Whether it’s covered in splattered bugs from a weekend ride or just gathering dust in the garage, keeping your bike clean bike will turn heads and help keep your finishes protected and free from corrosion.

For those looking for information on how to wash a motorcycle for the first time, we’ve got you covered with some step-by-step instructions to keep your new baby looking fresh.

Now, let’s roll up our sleeves and jump into the cleaning process to keep your bike in tip-top shape.

Step-By-Step Instructions: How To Wash A Motorcycle

This is the process that we use every time. You only need a few things, and washing a motorcycle doesn’t take too much time!

1. Prepare the Area and Your Bike

If you’re lucky enough to have a garage with a floor drain and a designated wet area, you can just do a quick sweep. For the rest of us, the great outdoors is the spot.

Find a shady area to park your bike in, and give the area a sweep before you park your bike there, relieving your work zone of dirt and debris.

It’s best to get a front and rear track stand for the bike, giving you easy access to the bike’s chain and wheels, allowing you to turn the wheels as you go.

2. Gather Your Cleaning Supplies

Here’s a list of the basic items you’ll need:

• Hose with an adjustable nozzle
• Two Buckets: We like the 2-gallon buckets.
• Sponges or Cleaning Mitts: We use this double-sided mitt.
• Soft Brushes: We recommended getting a few different sizes to be able to cover big and small areas.
• Chain Brush: This Tirox 360 Spiral brush works great; a good alternative is this multi-sided brush.
• Microfiber Cloth: More than one is better! It’s easier to buy them by the pack to keep a good supply in stock.
• Steel Wool (optional): If you’ve got chrome you want to clean, this will help it sparkle before the wash. No additional tools are needed, just be careful around plastics to avoid scratches.
• Degreaser: This is for your chain and other engine components; we like Simple Green.
• Motorcycle Wash: This can be a spray wash or a concentrate diluted with water.
• Motorcycle Wax: There are some for plastics and some for metal.

3. Clean the Chain

A clean chain will keep your bike’s main drive chain system in good shape and prevent kinking as the chain ages and stretches.

Use some cardboard to protect the insides of the bike (or the plastics) from any degreaser, and grab your cleaning spray and get after it. Roll the wheel with the other hand to get access to all of the chain, making sure the whole of the chain is coated.

Once the degreaser has settled, scrub the chain with the brush to get all the dirt and grime off your chain. Wipe the chain off with a clean cloth to remove loosened dirt and grime.

4. Clean the Brakes

The best way to do this is the pull off the calipers to have full access to the discs, but if you prefer you can use a combination of some motorcycle brake cleaner and some smaller brushes. A good motorcycle brake cleaner will be safe for all your plastic parts, and won’t ruin your paint job if you’re a little messy.

Brake dust buildup will affect performance after a while, so while you don’t have to do this every time, if you’re in the mood for a thorough clean it’s worth spending the time on.

Brake dust is corrosive, so be sure to gently rinse off any that you get on your wheels, otherwise you’re going to be looking at some new scratches.

5. Fill Up Two Different Buckets of Water

One bucket will have your soapy water solution. We like to use S100 diluted in water, but it is really up to you; we simply recommend that you look for something specifically designed for cleaning your motorcycle.

Pro tip: S100 also has a quick spray-and-rinse version of their product as well, for those quick washes in between the major ones.

The other is a bucket filled with clean water, which is for rinsing your sponge so it stays clean before touching your bike.

6. Pre Soak the Motorcycle with the Hose

With a light spray, fully soak your entire motorcycle with cool water. Avoid any high-pressure nozzles that will push a significant amount of water into places it shouldn’t be.

Be careful not to get water into the exhaust pipe. If your exhaust hole points up, you’ll want to plug it, as that will be a direct link to your engine.

For areas with a lot of dead bugs, grab a damp paper towel and drape it over the area – this is the ultimate bug remover and it’s so simple! Just remove and continue your bike wash once it has sat for a few minutes.

7. Clean the Wheels

Use a wheel brush and your soapy water to get the major dirt and grime out of your wheels. This will also take care of any leftover dust from your brakes, and road salt if you ride in the cold months. It may take a little excess water to get everything clean.

Spoked wheels are more of a pain to clean, but if you take your time cleaning your motorcycle it will make a huge difference.

8. Wash the Motorcycle from Top to Bottom

Using the bucket with your cleaning mixture, take your sponge or mitt and work your way from top to bottom scrubbing everything clean, and rinsing the sponge as needed in the bucket with pure water. You can work a section at a time, rinsing excess dirt as you go.

Feel free to use any other motorcycle cleaners that you’d like during this process for special components, or to remove other things like dead bugs.

Don’t use any harsh chemicals that could damage the plastics or the paint on your motorcycle. In cooler months, use cool water, and in the warmer months use warm water.

It might take a little elbow grease for some of the more difficult areas, just be sure that you only use enough force to clear stuck on grime.

9. Rinse the Motorcycle

Once you’re all wrapped up and the bike is washed, grab your hose and rinse from top to bottom. Be thorough and don’t worry about excess water. You want to make sure that all the extra soap and any leftover dirt are off the bike and the engine.

10. Dry the Motorcycle

Once you’re finished washing your motorcycle, it’s time to dry everything off.

Blow drying works a lot better than towels – just make sure not to use too high of pressure so that you don’t push water through any gaskets. You can use compressed air, a leaf blower, or a soft cloth.

If you go the soft cloth route, make sure whatever you’re wiping your bike with is clean, grit-free, and grime-free.

This is a good time to treat any leather seats you have on the bike as well so that they don’t dry out.

Keep the bike out of direct sunlight to avoid water spots or streaking.

11. Wax and Polish Your Fairings

This is an optional step; but if you can, apply wax to help keep your bike’s finishes looking great and add an extra protective layer to help repel dirt before your next cleaning.

For those with plastic fairings, you can also use some detailing spray.

12. Lubricate the Chain

Once everything is dry and your motorcycle cleaning is complete, take some time to re-lubricate your chain. Make sure it’s completely dry with no excess water before applying the lube, and let the lube dry before heading out on a ride.

Wrap Up

Well; that’s it. Now there is no excuse for having anything other than clean motorcycles!

Do’s and Don’t’s of Washing Your Motorcycle

• DO use cleaning products specifically designed for motorcycle cleaning.
• DO use microfiber cloths, and don’t mix clean and dirty ones.
• DO use cooler water temperatures during colder seasons to avoid corrosion.
• DO take your time. There’s really no rush.
• DO set sponges and brushes in the rinse bucket – not on the ground.
• DO re-lube the motorcycle chain and let it dry before heading out for a ride. And DO clean your motorcycle’s chain frequently!
• DO head out for a ride once you’re sure everything is dry; wind passing around the bike can dry any stubborn leftover water. You can also just start it and let it run for a bit to evaporate moisture.
• DON’T wash a motorcycle with a hot engine. Let it cool down first.
• DON’T wash your bike in direct sunlight; it can leave water spots and streaking as it dries.
• DON’T use a power washer (and if you do choose to, don’t get too close).
• DON’T scrub too hard on bugs – soften it up first by setting a damp paper towel over troublesome spots and let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing again.
• DON’T leave cleaning products on for too longe; rinse promptly after washing. It may be beneficial to go area by area rather than the whole thing in one go.