Coming Clean: Motorcycle Detailing

For some people it's one of the pleasures of owning a motorcycle. For others it's pure drudgery. But for most cruiser owners, the business of finish care is an essential task. Maintaining their bike's finish is a priority because appearance is usually a major reason why they chose a cruiser.

There are a variety of levels of cleaning your cruiser. A full-court clean and detail may involve stripping your bike down almost to the frame to wash, polish and wax every external part. A simpler clean-up may mean removing the saddle and a few other external pieces that get in the way, such as saddlebags, side covers, and windshield. Out on the road, you may just want to go over the visible pieces with a clean-and-wax product.

Arm Yourself

An essential part of cleaning gear is a large quantity of soft terry-cloth towels. While it's tempting to buy a bag of cheap towels at a discount store, this bargain won't provide you with the softness current finishes require. Although modern clearcoats do a great job of resisting environmental threats, such as acid rain and UV damage, they are also pretty soft physically. Using anything but a very soft towel will scratch them.

These days, many of the test bikes we get already have fine scratches and swirls in the paint. The rags used to clean them were harder than the finish. These scratches can be polished out, but it's better to avoid them. Get a few yards of soft toweling. And remember, any towel or other cleaning, polishing or waxing instrument that gets dropped on the ground should not be used until it is cleaned.

Other implements recommended for a thorough job are a standard kitchen scrub brush, toothbrushes, paintbrushes with soft bristles, sandpaper, cotton swabs and perhaps a scouring pad. Some cleaning systems supply a sponge or other application device, which is probably safe for the types of surfaces the system is designed to clean. A bucket and a hose should round out your tools.

Before you start, remove rings, watches and any other metal pieces on your person that might scratch the bike.

We find that having the bike on a lift, such as the Craftsman Motorcycle Jack, which raises it off the ground and allows the wheels to turn, makes the process much easier by giving access to more parts of the bike. Just cleaning your wheels a couple of times will justify one of these devices.

Washing Up

You take soap and water to your bike when it has collected the kind of grunge that justifies it. A thorough prewash hosing rinses away grit and loosens and softens bug carcasses. Add soap to dissolve other substances (grease, sap, stubborn bug parts, etc.) clinging to the surface.

A lot of people use household soaps to clean their vehicles. There are drawbacks to these products. First, they usually take off existing wax—which isn't a problem if you plan to rewax anyway. Secondly, some dish and other household soaps can corrode aluminum. Finally, dish soap tends to dry out paint. The finish of your good china is probably tougher than that of your motorcycle.

We prefer motorcycle-specific cleaners because they are intended not only for paint but for the various metals, plastics, vinyl and other materials on a motorcycle. They are also formulated to get rid of the dead bugs, road mung and other junk motorcycles typically collect. No matter what kind of soap you use, rinse frequently to keep it from drying on the surface. Avoid getting water in your exhaust pipes.

We prefer a good nozzle on a hose to a pressure washer. If you use a pressure washer, do so with care. The pressure can blast water past seals. Bikes that have been pressure-washed usually have rusty axles, for example, because the water has squirted past the wheel-bearing seals. Keep pressure sprays away from hydraulic brake and clutch components to avoid contaminating the fluid. Pressure spray should also be kept off of electrical parts, instruments, gas caps and chains. The list of parts you need to avoid is so long that pressure washers don't really make sense. Some sources even say they damage the paint.

Virtually all detailing operations should be performed out of direct sunlight. Your bike's surfaces should be cool when you apply cleaning solutions to them. Wet down the surface with plain water before using soap. Using a general motorcycle cleaner, such as Showbike Spray Wash, spray it on the grungy areas then wash it away. If the crud is still there, reapply and scrub. For vertical surfaces, S100 makes a wheel-cleaning gel which, because it is thicker than normal washing solutions, doesn't run off so quickly.

For painted, clearcoated and plastic parts that haven't accumulated grease and grime, dab or spray the cleaner on a wash towel or mitt and scrub gently, rinsing the towel or mitt frequently so it doesn't pick up anything that will scratch. For chrome, billet, engine surfaces and other uncoated metal parts, we use a plastic-bristled paintbrush or toothbrush. The soft paintbrush also works safely on vinyl seats, tires and similar surfaces, and can be used to scrub the softer painted and plastic surfaces. The toothbrush is particularly effective on detailed billet items and screw heads, etc.

If this is a major clean-up, take the time to get into all the crevices and under the engine, fuel tank, swingarm, exhaust pipes and fenders. Take out the battery and thoroughly clean its tray and the areas below it. If any of the area has been attacked by battery acid, thoroughly strip and sand away the damaged paint and corrosion, then reprime and paint.

Warm and Dry

Before you polish, dress or wax, your bike should be completely dry. If this is just a basic clean-up operation, you might want to try a wax-and-dry product, such as Eagle One's Wax As-U-Dry, which applies a light wax while you wipe the bike dry.

You can choose from a variety of drying methods. A chamois does a good job of drying without streaks, but these may strip away some waxes. That soft towel doesn't soak up water quite as aggressively but it is probably gentler on your finish. I recently found some yellow microfiber towels at Costco that are very absorbent and soft and do a great job.

Some people like to use an air compressor to blow water out of the crevices, which is quick and effective. Unfortunately many compressor tanks have oil or dirty moisture in them. Some use a hair dryer.

Heavy-Duty Grunge

Some stuff doesn't succumb to normal washing and scrubbing. When your bike is dry, those hold-out stains are the next thing to tackle. Tar and some saps don't melt with water. You can use a tar remover or other mild solvent for these. I like WD-40, which also works well on chain lube and that unidentifiable brown stuff that builds up under bikes. Keep solvents off your tires and plastics.

For oil and other stains on cylinder fins and other unfinished and unpolished parts, fine sandpaper or a scouring pad is a good bet. These also brighten the aluminum slightly. Be sure there is no coating to damage.

Melted plastic, from rider clothing or blowing debris like plastic bags, is one of the nastiest things that can befall exhaust pipes. Sometimes a stronger solvent such as MEK or acetone will soften this blob. You might try a radiator shop's dunk tank if this doesn't work. Avoid the temptation to scrape it off with metal—either a blade or a scouring pad—which will mar the chrome. Use heavy-duty gloves when you are handling any of these solvents, including WD-40.

A shot of WD-40 (the WD stands for "water dispersing") in the openings of the handlebar and other electrical switches will keep them dry and working smoothly.

Paint-Surface Repair

When your bike's painted parts are clean and dry, look them over and run your fingers across them. If you neither see nor feel any blemishes, you can go ahead and apply wax. If the paint has lost its luster or has another defect, you need to polish or apply some other surface treatment before you wax.

A variety of products improve the condition and appearance of damaged paint. Some, such as Mothers Clay Bar, work mostly above the paint's surface to remove contaminants. To smooth out defects in the paint itself, you need a polish, which all finish-care companies offer. These range from gentle polishes, like S100 Total Cycle Finish Restorer—ideal for taking out fine scratches and swirls—to fairly abrasive treatments like rubbing compound. Some companies have multiple grades. Read the labels attentively to select one that addresses your paint's condition. Start with a milder version and progress to more abrasive treatments if it doesn't work.

Polishing the luster and smoothness back into your paint may require some elbow grease, but if you choose and apply the products properly, you can get a finish that is at least as good as new. Those soft towels will be handy here. Cut or fold them into small squares, and switch to a fresh surface whenever the one you are using gets dirty.

If you have a custom paint job, it is worth asking the painter what specific products he or she recommends for the paint on your bike. There will probably be a waiting period before you should apply anything except soap and water.