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[1abastarsmda]

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?

[Boatman]

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.

[Fired00d]

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.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[110tHunDer]

 
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!    Get that sheeeit off of there - all of it!

[mr_magoo]

Don't be afraid to wash the inner fairing just like you wash the rest of the bike.

[LRebel]

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

[Twolanerider]

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.

[Hoist!]

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?

Hoist!

[Fired00d]

Here is a great tool for safely cleaning/detailng your saddlebags - Bagrrest Bag Stands.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[1abastarsmda]

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.

[Twolanerider]

Here is a great tool for safely cleaning/detailng your saddlebags - Bagrrest Bag Stands.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

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.

[Twolanerider]

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 .

[1abastarsmda]

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.

[Twolanerider]

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 .

[Fired00d]

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. It's not worth riding w/the chemicals on the road and have them get into places to eat your bike away.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d