what NOT to do when pressure washing my bike ?

cowasucky

Member
Feb 23, 2009
170
0
I'm about to put on a new exhaust and ofcourse jet my carberator. I want to wash my bike REALLY well before I go to pulling the carb and exposing the "innards" to dirt & dust. As stupid as it may sound, can someone describe for me the best way to really clean your bike .....and please include any of those "what never to do's". I know to plug the silencer, but do I use a degreaser ? Where and where not ? Is there a certain cleaner that is safe or works best ? thanks guys !
 

julien_d

Member
Oct 28, 2008
1,788
1
s100 total cycle cleaner is amazing, but really expensive.

I would not pressure wash at all. I soak mine down really well with diluted simple green, let soak, and then rinse with hot water from the water heater.
 

cowasucky

Member
Feb 23, 2009
170
0
julien_d said:
s100 total cycle cleaner is amazing, but really expensive.

I would not pressure wash at all. I soak mine down really well with diluted simple green, let soak, and then rinse with hot water from the water heater.


Allright..... I like it ! Simple yet effective...just how I like it, not to mention I have a full bottle of simple green on my van now. Just to verify, this process will remove oil & dirt build up from around the carb, linkage, ect... ?
 

digifox

Member
May 25, 2006
207
1
Go a head Pressure wash it!
I used to.

Just make sure you have a good seal on everything(Carb/airbox joints)
Also the Stater cover.

other then that Blast away...
 

Patman

Pantless Wonder
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 26, 1999
19,765
1
Pull the seat and all the plastic because you want to have room to work anyway and it will let you clean areas that have not seen soap in forever. Then soak it down and spray it off with a hose or pressure washer. Just make sure no to spray directly in areas where you might not want water to stay. Seals, pivot points, intake, airbox... basically the old addage still applied STUPID HURTS, DON'T BE STUPID. Common sense while not real common these days is really not that hard to find.
 

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2007
4,697
3
Simple Green and the pressure washer has never let me down. Just avoid all seals and points of entry/exit of the engine.
 

2strokerfun

Member
May 19, 2006
1,500
1
I just try and not point the end of the pressure washer at the end of the silencer. then I start it up and warm it up after I wash it. Park it until next time.
 

jayhedrick

~SPONSOR~
Mar 10, 2009
81
0
i pressure wash mine all the time... never done any harm at all
 

cowasucky

Member
Feb 23, 2009
170
0
All great advice...all MUCH apreciated !!!! One thing that hasn't been detailed is detailing the engine itself. I have dried up oil mixed with dirt, grease, blood, urine, moon dust, God knows what all has accumulated on there and been baked on. I need to pull my carb to do some pilot cleaning, inspection and jetting.... I want to avoid getting any of that "biohazard" down in the buisness end. The Simple Green & hot water worked great on everything else, but didn't touch the grimey goop plastred all over the carb, hoses, linkage, ect... I even tried a little brush with no luck. There's a really strong degreaser called purple power that works great on my car, but. I'm conserned that letting it soak on those parts may damaged the seals, hoses or anything it seeps into. Any methods or products good for detailng the engine and all it's delicate lady parts ??? Sure, maybe I'm dragging this out, making it a bigger problem than it is, but believe me with my luck.......one little pIece of trash will get somewhere it shouldn't and wait untill I've just committed on a 60ft double to cause my bike to stall. Once again, and I mean this.........thanks for taking the time guys !!!!
 

rdwhytcross

Member
Jun 17, 2009
4
0
Just a thuoght but have you tried using "truck wash" I have been riding enduro over here in Aus off and on all my life and have never found anything better or more cost affective :ride: :ride: :ride: CHEERS Raymond.
 

sr5bidder

Member
Oct 27, 2008
1,463
0
greased lightening from the dollar store is decent for the engine gunk use a plastic knife and cheap dental tools from big lots or harbor frieght to break down the thick stuff before application of the greased lightening..

Also I would remove the tank aswell and hit that area with cleaner before opening the engine... most hazard of falling debri lies in the wires and frame tube above the engine.

I always turn the presure down on my power washer when doing motorcycles ...I found with full pressure (1200psi) decals don't stick around to long!!!
 

doodman

Member
Jun 15, 2009
7
0
My buddy that talked me into buying my first dirtbike last fall always pressure washes first, adds some simple green (I don't think he dilutes it, full strength)... lets it sit for a few minutes and then rinses with the pressure washer. He always uses at plug in the silencer while washing. His bike ALWAYS looks like it just came off the showroom floor! Immaculate!
 

monqy

Member
Dec 9, 2003
1
0
Try Bean Clean. It works just as well as kerosene, but it is made from soy so it doesn't attack plastic and rubber. Just be sure to rinse with water afterwards since it leaves a slight residue. It worked wonders on a basketcase kx125 I just bought (my first dirt bike).
 
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