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[Midnight Rider]

The duster or the Blonde

Hard to find either one...

[CVODON]

Wash bike at least once a week, Put bike on lift & take seat, bags, side covers off. Cover radio, breather, fuse area, battery-computer and GPS mount with Press & Seal. Wash EVERYTHING else with Mothers Car Wash Soap & Water. Use large dog bone shapped sponge for inside of fenders, Eagle One A-Z on brake rotors/calipers/wheels & tires with soft scrub brush. Blow off excess water with Black Max dryer and then finish dry everthing with Micro Fiber drying towels.
Once a month go over the complete bike with Porter-Cable 7424 using 5" and 3" yellow or red foam pads with Mothers Machine Wax 2.
Try to keep bike show clean all the time, have kept all my cars/trucks/boats/trailers/bikes the same since I was 15. Bikes takes less time than boats, but still about 2 hours a week. To me it is worth it, to others probably not. I see folks talk about spraying off, blowing dry and I cringe, just the way I am. Ride about 7500 miles a year, not as much as some, but more than others.

[spydglide]

Wash bike at least once a week, Put bike on lift & take seat, bags, side covers off. Cover radio, breather, fuse area, battery-computer and GPS mount with Press & Seal. Wash EVERYTHING else with Mothers Car Wash Soap & Water. Use large dog bone shapped sponge for inside of fenders, Eagle One A-Z on brake rotors/calipers/wheels & tires with soft scrub brush. Blow off excess water with Black Max dryer and then finish dry everthing with Micro Fiber drying towels.
Once a month go over the complete bike with Porter-Cable 7424 using 5" and 3" yellow or red foam pads with Mothers Machine Wax 2.
Try to keep bike show clean all the time, have kept all my cars/trucks/boats/trailers/bikes the same since I was 15. Bikes takes less time than boats, but still about 2 hours a week. To me it is worth it, to others probably not. I see folks talk about spraying off, blowing dry and I cringe, just the way I am. Ride about 7500 miles a year, not as much as some, but more than others.

Bet people are standing in line for your trade-ins.  har.  spyder

[Gank]

What do you guys clean shoe scuff of your pipes with... daughters runners left a little melt on my pipes and I want to get them clean again

[110tHunDer]

 
SOS pad.

Really.

[kerb]

What do you guys clean shoe scuff of your pipes with... daughters runners left a little melt on my pipes and I want to get them clean again

Get 'em hot and try oven cleaner

[ALRG8TOR]

Clean bikes are faster, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Glad to hear that I'm pretty much in the middle of the obsessive compulsive cleaning group on the site. I agree that cleaning your bike is great therapy, I also agree that the riding is more important and only devote about an hour to each clean 2x per month with some detailing for bugs in between - wash 2x, rinse frequently, shammy, then polish with an occasional use of compressed air to help speed the process. Infrequent use of the mini California duster but usually wash when it gets to that point.

The pics on this site show a lot of care in maintaining awesome looks, always glad to see the pic posts.

[dcigar]

well i am blown away, the one that got me the most was  5 coats of paint sealant and 3 coats of wax....... are you bored ?
i love my bikes and keep them clean, i use maguires gold class wash or harley wash or really whatever is in my workshop, soap it up wash it with a lambswool mit and rinse off, always take the bags off, dry with a chamois, half hour  and done, polish occasionally on a nice day if i am home listening to the footy... AFL for you non aussies, light up a stogie , have a beer , and strange polishing usually takes the entire game..... maybe i am just too slow ??

[T-Hawk]

Get 'em hot and try oven cleaner

Sorry I'm late to the discussion...

A couple of well seasoned biker types told me once that they always make sure that they have at least one nickle in their pocket for cleaning off stuff burned onto the chrome pipes...  Using only as much pressure as needed to scrape the charred remains of a sneaker or boot heal burned onto the chrome... something to do with the chemical makeup of the nickle that is not hard enough to actually scratch the chrome.  I had to do this several times on my DWG and and not once did it leave behind any evidence that I just rubbed metal on metal.  Worked great, hot or cold.

[spydglide]

Sorry I'm late to the discussion...

A couple of well seasoned biker types told me once that they always make sure that they have at least one nickle in their pocket for cleaning off stuff burned onto the chrome pipes...  Using only as much pressure as needed to scrape the charred remains of a sneaker or boot heal burned onto the chrome... something to do with the chemical makeup of the nickle that is not hard enough to actually scratch the chrome.  I had to do this several times on my DWG and and not once did it leave behind any evidence that I just rubbed metal on metal.  Worked great, hot or cold.

If only nickles were 'nickle'.  Metals of similar make-up tho, as nickle is a layer used in the chroming process.  Triple-plated....awwwwww.  spyder

[darth davidson]

There's a lot of people with a lot of time on their hands on this site.  I wish I had more time to just ride the damn bike!

X2

[lammgrel]

Wash bike at least once a week, Put bike on lift & take seat, bags, side covers off. Cover radio, breather, fuse area, battery-computer and GPS mount with Press & Seal. Wash EVERYTHING else with Mothers Car Wash Soap & Water. Use large dog bone shapped sponge for inside of fenders, Eagle One A-Z on brake rotors/calipers/wheels & tires with soft scrub brush. Blow off excess water with Black Max dryer and then finish dry everthing with Micro Fiber drying towels.
Once a month go over the complete bike with Porter-Cable 7424 using 5" and 3" yellow or red foam pads with Mothers Machine Wax 2.
Try to keep bike show clean all the time, have kept all my cars/trucks/boats/trailers/bikes the same since I was 15. Bikes takes less time than boats, but still about 2 hours a week. To me it is worth it, to others probably not. I see folks talk about spraying off, blowing dry and I cringe, just the way I am. Ride about 7500 miles a year, not as much as some, but more than others.

I like it, good tips!! 

Depending on what my goal is I have spent days detailing any one of my bikes...polishing rims, detail washing undercarriage, chrome polishing, 3 component hand rubbed paint polish[cleaner, glaze, protectant] (I never use machines).... 

but usually I make sure to just keep them clean, hand wash, rinse and dry.

[mark]

I take off bags and seat.  Put bike on jack.  Use separate water/soap for wheels and tires.  Standard wash and dry takes 3 hrs.  Use cycle dryer to help with the dry down.  Bike sits in A/C and heated garage under dust cover.  Complete detailing: wash/dry, polish chrome, do the wheels, polish paint and wax....about 8-10 hrs.

[Finster101]

Summer is rainy season in SW FLA.  If you are going to keep the bike clean you are going to leave it home.  I don't stress over it much in the summer as I ride to work almost every day and have a good chance of getting caught in the rain coming home (I won't leave the house in the rain if I don't have to)  Come late Oct. it gets a very, very good going over all the way down to laying on the garage floor with brushes to remove anything I can see.  Paint does get several coats o wax throughout the year,  love bugs are hell on paint.  I love having a clean bike.  Used to I would not ride mine if it was dirty, but if you ride everyday you have to have a little leeway for environmental conditions.

[spydglide]

Summer is rainy season in SW FLA.  If you are going to keep the bike clean you are going to leave it home.  I don't stress over it much in the summer as I ride to work almost every day and have a good chance of getting caught in the rain coming home (I won't leave the house in the rain if I don't have to)  Come late Oct. it gets a very, very good going over all the way down to laying on the garage floor with brushes to remove anything I can see.  Paint does get several coats o wax throughout the year,  love bugs are hell on paint.  I love having a clean bike.  Used to I would not ride mine if it was dirty, but if you ride everyday you have to have a little leeway for environmental conditions.

Sounds as if you've got your obsession pretty much under control.    Hell, ain't it?  har.  spyder