Motorcycle Maintenance - cleaning a bike

		Hula and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Kaona - Keeping it Clean

		Kaona is the deeper or "hidden" meaning in a hula. Sort of like a sacred pun. It is what is on the inside, not the external part that you see. It is what gives strength and spirit to a hula. The parts you don't see give strength and spirit to your bike. It is important to do more than just polish the chrome when you clean your bike. You need to really get in there and clean the frame, between the fins, polish the fork tubes, the inside of the fenders. . . all the places you can NOT see are at least as important to keep clean as the places you CAN. That includes the engine, too - change your oil regularly and keep your fuel fresh. I get a real sense of satisfaction knowing that I fully understand my hula, and that from the inner meaning out, I know the dance. I get the same sense of satisfaction from knowing that I have cared for my bike from the inside of the transmission to the covers on the side. And, from a practical, worldly viewpoint, thoroughly cleaning your bike will extend it's life and maintain the value. Dirt holds moisture, and moisture enables rust. All those little pockets of dirt hiding under trim and between components are rust breeders which eventually will affect the strength, performance, and longevity of your motorcycle.
		Great tote bags for gear, lunch or whatever! Click to see more! My Favorite Bike Washing Tools: rags - lots of old, soft, and clean ones newspapers q-tips tooth brushes toilet brush 000 steel wool flexible brush - found them on sale at Walmart once, bought all I could get away with long skinny tweezers and picks for getting stones out of fins and screws out of strange places big paint bucket - I store my stuff in this and sit on it while cleaning the bike second bucket for holding soapy water Other Stuff: Simple Green dish soap waterless cleaner/wax leather/vinyl conditioner - but not the kind that slick up our seat! chrome polish aluminum polish brake cleaner
		Using a System Just as we learn a new hula in a systematic manner, we clean the bike systematically. It dosen't really matter which system you use, so long as you are consistant and get to everything. Me, I start at the top and front, and work down and back, inspecting each component as I go. If the bike is very dirty, I'll wash it first - going for the engine, underbelly, and then the wheels. Then I'l go back up to the top and dry it, going over each part with a waterless cleaner/wax.
		Water or Waterless? I use both, depending on the level of dirt and grease involved. If the bike is filthy, covered in road grime, or oily, I'll gently mist it down with water and spray Simple Green on the engine and wheels. Avoid the paint! Let that set for a while. You can keep busy by pulling off the bags and seats and cleaning them. Mist to rinse, and spray again. Now take that toilet brush and scrub the engine, getting into the fins, between the jugs, and everywhere you can reach - being, as Elmer Fudd would say, "vewwwy, vewwwy carefuw" of all small parts and electrical wiring, connectors, etc. Mist it down and see if it needs another go. Repeat until clean. Now get down and look under the bike. Get all of the grime off the underbelly. While you are down there, check for loose parts, bolts, floppy stuff, oil drips which might indicate leaking seals, etc. Rinse the brush thoroughly and go for the wheels. A soft toilet brush does wonders to get the grime from between spokes, or off detailing on a cast wheel.
		Brakes While you are down at the wheels, take a good look at the brakes. I'm talking about disc brakes right now. Those are the ones that have a flat circular metal thing next to the wheel, and a box at the back edge which encloses a small portion of it. Inside that box are the calipers and pads. Over time and milage, the pads can get a build-up of road grease which needs to be cleaned off. If the bike is grimy enough to wash, there's probably a fair amount of road grease on the brakes. I like to cover my wheels and nearby paint with old newspapers, and then thoroughly clean the brakes with . . . brake cleaner! It comes in an aerosol can with a little tube you poke in the top pushy-downy thing. Stick the tube down the calipers and give the pads a good squirting. If you see gunky stuff running out, keep squirting until the fluid runs clear. Keep your face WELL away from this stuff. Get itin your eyes, and it can blind you. It's not very healthy for the rest of you, either. But neither is brake failure. You'll want to move the bike back and forth a bit to work the cleaner under the pads. When the brakes are clean, roll up the newspapers and put them in your icky toxic rubbish container for proper disposal. Return to scrubbing the wheels. It's likely that some of the fluid got on the tires or other parts. Rinse it off thoroughly. A mild dish soap, well diluted, is good for washing off the painted surfaces. Anyway, back to the wheels. . . After you have finished the wheels with the toilet brush, and gotten into any small hard-to-reach places (like behind the brake calipers) with the toothbrush, rinse, and then spray more Simple Green on the tires. This is where that flexible scrub brush is GREAT! But whatever you have, scrub the tires thoroughly - clean tires stick to the street better and last longer! Use this opportunity to check for nails, cuts, glass, or other nasties in your tires.Give a final rinse, stand up and stretch. We get to go back to the top of the bike!
		And the rest of the bike Now is the time to break out the waterless cleaner. I start with the mirrors, checking them for chips, looseness, etc. and polishing them. The mirror backs, risers, and their fittings are inspected, cleaned, and polished. I start on the left, and work my way across to the right. Then I head down the middle, and clean the instrument housing, again checking for damage, rust, loose parts, etc. In fact, just assume that you will check for these things everywhere you clean!
		Work your way over the fork bridge, down the headlamp, steering head, etc. checking all joins for dirt and rust, cleaning and polishign as you go. It's painstaking, but this inch-by inch cleaning and inspection will pay off in the long run. You will know your bike better than some mechanics! Continue with this process, going from top to bottom, working your way back component by component. Someone once asked my Hunny if he didn't get tired of all that cleaning. He compared it to foreplay, and said, . . . well, never mind what he said, I'm sure you can figure it out!

		An important, though often overlooked, place to keep spotless is the front fork - specifically the slidey-inney tubes. If you take a good look at your bike, you'll see that there are rubber gaskets here. Any rust on the inner tube thingies will damage those gaskets, causing them to leak. That's an expensive fix. Keep them clean and waxed!
		If you give a good thorough cleaning to your bike on a regular basis, then all you need between times is a soft cloth and a little waterless cleaner as needed to catch smudges, stray dirt and bugs, and keep your bike looking its best!

		Any questions? Here are some places to ask them: Hawai`i Motorcyle Forum About Women in Motorcycling About Motorcycles Hawg Ryders All-Harley Tech Forum About Harley-Davidson About Motorcycle Repair