After all the off-road shrills and thrills on your dirt bike, having to clean it may seem boring and laborious. But, it need not be! Practice makes you do it perfectly. You have to understand how to do it properly and efficiently. Regardless of how muddy and grimy your bike is, you will have the “antidote” to quickly getting all the muck off. This will make you ready for your next bike play ride or downright serious training.
Handy Tips Before You Start To Clean A Dirt Bike
Before you start, ensure you have the materials and equipment at hand. This way you will not interrupt the process by having to run to your local store midway.
You will need to protect some of the more sensitive sections. For example, exhaust plug and the air filter, so that you do not accidentally fill them with the soapy water.
It is best to work from the top to the bottom and in this order – plastics, engine, tires, linkage and fork.
Materials And Equipment You Will Need
Materials – plastic bags, cork, products for cleaning bikes or Simple Green detergent, wash mitt, stick brush, bucket, bug and tar pad, soft round pad, silicone-based spray for plastics (DO NOT USE on the seat and grips) and wiping cloths.
Equipment – rear stand (ideally) that will give access to the underneath of the bike, garden hose with nozzle, air box cover, air compressor.
How To Clean A Dirt Bike – The Process
Start
- Protect your dirt bike by closing up the exhaust plug with a wine cork or clean rag.
- If your bike is not that dirty, a good hosing down, some scrubbing and a wipe-down should be sufficient to clean it.
- However, if you have made your bike very dirty with mud and grime, you will need to do a pre-soak by spraying on or working in a 50:50 Simple Green detergent and water mix. The greasy parts will need a pre-soaking of at least 5 minutes while the muddy non-grimy sections need a shorter pre-soak time of 2 minutes.
The best way will be to apply the mix onto the greasier parts first, wait 3 minutes before working the soapy mix into the non-greasy sections. If the grease does not budge, you may have to use a spray degreaser.
The Cleaning Stage Of How To Clean A Dirt Bike
Next is the cleaning process. Use a garden hose with nozzle to rinse away the pre-soaked caked mud and grime. Avoid using a power washer as any slight incorrect angling will cause the loosened grits to get lodged into your bike’s seals, bearings and electrical parts. Thus, creating even more work for yourself. If you really must use a power washer, limit its use to areas such as the plastics, tires and skid plate. The air filter and drive train chains will have to be cleaned and oiled as well.
Give the bodywork several good rinses before going over with a clean wash cloth. Thereafter, dry it off with a chamois and leave to air dry on your kickstand. Or, start it up and run till warm to ensure it is properly drained out of water.
The Finishing Stage Of How To Clean A Dirt Bike
Finish off by using a silicone-based spray to clean and protect the plastic surfaces. This works to keep it clean by repelling dust and dirt.
Cleaning a dirt bike differs from cleaning a motorcycle in that although the overall basic approach is similar, when it comes down to the details, how to clean a dirt bike is less tedious, quicker and can be done with simple equipment and materials you are likely to find in your garage.
Conclusion
In addition to what we suggested above, how to clean a dirt bike regime, it is advisable to send it off for a professional detailing from time to time. Appearance aside, you want to have professionals give your dirt bike a thorough once over to optimize it for its best performance on the tracks.
As professional detailers, our DetailXPerts team handles a wide variety of bikes and their challenges on a daily basis. We leave no stones unturned and are here to enhance your dirt bike on three levels – the look, the ride and the performance – using the best techniques, tools and practices. If your interest is piqued, head on over to schedule an appointment with us. You will be pleased you did.
