1) Unless it gets covered in mud, infrequently. Usually before dropping it off for tires or if I'm going to be working on it. If the car gets washed I'll often wheel out the bikes and wash them as well.
2) Have a chain oiler. "Clean" is wipe down with a paper towel as a gas station if it's really dusty (often is here)
3) ATF Relatively cheap, doesn't attract dirt badly, very consistent
4) If you really need very dirty to very clean, truck wash is the go to BUT you have to wash it off completely afterwards and ideally ride the bike until it's dry. (Tends to eat aluminium if it's left on there)

 

IF (and only if) it's a new bike. Ceramic coating is the way to go. Doesn't cost much for enough to do 20 bikes. (~$50). Won't work if the bike starts dirty.

 

dirty bike is a theft deterrent when parked next to shiny bikes

 

1. During the normal course of riding, never. Although I've been known to give my headlights a wipe. But I might give it a rinse before maintenance to keep myself a bit clean.

2. Never. I've got a Scottoiler chain oiler which keeps a thin film of oil on the chain, so dirt just flings off. In the past I used a wax spray and tried to apply it at every fill-up (300 km or so). But, like others, I always overdid things so at every service I had to go into the front sprocket area to scrape the excess wax, mixed with road grime, out of there. Messy job. For this reason I would not recommend anything that solidifies (like wax) to lube a chain. Always use something that stays liquid, like oil of some sort.

 

For me I oil the chain after alomost every tank fill up (thanks to VTom) and clean my shield as needed to be nice and clear. Washing the bike maybe once or so a season and only when really dirty etc. And then once before winter storage. Chain never really is cleaned if well lubed. I do occasionly give the tank and instrument cluster a quick rub down.

 

Depends on which bike. The Wing gets lots of bugs on it and try to wash it after each riding event depending on the weather/temperature. No bugs yet but it hasn't been out of the building yet either. No chain, no maintenance/cleaning.
V-Strom gets washed after a muddy or dusty tour of the logging or forestry roads. Not much chain "cleaning", oil it with chainsaw bar/chain oil aprox after every other outing. New chain/sprockets last season.
Always wash at home. Hose and bucket w/Dawn dish soap and Zip wax solution. Cleans and beads water well. No car wash or pressure wash.
I don't spend a lot of time with cosmetic appearance on the V. It's got it's share of character marks with more to come.

 

A bucket, some car-wash soap, a microfiber cloth and a low-preeure hose to rinse takes care of everything except rear wheel, chain guard, chain and sprocket(s)
Wet cloth on windshield while washing rest makes it easy to clean without scratching.
I follow up with a coat of Carnauba Wax on all painted surfaces and polished steel (fork tubes)
That is once a season and allows a good overview of condition, etc.
As for the chain, Every tank or so, wipe down with a cloth to remove surface dirt, apply new chain lube (for me, 75w gear oil) and wipe again to remove excess oil and dirt.
Ride, repeat as needed.
When rear wheel gets sufficiently coated with oil/dust, a rag with either kerosene, WD-40, or paint thinner will easily remove the gunk and the rim can be polished with a soft cloth afterwards. This is also the time to clean out front sprocket area. A small paint brush and som kerosene works nicely for this—fresh lube after.
No strong cleaners/detergents/degreasers, NO power washers, no chain waxes and no Armor-All.
Ride, repeat as needed.

 

I wash it when it gets dirty, usually bugs. I like the Dupont teflon chain lube since it dries dry and doesn't attract dirt. I typically lube it after rain or maybe once-twice per month.

Rejex is a great wax type product. Multiple coats provide a DEEP shine.
SC1 is a great easy spray on silicone polish. Advertised as "New Bike in a Can" and I am a firm believer. Smells good too.

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I use a garden hose and one of those garden hose-end sprayers filled with car-wash soap. That'll melt away a lot of dirt. Just dial in the desired amount of suds. Then (every so often) I'll take a wash mitt to it and then give it the "once over". An occasional detail will will help to detect any issues before they become problems (i.e. loose fasteners)

The chain gets lubed every few hundred miles with something in an aerosol can with the words "chain lube" on the label. . When it gets really cruddy, it gets sprayed down with WD-40 and left to soak overnight. A good wipe-down the next morning with an old thread-bare terricloth towel usually does the trick.

 

I use a garden hose and one of those garden hose-end sprayers filled with car-wash soap. That'll melt away a lot of dirt. Just dial in the desired amount of suds. Then (every so often) I'll take a wash mitt to it and then give it the "once over". An occasional detail will will help to detect any issues before they become problems (i.e. loose fasteners)

View attachment 315427

The chain gets lubed every few hundred miles with something in an aerosol can with the words "chain lube" on the label. . When it gets really cruddy, it gets sprayed down with WD-40 and left to soak overnight. A good wipe-down the next morning with an old thread-bare terricloth towel usually does the trick.

This is a good plan, the hose-end sprayer works great for distributing soapy suds. The WD-40 does a great job removing chain grime and keeping the o-rings moving well. You don't want WD-40 on your pads or caliper, so I take a few paper towels folded over on each other, then place them between the chain and the chain slider on the upper section of the swingarm just behind the pivot. Spray the section of the chain over the towel. Roll the rear wheel forward so a new chain section is over the towel, repeat. Wipe off the excess with clean towels. Apply some gear oil using something like an Elmer's glue bottle. A really great chain oiler is called Tutoro.

 

1) once a year
2) never/ every 1000 km
3) nothing / S100
4)

 

I rag wash my bikes when they look dirty, don't ever hose down. Chains get wiped off with a rag and WD-40, I don't ever lube a quality modern x or o ring chain. Good for 30k with that routine.
Just did 1200 miles on my Ducati in 2 days of rain and snow - didn't look at chain and don't plan on it.

 

when I wash my bike I always use S100, love that stuff.

 

Where do you buy it?

 

I have a Tutoro oiler and just turn it up a lot while riding when I want to clean it. Have not touched it since I bought the bike 20,000 KM ago. I do clean the wheel of oil and Gunk and use S100 cleaner and a bristle paint brush followed by a rinse and blow with compressed air probably once during the year and once in the Fall.

 

Have you heard of the Snoto chain cover? Snoto CleandisC Chain Guard Review Video

Got one on order. Am looking forward to hopefully making rear wheel cleaning a bunch easier and less frequent.

 

Bucket,Meguiars car wash,micro fiber towel when dirty.Finish with Bike spirits wipe down.
Wet towel on windshield, mirrors, front of bike,after almost every ride to keep bugs off.
Clean chain with wd40 and rag, lube with gear oil every 2 tanks of gas.

 

I clean the windscreen, headlight cover, turn signals, brake lights and instrument panel whenever they start looking dirty. I've had the bike 4 years now I think and I've never washed it. It's dirty. I wash all my other ones but for some reason the Vstrom has always seemed more "utilitarian" to me, not that I don't care about the bike, I just don't care how it looks. Still my favorite bike I've had so far.

Chain - I use PJ1 blue label on it. Lube it every 3-4 months or whenever I'm bored and happen to be in the garage.

Soap - I bought a foam cannon from harbor freight and used it on my corvette. I really like it. You will go through more soap but it covers nice and thick.

 

Washed when I ride it in the rain. Clean screen when needed. Chain wiped off once a month and lubed when I change oil about every 3-4 months with Dupont, even though I really don't think it needs it.

 

1) How often do you wash your bike? When ever it rains while riding.

2) How often do you clean and lube your chain? Clean, never. Lube when stopping for the night or end of ride.

3) What do you use to clean it/to lube it? I lube with DuPont Chain Saver.

4) If you have tried the cleaner "Bike Brite," how well did it work? Never used it.

 

The bike gets washed once after every time I drop it in the mud. Hose and rags with some dish soap. Chain gets lubed about once every tank of fuel, and after anytime I ride in the rain. At home I wipe it with a rag soaked in ATF, on the road I use a spray-on oil, I just find it easier to deal with than the ATF. I don't clean my chains, I find if I keep them lubed they don't really get dirty.

 

Washed about every 2 tanks of gas. Much nicer to ride without the windshield covered in bugs.
Chain lubed after each wash.

 

I would not do as I do !!!

I have 32 bikes in my sheds and 2005 was the last time any got a wash.

I have never in my 53 year riding career cleaned a chain.

I have a can of chain lube and it would be about 10 years old, my chain will get a quick squirt before a multiday ride as I'm loading my bike with the holiday gear, it will not get another squirt till the next big ride, I treat chains like tires, they wear out & it's part of owing a bike.

 

Install a Tutoro or something similar and be done with lubing and cleaning of chains.
As for cleaning the rest of the bike, that's a personal thing, and dependent on the type of riding and environment. In my case, I put on at least 400 kms/week year round in all kinds of nasty weather. If my hose is frozen, I don't wash the bike. If it is above freezing, I might wash the thing a half dozen times a year. I just use a hose and regular car wash soap and a rag. Sometimes a bristle brush thingy to get the hard to reach places. If I'm just back from a big bug splatter ride, I'll make sure to get that stuff off. My biggest concern is road salt. Again, not everybody rides in the same conditions, so methods will vary.

 

I wash my bikes with soap, water and hose several time a year when it warrants like after a trip where we rode in rain and/or encounter lots of bugs. In between washes I use Dollar General furniture polish and microfiber towels to keep dust and light dirt at bay. I like a clean bike but am not a fanatic.

I don't have a chain drive bike currently but when I did it was passively cleaned and lubed it every second the rear wheel was moving, via a Scott Oiler. With a continuous oiler there is no need to scrub and re-lube the chain it does it automatically. Top up the reservoir with a few ounces of ATF and ride for 600 to 1000 miles before need to top it up again. Makes owning a chain drive bike almost as simple as shaft drive bike and the chain and sprockets last 2 to 4X longer. Also once dialed in the chain oiler is really no moredirth that topical chain lubes that fling once they get warm.

 

Chain, have a tuturo.

Cleaning the bike, really just spot wash, or if it was driven in muddy areas might get a real wash. Not often. Spot wash, clean and wax painted metal like the tank by hand, no suds bucket, maybe S100 or the like. The regular washing is really headlights and windshield, again hand spray type stuff.

 

For those who don't have fork gaitors fitted, do remember to include washing / cleaning off any dried out bugs and other road grim from the fork tubes. This maintenance step helps reduce the fork tubes pitting. Your fork seals will thank you in the long run.

 

yes, i forget to add that. I probably do this the most out of all my cleaning, microfiber and silicone spray or WD40. I only use a light spray on the rag, and pretty much wipe it all off afterward just to help clean and give a bit of slickness to help stiction

 

I wash my bike a few times a year. Bucket, car soap, wash mitt and brushes. I don't like riding a filthy bike. The Strom has a lot of nooks and crannies to get into if you want it really clean and detailed, mostly around the engine. Depends how fussy you are.

When I had a Strom or other chain-driven bikes, I typically had to resort to degreaser and a (reasonably stiff) brush to get rid of all the residue, although that was greatly reduced by using a good lube. Because it's meant to cling tenaciously and not wash off, it's not easy to clean up.

The chain I would lube whenever it looked like it might need it. Typically once a day when touring seemed to be sufficient. The last lube I used regularly was the DuPont Chainsaver aerosol. Minimal fling, seemed to do its job, a big part of which is just avoiding rust if it gets wet, and protecting the o/x/w-rings. Gave up actually cleaning the chain 20 years ago. Too much work and mess for too little reward. Might even actually shorten the chain life. But I had a shiny bike with a shiny gold-anodized chain, so I had to keep it looking good.