After a heady and fun-filled day facing up the mud, your begrimed bike thirsts for some intense cleaning. Flushing out foreign particles enhances durability and peak performance.
Bulldozing the dirt bike into loads of sand, mud and the elements exposes the engine to choking as well as external and internal wear.
The devil’s own job smashing into loamy dirt means your bike will never leave the trenches as pure as the driven snow. Slicking down filth frequently keeps the bike’s performance at full throttle, slashes off repair expenditure and neatens it as a new pin for the next ride.
8 Things To Consider About How To Clean A Dirt Dike – Step by Step
1. Tools of the Trade & What You May Need
Sprucing up your dirt bike will require hand-washing or using a pressure washer. Fill a sizable bucket with up to 5 gallons of water and mix with dish soap.
Premium-quality soap will cut through the greasy grime that bakes in bikes. A soft bristle brush will make plastic components spic and span.
Tool up with upswept brushes to comb out dirt from the bike’s frame, tires, rim, and hard-to-reach areas. You may also need:
- Bike stand
- Exhaust pipe plug/s
- Duct tape
- Rubber mallet
- Spray bottle
- Compressed air
- Scotch-Brite pads
- S.O.S pads
- Dielectric grease
- Air-box cover
- Wire brush
- Clean towels
- Microfiber
- Contact Cleaner
- Spray polish
2. Plugging the Silencer
- Failure to plug the silencer could burst the bubble sooner than later. Water will seep into the packing and trickle down into the cylinder.
- Support the bike with a stand or its custom-made kickstand before plugging the silencer. Use a silencer compatible with your bike.
- If you lack a plug, wing it with a latex glove, sandwich baggie or excellent stout rubber-band.
- Ensure you plug up the muffler snugly as to repel traces of water from the top of the piston and engine.
- With the exhaust covered, the system remains hermetic to prevent corrosion and performance.
3. Rinse-Off & Spray Caked-On Grime
Use a power washer hose or home garden hose to sleek down your bike. Squirt water gently and slough off dirt, mud and grime away from the bike without sprinkling it dead on.
Do not spray liquid directly at surfaces as the dirt leaches into crevices and embeds into in-depth locations. Brush off the dirt from your dirt bike lightly before it permanently latches onto cracks or crevices.
Wet down the airbox, carburetor, and silencer’s end cap gently to loosen baked-in dirt and foreign particles.
Rinse off stubborn grime and heavy soil with a brush substantially before you tidy up the bike by scrubbing.
Mud latches onto the exhaust or engine, ensure you rinse the bike thoroughly by targeting all sides.
4. Hand-Washing
- Start at the top wiping down and use brushes at hand to sleek down surfaces and scour hard-to-reach areas.
- Spray, lather and scrub hosing it thoroughly without projecting water to the airbox, carburetor or end cap.
- First neaten up the handlebars, number plate, shrouds, forks, frame, seat and fenders. A small brush purges grime in between spokes and other tight areas.
- Spray the engine or frame with a high-grade cleaner and use a brush to make surfaces as clean as a whistle.
- Gently sprinkle your cleaner or degreaser while scrubbing the chain and sprockets to maintain their shine.
5. Cleaning the Air Filter
Always inspect and keep the air filter intact to ensure the engine does not sponge up dust or grime lessening the lifespan of the unit.
Check for dust or wear before removing the foam element. Ensure water does not seep into the filter when washing your bike.
Mop off the area encircling the air-box to shipshape and block mucks that may fall into the spaces with a rag fixed in the air intake. Use the instruction manual for directions.
Most filters spruce up quickly with warm water. Squeeze out any excess water and let it dry entirely. Once dry, apply a few drops of oil. Wring out excess oil or use a dry cloth to wipe down.
6. Pressure-Washing & Downsides
Pressure washing sounds as easy as apple pie but may also unleash a fine kettle of fish. Pressure washing saves time and scours a vast majority of grime with modicum effort.
However, water easily permeates into the internal components of the bike. You have to keep a good distance and avoid spraying with excess pressure.
A pressure washer sounds like skating on thin ice due to the robust thrust that may damage graphics, plastics and delicate parts. You have to maintain the most appropriate pressure and distance to avoid damage.
Observe these precautions to brighten up the vehicle this way. Do not project the spray nozzle at extreme pressure towards the pivots points, carburetor, intake zone, seat, controls, wheel bearings, and graphics.
7. Key Parts To Spruce Up Thoroughly
Insert a screwdriver into forks adjusters
Reposition the footpegs and shift lever to knock off all the grime from the springs
Smarten the chain guide to get rid of all built-up dirt that may eat away the chain
Unclog radiator fins but do not use the robust power washers that cause them to bend
Clean up under the tank for improved durability of the spark plug and valves
Cast off all dirt from the shock bumper to prevent wear and scratching
Clean the filter element lightly without twisting to inhibit cracking
Use low pressure water to spray the wheel hub, exhaust pipe, carburetor, fuel tank or lower area of cushion, air filter and ignition
8. Tips To Bring Out the Best in Cleaning
- Dry the bike’s metal components thoroughly to prevent corrosion and use compressed air to shed water from tight areas
- Sleek down the chain until it’s as neat as a new pin to deter buildup of grime
- Use a designated spray cleaner that will not discolor or denature bike parts
- Car wash pressure will wear down the foam in the saddle, degrade rubber seals and damage brake pads or disc
- Detergents in high pressure washers glaze over the disc and brake pads leaving wrack and ruin
- Use a wax spray to keep metal components as bright as a new pin
- Replace the air filter if it has holes or wear lest you risk ripping your engine apart
Final Verdict
You must learn the ropes on how to clean a dirt bike and brush off dirt, grime, water and foreign elements. It’s easy to fall into the trap of neglecting the bike or cursorily cleaning peripheral parts.
If you fall down on the job, dirt, grime, and grease can quickly grind down the vital components like the sprockets, chain, seals, bearing, engine and many others.
Sink your cash into premium-grade bike cleaners, degreasers, brushes, and other tools you may need. Grime, grease, and mud knock the stuffing out of your bike within a very short time.
Neatening up your dirt bike thoroughly contributes to peak performance, polishes luster and maintains detailing.
