Give your bike a new lease of life with our deep cleaning routine for motorcycles and mopeds.

Regular cleaning of your bike is an essential part of motorcycle maintenance, but although a once-over with the hose is a good quick fix, we’ve outlined the steps to give your bike a deep clean, so it’s glisten next time you take it out for a ride.

A well lubricated chain will last a lot longer than one that's allowed to dry out or turn rusty, so making sure your chain is in tip top condition should be the first step to any deep clean. Chain cleaner is quick and easy to use, simply spray onto your chain and it will work to remove dirt, grime, dust and oil quickly and easily.

The next step is to clean up the engine and metal work of your bike. You’ll want to use a degreaser for this step, as build up of grease can be difficult to shift without specialist products.

After the chain cleaner and metal degreaser have been applied you’ll want to rinse off your bike with a hose. This will shift these products and prepare your frame. While your bike is dripping, and in a cool place away from sunlight, use brushes and sponges to wash the frame with warm soapy water. You can use an old toothbrush on unpainted surfaces to get into some awkward areas if needed. Once you’ve covered your whole bike you’ll want to rinse it off with a hose again. Depending on how dirty it was to begin with, you might need to repeat this process a few times.

Dos and don’ts for washing your motorcycle:

• DO use a specialist soap, as the PH of home cleaning products will be too harsh for your bike.
• DON’T use a pressure washer on a powerful setting on the frame or vulnerable parts of your bike, as this can let water into the electronics due to the high pressure.
• DON’T wash your bike while the pipes are hot.
• DON’T scrub excessively, leave the soap on to soak if marks don’t come off easily.

Now your bike is sparkling clean, it’s time to focus on the harder to see areas. You’ll want to remove disc brake contaminants like brake dust and brake oil from your brakes. To do this, we recommend using a specialist disc brake cleaning product for this task, as you don’t want to risk using something unsuitable on such an important safety component. These cleaners are typically spray cans, and can be easily applied at home.

Bugs, tar, bird droppings, and tree sap can destroy your paint finish, getting rid of these little black spots from the front of your bike is a necessary step in your deep clean. These spots can be difficult to remove with a standard soap and water mix. For a really good finish, this step is best carried out with a specialist cleaner, which will also prevent any damage to your bike’s finish. These products are applied directly to the tar spot and left for a few minutes to work before wiping off for a perfect squeaky clean finish.

If you’ve gone to the effort of deep cleaning your bike, don’t skip the polish. Polishing your bike will not only give it a fantastic finish, it will also help to protect it from dirt, grime and tar build up in the future. In addition to this a good polish will help buff out light corrosion and can remove scratches from metal surfaces. Using a soft microfibre cloth, polish should be applied in circular motions and then wiped off with a clean cloth. Easy.

Now your bike is looking great, you’ll want to make sure it feels great too. Using soap and water on your bike can eat through the lubricants on your chain. Using a suitable lubricant, re-oil your chain, waiting at least 15 minutes for this to sink in before you ride.

And, that’s it. Time to get back on the road!

Do you have any tips or tricks for cleaning your motorcycle or moped? Leave a message in the comments section and let us know.

Important Notice: Always follow product guidelines, avoid getting any oils or lubricants on your brakes or any other sensitive area. We are not liable for any damage, accident, injury or loss which may be caused by washing your vehicle.