them off the reflection of your pipes? I had some tape on the bottom of one of mine when I picked up from the dealer, saw it from the service desk, stood out like a sore thumb! You should have seen the face on the service writer when I asked if they scratched the bottom of my bag. The dude that brought it out got on his hands and knees and said "No its just some black tape." Service writer didn't figure out how I knew there was something on my bag. His face kinda looked like this... :o Probably thought I was psychic...uhmm, maybe more like psycho! :huepfenlol2: :2vrolijk_21: :bananarock:
Bit more contrast on yellow bags.
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JR, you would be hard pressed to see the pads on the bottom of my bags. They are clear and are less than an inch square. I would much rather have pads than scratches.
:2vrolijk_21:
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Good idear. :2vrolijk_21: It's not worth riding w/the chemicals on the road and have them get into places to eat your bike away. :nervous:
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
There is a new bill before Congress to limit the sale of Harleys above Kansas to the North. Cold weather, ya know. Everybody should move south and ride year around.
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There is a new bill before Congress to limit the sale of Harleys above Kansas to the North. Cold weather, ya know. Everybody should move south and ride year around.
Good. I hope they set it up like smoking/non-smoking sections. Move all of us riders south, and make all the non-riders move north. No more noise complaints then either.
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There is a new bill before Congress to limit the sale of Harleys above Kansas to the North. Cold weather, ya know. Everybody should move south and ride year around.
Careful what you ask for.... it might get overcrowded. :D :D
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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Good. I hope they set it up like smoking/non-smoking sections. Move all of us riders south, and make all the non-riders move north. No more noise complaints then either.
I'm thinkin' I could live with that.............making motorcycle ownership a condition to live in the south.
I know..........dream on.