THis is my very first bike and i am going to clean her up this weekend... But i have no idea how to wash her. Do i just wipe everything down with a damp clothe or something? Thanks.

 

WD40 to clean the wheels and get rid of any chain lube , then a good wash with Turtle Wax Platinum SeriesĀ® Auto Wash & Conditioner , followed with a quick ride to remove any water you cant get to with a chamois , then a complete wipe down with Honda Polish.

 

All I use is Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish for everything.

 

meguiars quick detail works extremely well very quick and no streaks. The windscreen I use lexan cleaner or if i am out just clearvue professional glass cleaner. I have every brand of cleaner and car care product imaginable, but the meguiars quick detail makes short work of everything. damned black always shows ever lil spec of dust, oh well, its hot

 

Not water, not water, not water. Never use water. Honda Polish on the plastic and tank or Plexus (every dealer has the stuff). WD-40 on the chain and wheels, (do this first then wipe the chain really good to remove excess WD and lube it up again), followed up with some of the honda polish. Dont polish your seat, just use a damp rag if you have to, no armorall for obvious reasons, and if its not obvious now, it will be about 30 seconds into your first ride.
Water will get into every place imaginable because thats what water does and you cant get all of it out because of the fairings, hoses, and various other tight spots. Then rust replaces the water really quickly. Self explanatory. To get dust, sand, and various road flakes out of the engine area and behind the fairings just use an air compressor frequently and it wont build up as quickly. Eventually you will want to remove the fairings and really get up in there.
Good luck and ride safe.

 

Also......I found this on the web too. I was going to say it but figured I would start a sh*t storm without some bit of evidence. I have heard this plenty and I believe in it. Same applies to your visor on your helmet. (also use straight up and down wipes, learned it from a pilot, something about the directions in which light is refracted)
Website is: http://www.scarecrowart.com/protect.htm

Do not clean your bike with Windex or other glass cleaners like Windex. Although it will clean the dirt from your paint and chrome, it will also remove your wax and polish. This means every time you clean your bike with Windex, you will need to wax it again. Some pin stripers even use glass cleaners to prep their bikes (remove the wax) before they paint them. Isopropyl alcohol can be used to remove tree sap and Mineral Spirits can be used to remove road tar but, remember that both of these products will also remove your wax and polish. After using these products, you should reapply your wax and/or polish to the affected area.

Also, do not use Windex on your windshield. Motorcycle windshields have a very thin coating on their surface to protect the clear plastic from scratches. Windex will cause sections of this coating to come off, leaving that area susceptible to scratches. Do not use Rain-X on your windshield. Rain-X has been known to make a motorcycle windshield turn cloudy.


Ok, enough from me now.

 

WD-40 work for cleaning wheels? I didn't know that hehe. Thankyou. The mannual said to use gear oil on the chain, but i take it wd-40 will work as well? Also i shouldn't use any water at all? Hehe wow this is going to take a lot of that honda polish.

 

Nahh, if you clean it regularly, you should get about 8-10 washes out of a 6 or 7 dollar can. Gear oil is great for lubing chains, its just messy as heck. There are tons of chain lubes and waxes out there. I use the wax because its not as messy during operation, can be a tad messy when applying, but you will get the hang of it. Just try different stuff and lube it regularly, (every other tank of fuel) as long as it has some proper lubrication on it, it doesnt really matter what you use. (that point could be argued forever and ever too but I know what I know and Im fine with that.)

p.s.- No water, ever, never, ever, ever. If you plan on keeping the bike forever you dont want to be replacing rusted parts and dried out hoses before you have to. If you plan on selling it someday a skilled rider/buyer can usually tell if it has been exposed to water and he will not want to replace those parts on his "new" bike either.

 

I disagree about your assertion to not use water to clean your bike. I have washed my 93 F2 with water for over 10 years (as well as had it rained on countless times) and it still looks great for a 12 yr old bike. I'm not suggesting using a high pressure hose and spraying down into the engine, but water from a regular hose or on a damp cloth is perfectly fine. The bikes are designed to be rained on you know.

 

I too disagree with the no water deal. plug the pipe and spray all you want with lots of suds. GO down to Home Depot and get yourself a leaf blower for 30 bucks and you can blow the bike spotless in 5 minutes flat. Then use the Honda spray. I swear by that stuff, it rocks.