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[Hank Hankerson]

I don't get that crazy with my dad's bike and neither does he.  Basic wash just to clean off road grime, tar, and bugs.  I use brake cleaner on the undercarriage when it gets really caked because that's how we used roll at the H-D shop.  I'm thinking I need to try the Glare products everyone's raving about on here.  I'll have to track some of that down.  Otherwise it just Wizards Mist and Shine and done...but then again, I don't ride it in the rain.

[ScreaminEagleRoadGlide]

im wondering to what extent do people go to when the do a complete detail, i remove bags, seat, side panels, floor boards, passender pegs, my wife says im crazy , how many other crazy people do that ? by the way it takes me about 3 hrs to wash, wax and polish everything and i do mean everything

I am in the business of bike detailing. I always remove all detachable parts and accessories (saddlebags, side panels, seat, windshield, etc) I do not remove the floor boards and pegs.

I put the bike on a lift, give it a thorough wash and degrease, blow dry, then wax, polish, shine everything top to bottom. The entire process takes a solid 4-5 hours, some bikes longer.

I keep my own bikes looking as though they never get ridden. Immaculate!

[firefighter156]

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

My routine isn't exactly like yours but close.  I have always taken pride in what I own.  I guess I can be called OCD but I could think of worse things to be called.  I find it very therapeutic and I get a great sense of pride when complemented on how beautiful my bike looks. To each his own i guess.

[firefighter156]

My routine isn't exactly like yours but close.  I have always taken pride in what I own.  I guess I can be called OCD but I could think of worse things to be called.  I find it very therapeutic and I get a great sense of pride when complemented on how beautiful my bike looks. To each his own i guess.

Sorry misfire.  Wrong post

[firefighter156]

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.

My routine isn't exactly like yours but close.  I have always taken pride in what I own.  I guess I can be called OCD but I could think of worse things to be called.  I find it very therapeutic and I get a great sense of pride when complemented on how beautiful my bike looks. To each his own i guess.

[MadCVORG]

I'm probably OCD; all my vehicles are pretty clean.  I enjoy an evening in the shed with the radio, a beer and a cigar, just to unwind. But I usually don't clean on the weekends; can't cut into the riding time. I don't mind getting the bike dirty, and don't believe in 100% show-quality, but frequent upkeep goes a long way.

[Deep Blue Dives]

The washing has gotten more difficult as the water restrictions increased last year to a present stage 3 in our town.  Water the lawn twice a month, hand watering and watering of the foundation allowed, and NO vehicle washing!!!

I don't wash my bike often unless I ride in the rain, and get all the road junk everywhere on it.  Once it is nice and clean, I cover it in my garage to keep the dust from settling on it when I am not riding.  If I am cruising around town, I will carry the cover with me and toss it over the bike, especially in summer - keeps the dust off and the seat from heating up too much.  On a road trip, I will only clean the windshield and remove large bug splatter.  That is time to ride, not be cleaning.

When washing, I will remove the bags, but leave the side covers on to keep water out from where it should'nt get into.  I will remove the seat, and backrest (when attached) last so I can use leather cleaner to both clean and protect those investments.  I then can dirt off of the frame too.  This is my first bike with side covers, but I could only realistically see myself taking those off after a rain ride.

In order to get around the water restrictions, I have gotten creative with my hand watering, so I can wash my bike.  I pull my bike up on the grass, put down a kick stand puck.  Fill a bucket with water and use a soaked washing mit with my cleaner liberally applied.  I set in on the paint to moisten before moving it around.  I do a section at a time, so I can rinse with another non-soapy mitt to rinse the soap off.  Once I have it completley washed, I will use a battery powered leaf blower to blow off the large pools of water, then take a shammy to her in order to remove every last drop of water with no spotting.  I hate water spots!  I will only wax 1-2 times a year - and I use another wet based product for this.

Every month in the warm weather, one of the dealerships will have a few bikini girls hand washing bikes - a good alternative when I don't feel like messing with it.  I still find myself doing a better job of drying the bike afterwards, but it is a nice alternative.

The bike definately get's way more attention than my car.  I have to take that to a car wash right now - the code enforcers cruise the neighborhoods on the weekends looking for water violators.  (not a cheap ticket)

[sleepybare]

IMHO you all work to hard. I ride my bike to the same car wash which does my vehicles. They take the bags off and hand wash it including under the frame and motor,  dry it off, clean the wheels, polish all of the chrome and clay bar all of the tins before applying  2 coats of wax. Then the put it all back together. It takes them about 2 hours and they give me a chair and a soda so I can watch the entire process form the comfort of the covered detail area.  They charge me $45.00 for the entire process.   

[spada84]

IMHO you all work to hard. I ride my bike to the same car wash which does my vehicles. They take the bags off and hand wash it including under the frame and motor,  dry it off, clean the wheels, polish all of the chrome and clay bar all of the tins before applying  2 coats of wax. Then the put it all back together. It takes them about 2 hours and they give me a chair and a soda so I can watch the entire process form the comfort of the covered detail area.  They charge me $45.00 for the entire process.   

I hope you leave a hell of a tip. 

[Midnight Rider]

I have found two great products for a waterless wash (unless the bike is just really filthy): Griot's Spray-On Wash with their green microfiber cloths, and their Speed Shine with their blue cloths.  If you've just got some bugs and normal riding dirt/dust on the bike, it works great.  Actually, it will do it even if really dirty, but then it's easier to just wash it with soap/water.

If they detail your bike like that for $45, I probably wouldn't do it myself either.

[Buy early]

IMHO you all work to hard. I ride my bike to the same car wash which does my vehicles. They take the bags off and hand wash it including under the frame and motor,  dry it off, clean the wheels, polish all of the chrome and clay bar all of the tins before applying  2 coats of wax. Then the put it all back together. It takes them about 2 hours and they give me a chair and a soda so I can watch the entire process form the comfort of the covered detail area.  They charge me $45.00 for the entire process.   

Up here were there aren't detail shops on every corner (I used to live in San Diego), a detail job like that would cost at least $90. Count your blessings!

[Dr.D]

I like my bikes and my car to look nice. The truck on the other hand is left less well cared for.

Very few see my bikes and guess they are three years old with thousands of miles on them and I like it that way. On road trips they get dirty but at home they get at least a detail wipe down after each ride. These things  are works of art for me deserve to be kept clean and shinny. I don't  however remove pegs and floorboards.

[mlbraptor]

I hand wash my bike after every ride. Dust and bugs are everywhere. I enjoy cleaning it..

[spydglide]

I hand wash my bike after every ride. Dust and bugs are everywhere. I enjoy cleaning it..

And a added benefit of the frequent hand wash is you get to closely inspect all of the bike and identify anything that might be a early problem by 'touching' everything.  spyder

[MadCVORG]

  Amen to that!