Shiny & Clean: Thoroughly cleaning your motorcycle in 4 steps

Dry cleaning or cleaning with water?

There are two ways to clean your motorcycle. You can clean the motorcycle dry (washing without water), or clean with water and shampoo. Either way, washing your motorcycle doesn’t have to be an annoying chore. It’s a moment of appreciation for your motorcycle, where you can make your motorcycle shine again. We rid the motorcycle of fine sand that can cause scratches, the collected bugs on the headlight, accumulated dirt in all the crevices of the engine and grease and brake dust that has collected on the rims. This way, we can proudly present our motorcycle or prepare it for the next ride.

Dry Cleaning

Don’t have much time and want to quickly clean the motorcycle without using water? Then you can rely on UNPASS Thunderbolt cleaning wipes. This container contains 80 cleaning wipes and a microfiber cloth to dry everything. Some colleagues at RAD swear by this, and not just for the motorcycle, also for cleaning a bicycle or your workspace. Two to three wipes should suffice to clean your motorcycle.

If your motorcycle is full of mud or stubborn dirt, we recommend washing your motorcycle with water.

What do you need to thoroughly clean your motorcycle?

• Two buckets
• Garden hose or high-pressure cleaner (if available)
• Shampoo or motorcycle cleaning agent
• Soft sponge, soft-bristled brushes, and microfiber cloths
• Rim cleaner
• Chain cleaner and chain spray
• Exhaust plug
• Wax and paint renewers (optional)
• Chrome and metal polish (optional)

Tips before you start cleaning

Avoid Sun and Heat

Do not clean your motorcycle under the full sun and ensure that the engine block is cold. A warm engine block causes the cleaning agent to burn into it, resulting in damage to the paintwork.

Wash your motorcycle in a suitable place

Most people wash their motorcycle on their driveway or free space in front of their house. If there is a separate sewage system, then the water drainage on the public road is only intended for the discharge of rainwater to purify into drinking water. In this case, after washing your motorcycle, you need to discharge the dirty water via the sewage connected to your home.

If there is no separate sewage system, we recommend using ecological products. This way, fewer harmful substances end up in it. Future generations will thank you.

If you clean the motorcycle during the summer, it’s important not to do this under the full midday sun. The water will evaporate too quickly and the drying of your motorcycle will yield a less beautiful result.

Prevent Scratches

Fill a bucket with lukewarm water and special motorcycle shampoo, fill the other bucket with clean water to rinse your dirty sponge, brush or cloth each time. This way less dirt ends up in the bucket with shampoo and you prevent scratches.

Cleaning the Motorcycle

Step 1: Hosing down the motorcycle

Use a garden hose or high-pressure washer at the lowest pressure to thoroughly rinse the engine and wash away a large part of the loose dirt and soak off stubborn dirt. Let gravity do the work when rinsing and always rinse from top to bottom. Use an exhaust plug to prevent water from flowing into your exhaust, or just be careful

Step 2: Wash the entire motor

Washing with shampoo: Gently wash the entire motorcycle body. Work from top to bottom to prevent dirt from landing on already cleaned surfaces. Use a soft sponge to wash large areas and easily accessible parts, use cleaning brushes with soft bristles to polish hard-to-reach places like engine fins or complicated parts. Those who prefer to clean as much as possible by hand, can use the Muc-Off scrubber gloves.

Washing with motorcycle cleaner spray: Those who prefer to work with a spray can use a motorcycle cleaner. You spray this on the wet motorcycle and let it work for five to fifteen minutes. After this, you can rub a bit where necessary with a soft sponge or brush.

Then wash the rims of the motorcycle. Rims are difficult to clean because of all the brake dust, chain grease, and stubborn dirt that ends up on the rims. This stubborn dirt requires a special cleaning agent and a slightly harder rim brush. Powerful enough to clean everything and safe enough not to damage your rims. Therefore, it is recommended to use a good rim cleaner and wheel brush. Let the rim cleaner soak in before you start scrubbing.

If your chain deserves maintenance, this is the perfect time to do so. Read our motorcycle chain maintenance blog and discover all the tips to bring this to a successful conclusion.

Step 3: Rinse and dry the engine

Rinse the motorcycle thoroughly with cold water to remove all soap, wax, and degreasing residues. Ensure that no traces of the cleaning products remain on the motorcycle.

Use clean microfiber cloths or a chamois to dry the motorcycle. Rinse these out often enough to prevent you from picking up dirt and causing scratches. It is important to dry the motorcycle properly to prevent water spots from forming on your paint. These occur if you let droplets of water or traces of the shampoo dry under the sun.

Step 4: Polishing and Protecting

As a final step, apply a suitable motorcycle wax or use polish to make parts shine. For this, you can rely on all our wax and paint renewers. Depending on the type of paint, you will need different products to make your motorcycle shine again or keep it matte. Most gloss products contain beeswax and/or Carnauba wax to provide the motorcycle with a protective layer against rain and dirt. Use chrome and metal polish where necessary, so your motorcycle looks like new again.

More than just cleaning your motorcycle

If you regularly clean your motorcycle, you can continue to draw the attention of other motorcycle enthusiasts who will recognize the beauty of your motorcycle on the street, along with the accompanying compliments. Cleaning your motorcycle is also a moment when you consciously or unconsciously focus on the various lines in the design that were once so carefully designed by a team of designers/motorcyclists with a shared passion for motorcycles. Fun to do, with a clean end result.

Related links:

• Motorcycle cleaning products
• Cleaning brushes and tools
• Wax and paint renewers