Can you wash down your motorcycle?

Question

I own a 2006 Suzuki GSX-R600 and it is black and gray, so its almost impossible to keep it clean. My friend owns a 1998 Suzuki GSX-R600 and he said he washed his down by spraying it with a water hose. I always thought you didnt want to get your engine wet, but he said he did it and it was fine. So I was wondering if it was okay for me to do this. If not, then what is the best way to keep your bike clean? Any certain products?? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

Answer 1

Certainly. I wash mine all the time.

Answer 2

Yeah, you can definitely wash your bike, AND YOU SHOULD. The grime and grit that comes off the road is highly corrosive and will break down the metal in your bike. It's good to get that stuff off your bike on a regular basis (I wash mine about twice a month).

As was mentioned, it's better to let it cool down first, but water hits a hot engine every time you ride in the rain. Let it cool, then just run the water over it (no high pressure nozzles or anything) to get the main grit off.

Then take a regular car soap (I use Blue Coral or S100) and scrub out the really gritty parts (like around the wheels and the front end where the bugs collect).

Now you can hit it with a high pressure nozzle if you want. Make sure you get all the soap off, DO NOT LET IT DRY on the bike. It'll look like crap.

To dry it, either use one of the towels that won't scratch the finish or take it for a quick ride around the block. I know some people even use leaf blowers to give it a touch-free dry. There are also some machines like small leaf blowers that you can buy just for bikes. These machines are what they use at the dealerships to dry the bikes.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Washing Your Motorcycle

Answer 4

Yep; It's best to wait until the bike cools a bit then wash it with a soft clean cloth soaked in car wash soap and water. Then rinse it with a fine mist spray of water. If you use high pressure, don't get it too close and try not to spray the water onto the speedometer and tach lenses (sometimes the seals will leak.)
Then dry the bike with a leaf blower and/or go for a short ride so that the wind, engine heat and vibration will remove any remaining water.
Mothers FX spray, or Mothers California Gold (Showtime Instant Detailer) work great to shine up the bike between washing/waxing.
Ride safe

Answer 5

OF COURSE, WASH IT! I lay a wet towel on the windshield to help soften the bugs. The windshield is probably the most delicate part on the bike when it comes to washing. It is not made of glass and don't use any glass cleaner or RainX on it. Simply soak it down with a mild detergent and dry by hand or use the leafblower. If the bike isn't too dirty, especially with a lot of grime that could damage the paint I use Harley Gloss and Glaze in between washings for a beautiful shine. Also S100 is a great product too.

Answer 6

What a lot of people don't realise is that excessive riding in the wet can and will damage certain parts of your bike!
Don't worry too much though, if you maintain your machine and carry out inspections before you ride then you won't have a problem.
I would wash your bike but not with high pressure at anything that will let water penetrate. ie: Wheel bearings, they only have lip seals to prevent water from migrating into the bearings. Also, electrical components on your bars and anything under the tank! Don't blast the tank filler cap either.
Of course these are just precautionary means of prevent what happened to my mate a few years back!
He was out riding and wasn't far from my place and called me up to ask for a lift with my trailer.
When I got there to my amazement he showed me the rear wheel of his ZX12R. It had about 2 inches of travel axially.
The rear wheel bearings had failed! He was lucky because he said he was just about to open it up with his wife on the back when it went all wobbly at 100mph!!
Anyway, I usually do a light wash and chamios and follow up with a water soluble degreaser cleaning wheel rims and any tar stuck on the engine and chain guide!

Works a treat!
I don't make a habit of riding in the rain but what can you do!
I'm lucky because the bike isn't my sole means of transportation but if it was, I would make sure you carry out little checks more often to prevent what happened to my mate!

Anyway mate, good luck and keep riding!

Answer 7

It's ok. People ride in the rain all the time and the engine gets wet. Just wash it like you'd wash a car. I'd let the engine and pipes cool down before you wash it though.

Answer 8

I have owned several bikes and they are my daily drivers in the summer rain or shine.
When you get stuck in a tropical down pour on the interstate things get pretty wet even soaked through my gortex riding suite on a 2.5hr ride in thunderstorms, so its safe to get the motor wet.
In your case you have a liquid cooled bike, so no high pressure directly on the radiator, it bends fins.
Keep the rubber down and enjoy you bike.

Answer 9

Stay away from the high pressure wand in the car wash and you should be OK. Run the engine after you dry the body work to dry it off.

Answer 10

Sunny day rider? That's ok.
Yes, you can wash it. You should. If you want to be gentle, that's fine. Just watch your seals and gaskets. High pressure can force water where it shouldn't go.