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How To Clean Your Motorcycle

Jun. 17 2021 Maintenance By Willamette Valley Harley-Davidson®

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A motorcycle is more than an efficient way to commute—it’s a powerful, compact, and agile way to express yourself and chase down that horizon. But those expeditions are bound to get your bike dirty with bug splatter, airborne dust, mud, and more. We here at Willamette Valley Harley-Davidson know a clean motorcycle is safer and less likely to get damaged, so we’ve put together some tips for cleaning yours. To learn more, or to see the motorcycles we have for sale, contact our store in Eugene, Oregon, today!

The Right Spot

You’ll want to wash your bike somewhere out of direct sunlight. Sunshine can cause soap to dry onto the bike, causing streaks and water spots, which is counterproductive.

The Right Supplies

You’ll need the right supplies to do this successfully, including:

  • A cleaner tailored to the materials you’re working with (ie, leather, vinyl, aluminum, etc).
  • Soft sponges or microfiber rags to get rid of caked-on gunk.
  • Brushes for the wheels.
  • Cloths, flannels, or towels for drying.
  • A compressed air can, hair dryer, or leaf blower.

The Right Prep

Get your bike ready for the washing process, but first make sure it’s fully cooled down from your last ride. Using cold water on a warm motorcycle can be disastrous!

Once it’s cooled, plug up the exhaust to keep water from entering it and damaging the engine or other systems. Use a cloth, glove, or rubber plug.

Washing

Soak And Rinse

Mix together some water and your primary cleaner. Spray this on your bike to loosen up any caked-on dirt and lower the amount of time you’ll be scrubbing. Rinse the mixture off with a garden hose or other low-pressure hose, since high pressure washers can damage your bike.

Scrub

Starting from the top of your motorcycle, scrub the entire surface with your cleaner. This will help you keep track of where you’ve cleaned and where you haven’t. If the sponge or rag gets too dirty, rinse it out—and the same applies to your bucket of cleaner. 

Remember to scrub softly to avoid damaging the paint. Once you’ve scrubbed everything, rinse it off again thoroughly.

Dry

Now the bike is clean, you’ll want to dry it with the cloth or towels you’ve gathered for this. For any hard-to-reach areas, use the compressed air, hair dryer, or leaf blower. If you use a hair dryer, keep the temperature low.

After everything is dry, lube up your motorcycle chain. The cleaning likely removed some of the existing lubricant, so you’ll want to top that off. 

We hope this guide helps you keep your motorcycle clean and healthy! If you have any questions, need help with cleaning or maintenance, or just want to see the motorcycles we have in stock, contact us at Willamette Valley Harley-Davidson. We proudly serve the people of Albany and Corvallis, Oregon—let us serve you today!