Make up your mind will you...

[DLIT]

Originally Posted by itgirl

cool. ima gonna try dat.

The trick is to get those $5 terry cloths they sell at Pep Boys. I have 4 of them and they all are used for one thing. I have two for the initial quick detailer, one for wheels and one for Plexus. I never mix 'em up. Put 'em in the wash and then dryer with a softener sheet and then clean your bike. Wash when they start getting too dirty. This combo eliminates the tiny swirls in the clear that you get when you use shitty terry clothes.

I don't have any clean ones right now, or I'd take a pic of 'em. I'mma wash 'em now though.

Originally Posted by Nighthawk

O MY FUCKING GOD!!!

Never us water, 10% chance of rain, after every ride and high pressure hose (get a rope)

It's good you folks take care of your bikes and such, but It's about the riding, the wind in your balding head, bugs on the face sheild, butterflys stuck in my oil cooler fins, replacing tires every 12k miles or 6 months going straight. Passing 2 semi 3 cars going up hill with oncoming traffic and deer crossing the fucking road.

If my bikes gets washed 3 times a year after 22k miles it's lucky.

Ride it hard and put it away wet.

You can't take pride in your ride and be about the riding too? Bullshit. I ride the SHIT outta my bike and it still looks damn clean.

[t-homo]

I don't wash after every ride, but will once every couple of weeks. I don't mind riding in the rain either.

[Dnyce]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk

Ride it hard and put it away wet.

and the next day, or later that same day, have a couple beers in the garage, with some buddies, music, and clean that sucker up.

take pride in the ride AND in what you ride. get enough bugs and butterflys in your oil cooler and it dont work. never clean the bugs off your faceshield, eventually u cant see.

1hr of bs'in with your buddies and you're done. how hard is that?

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by DLIT

You can't take pride in your ride and be about the riding too? Bullshit. I ride the SHIT outta my bike on the track mostlyand it still looks damn clean.

fixed it for you.
I think it's different for those of us that commute daily on our bikes, and live in areas with much changing weather.
Even if I did clean it every time I rode, I would spend a LOT of time cleaning... I'd rather ride. Little bit of dirt on the wheels won't hinder my ride.

[papapoi]

I dry my bike with a Leaf Blower works great.

[DLIT]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

fixed it for you.
I think it's different for those of us that commute daily on our bikes, and live in areas with much changing weather.
Even if I did clean it every time I rode, I would spend a LOT of time cleaning... I'd rather ride. Little bit of dirt on the wheels won't hinder my ride.

I bang on the street, too, buddy. I don't care what the weather is, my bike would be clean. You just don't know me. I'm anal about it.

[Rider]

Originally Posted by DLIT

I bang on the street, too, buddy. I don't care what the weather is, my bike would be clean. You just don't know me. I'm anal about it.

I'm the same way and it only takes 15 minutes to really clean a bike unless you've ridden trough a rainstorm or a couple of mud puddles. I wipe it down after every ride.

[DLIT]

Originally Posted by Rider

I'm the same way and it only takes 15 minutes to really clean a bike unless you've ridden trough a rainstorm or a couple of mud puddles. I wipe it down after every ride.

Yup. Except I don't wipe it down after the ride, I do it before the next one.

Here I am not riding the SHIT outta my bike on the street. This is a month after I bought my new bike and when I first started dragging, you can see me hanging way off.

[the chi]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk

O MY FUCKING GOD!!!

Never use water, 10% chance of rain, after every ride and high pressure hose (get a rope)

It's good you folks take care of your bikes and such, but It's about the riding, the wind in your balding head, bugs on the face sheild, butterflys stuck in my oil cooler fins, replacing tires every 12k miles or 6 months going straight. Passing 2 semi 3 cars going up hill with oncoming traffic and deer crossing the fucking road.

If my bikes gets washed 3 times a year after 22k miles it's lucky.

Ride it hard and put it away wet.

I understand completely. Dirt builds character. I just finally washed the track dirt from my crash in October before the rally trip. I had forgotten what my bike looked like clean. Wow. I'd rather be riding it in any weather than cleaning it, tho I can appreciate the clean aspect. Especially after having to work on it filthy. I am readjusting my views on possibly washing a LIL more often than once a year...

[PiZdETS]

I clean once a week if I'm riding everyday. I just honestly don't care about dirt that much.
I don't hang out with other riders regularly, don't hang out at park and pose spots and don't ride to bars or parties or anything so I couldn't give less of a shit if it's a little dirty.
What motivates me to clean is when the wheels get dirty from lube fling and crud. When that happens I pull out the front and rear stands, clean and lube the chain- adjust if necessary- 10 mins to clean the rims, spend maybe 5 mins whiping down the bike with bike cleaner and go. I still haven't found anything that works well to get the bug carcasses off my headlight.

And per the OP's topic, I don't ride in the rain. I wrecked in it on the sv a few years back and that was enough to let it go. Getting back on the horse and conquering rain would be the wise and brave thing to do but fuck it, I don't like being wet and certainly don't like worrying about traction all the time.
Its started raining a couple times while I'm out and I'll just casually ride it home but if the weather says rain, I drive the yota.