Pressure Wash

[AlHindi]

Hi Friends,

Just was wondering if it is good to get the bike washed at the pressure car washes we have here...

BTW in Kuwait, the temperature right now is about 40 degree celcius, and we ride inthe evenings when the temp is about 34.

Is it ok to wash the bike with pressure wash?
should I allow the bike to cool down first before asking the guy to put the water and soap?
Which parts should i be careful about?
Is there any specific instructions to follow for washing the bike?

Thanks & Regards,

Al Hindi

[stopintime]

34 degrees  our mountains are soon below zero 

Avoid: Bearings (wheels, swingarm, steering), brake/gear/clutch levers, instruments, undertank electronics, most other electronics, chain, many seals, inside exhaust, warm engine ......

In reality, that means almost the whole bike. Another point is that pressure wash doesn't clean very well - you won't remove dust that way.

Hand wash with car shampoo - rinse with a hose or a pressure wash from some distance.

.... and welcome here

[Slide Panda]

Yep... using a high pressure washer on a bike is a good way to end up with a cranky or non working bike. If you have access to a normal hose, and are able to find a Mr Clean Auto Wash kit like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Clean-AutoDry-System-Starter/dp/B0006M56CE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314187827&sr=8-1

Just do it on your own. Get a soft bristle, long handle brush for car washing. Wet the bike down with plain water, then hit it with the soap, scrub, rinse with plain water and then use the spotless dry filtered water on that Mr Clean gun and you're done.

Of course you can go for more products, scrubbers etc. but that's a good start.

Too much of a bikes workings are vulnerable to the not so tender attentions of a power spray gun.

[CDawg]

holddddd!!!  Hope you haven't done it yet, but all the other posts are right.  Pressure wash will make your bike have all sorts of issues.  Some people use a bucket and sponge.  I use WD-40 on a rag instead of water (but NYC is not very dusty)....otherwise, ride it dirty!

[avizpls]

yeah Id ride it dirty before Id assault it with a pressure washer.

[blass4u]

I'm sure I'm beating a dead horse here but bikes are NOT meant to be washed with power washers. I've been in Kuwait and understand the dust issue but if you love you ducati you wont use a power washer. Hose and soft cotton rag will do just fine. I don't miss these months in Kuwait.

[JEFF_H]

when i lived in an apartment without easy access to a hose...i used a garden chemical sprayer filled with water for the rinsing duties

[hillbillypolack]

Two words:  be careful.

Let's approach this two ways.  If your bike is dusty, what do you want to do?  Remove the dust, right?  What OTHER ways can you remove dust without the dust scrape on the finish?  How about using a shop vac?  What about compressed air?

If the bike is truly muddy or got run through the rain, then a proper wash is in line.  Judicious application of water is your friend.

In both situations, here is what I do:  Get the bike in a shady spot.  Water wash from a certain 'line' down the bike.  Say the frame line.  believe it or not, the bike is designed to be ridden through water (rain) and that's why there are seals on the engine output shaft etc.  What you don't want to do is force water into those seals with a power washer.  Use a garden hose, and gurgle water over the lower surfaces.

Use S-10 or Simple Green on a VERY soft hardware paintbrush to get the nooks and crannies, rinse away, making sure you got the soap by feeling with your other hand.  Go over the bike from the waterline down, rinse well.  Then, after toweling off the big surfaces, either using a shop vac (reversing it helps to use as a blower) or compressor start blowing off the bike's tight areas.  You can use a second brush to help get standing water out of places like cooling fins, brake calipers etc.  This may take a while but works better than hoping the water will completely evaporate.

You can use the air to blow off the dust from the gauges and upper areas before tackling those spots with a damp soft cloth or touch up detailer wax.  Once you're done, spritz a little WD-40 on all pivot areas where there was water.  This chases out the water and protects those areas a bit.

Clean the chain, tension it and wax while youre at it.  Ready to roll when the sun shines next. . .

That's worked on my bikes for years.  Takes about 45 mins to get the bike looking showroom fresh, even those hard to get areas.

[He Man]

regular garden hose + a long time between cleanings = how i do it.

[AlHindi]

ooopsss... i think i messed up!!!

First of all thank you all of you for your help!!!

and sadly, i got it was thrice in a car wash where they use pressure wash techniques.. but after the wash i used the compressed air to make sure i remove all the water from the wirings, clutch and all other places possible...

now the reason to ask this is coz after the second wash.. i think my fans stopped working which i realised after my 3rd wash when i was at the signal light and the temp reached 111(celcius) and the fans wont start...so i switched off the engine, and once the lights went green, i speeded so the temp was maintained, it didnt go above 111...(btw while driving on higways, with constant 140 kph the temp stays between 83-88, hope this is normal)

Please note, i have a power commander which i havent programmed for the summers, as we ride it only once a week due to the immense heat here... its impossible to enjoy the ride with 35 degrees...can this be the reason of the heat?

I have an appointment on saturday with the Ducati agent (please note, i do not know anything about the bike, i cant even change the oil myself, so i prefer the agency).. anyway.. i have to replace a gasket for the exhaust pipes and will check the fans and might program the power commander...

2 questions:
* do i need to mention anything to the mechanics? like about the pressure wash?
* winter is around the corner say in next 25 - 35 days... do i program the PC or wait for winter's configuration...

Please help as i dont know much about this beautiful bike..

and thanks once again...

Regards,

Al Hindi

[Slide Panda]

And that's why one doesn't use a power washer.

You should let them know about the power washing. It's possible that water was forced past a seal and that killed the fan relay. But since the water will probably have all evaporated by now it would be less obvious as the the root cause of the issue.

Regarding your power commander question. You should probably have it tuned in the fall or winter as that's when you'll be using the bike the most - correct?

[MikeZ]

I'm not so sure about telling them about the washing unless there's no chance there is any warranty left on the bike.  I didn't see where he mentioned the year but if they suspect the owner of causing the problem I and pretty sure they will deny any warranty.

[Slide Panda]

It's an S4R. So even if it's the last production year, it'll be past the warranty

[IZ]

DO NOT PRESSURE WASH!!

[avizpls]

Why on earth would you want to let someone else wash your bike regardless of the technique they use?? If you don't want to wash it, then DON'T. That's still better than having some paid schmuck put his careless paws all over it.