Shiny vs Filthy

[Hedgetrimmer]

Just a little ramble I posted on another forum, might stimulate a bit of conversation, or just kill a couple of minutes for you:


(sorry, I'm bored, it's raining, and my bikes are clean and shiny in the shed).


Who gets more enjoyment out of their bike; those who keep it cosseted in the garage as long as there's so much as a little, fluffy white cloud in the corner of the sky; so polished, spotless and shiny that to look at it puts you at risk of burning out your retinas; or those that think, feck it, who cares about a bit of dirt, and get out on it come rain or shine until it gets so you can barely tell what the original colour of the paintwork is supposed to be, and people to start to say to you it looks good in the landscape, and you have a sneaking suspicion that's because half of the landscape is splurged all over it?


Ok, I ride less in the winter these days. I can make excuses about having done all the shit weather riding when I was younger, can afford a car now so no need to go through all that with the layers of gear etc. But it's all bullshit really. I don't ride much in the winter because I can't be bothered with all the cleaning of the bike I feel the need to do when it gets covered in road shit. Yes, I could clean it once before the onset of crap weather season (isn't that all year round in Britain? I hear the cynics shout - cheer up, for feck's sake!), then drown it in ACF and forget about it until the northern hemisphere nods towards the sun again, letting layer upon layer of grime build up like the deposited sediments of an ancient river bed.


 The thing is, I do have a certain pride in the appearance of my bikes. And it's not even really connected with the idea of maintaining it's value. I don't care what it's worth when I get bored with it and want a change. I buy bikes for me to enjoy, not the next feckin sod who might want to sniff round it if it's got a price on it's head. If, when I do decide to sell, it's not worth much, then I'll scrape together some more cash to add to the proceeds for the next thing that takes my fancy.
 
But over the winter, I do seem to develop a bit of this over-protective mentality. I begin to treat bikes like they were some kind of rare artefact from a long-lost era that need to be preserved as close to their original state so that distant generations might benefit from the knowledge of "this is what once was." As the temperatures rise in the spring and I feel more like getting out on two wheels and exploring again, I have to break through this hibernation state, and accept that the bike will get dirty if I use it, and I may need to throw a bucket of water over it once in a while. And then you notice that enabled a bit of paint to catch the light once more, so you start to think, well, I'll just give the bodywork a quick polish.....but now, that looks a little odd when the rest is still a bit dull, so out comes the plastic cleaner or whatever else you use, until eventually, there's not a spot of dirt left anywhere on the bike, and it burns it's after-image on your eyeballs if you so much as glance at it.
 
And you think, I can't ride it now or it'll get dirty again, and all that work will have been for nothing!      

[slappy]

It all depends what mood I am in on the day, sometimes strip bits off to clean them better and at other times just think sod it, I`ll not bother cleaning the crap off as it will just get dirty again.

[Frosties]

I'd love my bikes to be nice n shiny buuut as a 365 all weather rider, plus kids and other duties it just isn't possible. I clean it one day in winter and the next day it looks like shite, so the bike will go a good month or two before cleaning again. Yeah I feel like I'm neglecting the bike but being realistic, it saves me £300 a week commuting 100 mile a day to London (no parking, congestion charge & better economy). Something's got to give and it tends to me my pride in riding a filthy bike and realising that essentially it's a work tool.

[darrsi]

I'd love my bikes to be nice n shiny buuut as a 365 all weather rider, plus kids and other duties it just isn't possible. I clean it one day in winter and the next day it looks like shite, so the bike will go a good month or two before cleaning again. Yeah I feel like I'm neglecting the bike but being realistic, it saves me £300 a week commuting 100 mile a day to London (no parking, congestion charge & better economy). Something's got to give and it tends to me my pride in riding a filthy bike and realising that essentially it's a work tool.

 
Same as that basically, i'll try and keep it as mechanically sound as possible, but it'll generally sit outside my work all day in the elements all year round.
Although i have managed to find a spot that's out of the sun, which isn't a bad thing.
I will spend more time giving it a better clean during the "summer" months but as said once the rain falls again it goes back to looking grubby, especially as it's a black bike as well, so it's even more noticeable.

[bri h]

I saw a chap arrive at loomies on a beautiful brand spanking new ducati. he got off the bike and examined it carefully and became distraught when he dicovered stone chips and dirt. It was the first time he had ridden it on the road and was close to tears. At the time i thought if its goin to upset you that much then leave it in your living room. The point is fazers are do it all bikes that we buy because we use them not just to look at. I can only afford one bike so i cant have one to look at and one to ride so i ride whenever i have to or can be arsed to dress in all the layers.The fact is once im on the bike im happy.So it dont realy enjoy cleaning it and probably dont do so as often as i should.

[Dave48]

being a "fair weather" rider these days I dont mind getting the bike muddy/whatever but I wont put it away filthy dirty-quick hose down & blow out all the water from nooks & crannies with the trusty leaf blower. Must say GT85 & ACF 50 spray helps to protect bike from worst ravages-preventive maintenance.Now & then have a proper "OCD" day & get the cleaning gear out to get into all the awkward spots-its therapeutic on a warm summers day

[darrsi]

As the "summer" nears the end I will tend to pick a warm day to sit and clean all the brake calipers up in good time for the winter months, which always pays off, as it's a job I like to do properly without rushing it.
It's not so much fun in the wind, rain or cold.

[Hedgetrimmer]

I think I get anal about how clean the bikes are because for me they're just leisure items nowadays, and I don't have to commute on them in all weather. I often think it'd be nice to have a hack bike where only essential maintenance and corrosion protection is done, and have been toying with the idea of getting a 600 Fazer for this. Problem being, the Fazers are (obviously    ) nice bikes, so there'd be the temptation to get anal about this too  , but I can't have a bike that wouldn't be particularly enjoyable to ride, and I know I enjoy a good Fazer 


I don't think there is any hope for me     

[fazersharp]

One thing about anal cleaning  is that you do get all around the bike in a very detailed way and then will spot anything that is loose or needs attention.
Mine stays quite clean as I don't do wet riding.

[esetest]

I don't worry so much about the Fazer , i clean it once a month when the mood takes me , i just prefer to get on with riding it , the Guzzi however is just for the summer , its too pretty to get dirty , i don't enjoy riding in the winter , i don't like the wet and the cold , although i do use the Fazer for the commute across town in the winter and take it for a 50 mile max ride in the winter months , dry days only  .

[Hedgetrimmer]

It's this transitional bit between crap weather and summer (think it's called spring!) that gets me. With so little riding done through the winter months, by the time the days start to lengthen, I'm itching to get out on 2 wheels again and go exploring. Ok, if the forecast is for pissing rain I'll give it a miss that day, but if there's just a chance of the odd shower, or if the weather is good but roads still wet from overnight, I'll still want to get out.


In the end, getting out for a ride usually wins over the annoyance of the bike getting mucky, and I suppose doing the cleaning has it's enjoyment too, when I'm in the mood. But I think the main thing that I worry about is road salt. If we used a method of keeping the roads ice-free in winter that was less aggressive on the bike's finish, I think I'd be out a lot more. Reduced chain life, corroded and seizing brakes - time and money I could do without having to spend, as I'm one who's more into riding and less into fettling. Oh well, not long till summer 

[darrsi]

It's the winter salt on the roads that's the main issue, that's what causes all the nastiness.

[celticdog]

Having just looked at the underside of my exhaust collector and centre stand, I wish the wife was that filthy.

[chris.biker]

I have always said ''If I have time to polish it, I have time to ride it. So I ride it''

[unfazed]

I think I get anal about how clean the bikes are because for me they're just leisure items nowadays, and I don't have to commute on them in all weather. I often think it'd be nice to have a hack bike where only essential maintenance and corrosion protection is done, and have been toying with the idea of getting a 600 Fazer for this. Problem being, the Fazers are (obviously    ) nice bikes, so there'd be the temptation to get anal about this too  , but I can't have a bike that wouldn't be particularly enjoyable to ride, and I know I enjoy a good Fazer 

I don't think there is any hope for me     

Dream on lad, you couldn't handle a FZS600, to fast, to light and to nimble for you especially the red ones

[fazersharp]

I often think it'd be nice to have a hack bike and have been toying with the idea of getting a 600 Fazer for this.

The very cheek of it 

[crickleymal]

What's clean? I ride pretty much all year to work (100 mile round trip) except when it's really chucking it down. Bike gets a wash once in a blue moon if I'm cleaning the car as well. There's just no point if it'sgoing to get filthy the next day.

[His Dudeness]

15 minute clean every week or two keeps it respectable and stops corrosion

[Val]

The fact is once im on the bike im happy.So it dont realy enjoy cleaning it and probably dont do so as often as i should.

  I like my bike clean, but that is nice to have.

The most important part is to ride it 

But if you feel a little OCD you are welcome to come and clean my bike 

Otherwise in the winter I clean it once per month or once per two months - do not see the point because it gets dirty on the next day anyway.

In the summer I can do that more often or not.
 

[Razgruff]

I wash my bike about once or twice a year. sometimes bits get accidentally cleaned when being replaced or checked 
I live on a farm and have about a mile of dirt track before I get to Tarmac. so washing it is pretty much a waste of time.
I did pressure wash it off the other day, so there is now a space between the exhaust manifolds and the engine block again. forgot the oil filter was down there , it's been so long since I've seen it 
I take a pride it the filth on my bike purely to wind up the people who spend more on trick bits and polish than they do on what they put in the petrol in the tank 

[darrsi]

I wash my bike about once or twice a year. sometimes bits get accidentally cleaned when being replaced or checked 
I live on a farm and have about a mile of dirt track before I get to Tarmac. so washing it is pretty much a waste of time.
I did pressure wash it off the other day, so there is now a space between the exhaust manifolds and the engine block again. forgot the oil filter was down there , it's been so long since I've seen it 
I take a pride it the filth on my bike purely to wind up the people who spend more on trick bits and polish than they do on what they put in the petrol in the tank 

I don't s'pose it'd really bother you anyway but when i resprayed my engine a few years back i jetwashed it first and it literally blew the engine paint off, so i would say to others to be careful about ever using one.
Plus water tends to get in places that you don't want, i remember my airhorn sounding like nails down a chalkboard for 3 days until it dried out. 

[the cueball]

depends on the bike..... you could eat your dinner off my ninja, I keep it very clean, everything is spotless and waxed etc... and I only ride that during the summer.


the Fazer is my 'council bike' I ride it all year, in all weathers, and it gets abused - that's what it's there for.


I clean and ACF it once a year, the rest of the time it's minging.... I do however make sure it's tip top on the maintenance side.

[celticdog]

I clean and ACF it once a year, the rest of the time it's minging.... I do however make sure it's tip top on the maintenance side.

Good use of the word 'minging' cueball,  landed up with many a 'minger' back in the day

[the cueball]

I clean and ACF it once a year, the rest of the time it's minging.... I do however make sure it's tip top on the maintenance side.

Good use of the word 'minging' cueball,  landed up with many a 'minger' back in the day

it's the sign of a good night out!


 


 

[Stewie]

I ride as much as I can regardless of weather and I am not worried about the layers of grime.
It gets power washed when it is too filthy and then a spray of FS365 to keep the rust mite at bay.