Deep Cleaning Your Dirt Bike
Your dirt bike delivers thrills and fun on every ride and on every terrain, but during the colder months it’s going to see less use than normal. That means long periods in storage, and you don’t want to store your bike with dirt and debris build-up all over it. Giving your dirt bike a deep clean before you put it away for the winter can help extend its lifespan and avoid corrosion, rust, and other potential maintenance hazards.
To get you started, we here at Moroney’s Motorsports have put together a few tips for how to clean your dirt bike. If you want more advice, or you’re just looking for a new dirt bike to try these out with at some point, contact our store in New Windsor, New York. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will make sure you find what you need at the prices you want!
Remove And Clean Fragile Parts
It’s vitally important to make sure you don’t damage any parts on your dirt bike during the cleaning process. Off-road motorcycles like yours aren’t built to withstand the strain of a pressure washing, so while that may work on some parts, others will need to be cleaned more gently. Working around them will be difficult and you might miss some crud underneath a piece, so remove these parts to clean them:
- The seat
- Air filter
- Skid plate
- Pipe guard
- Bark busters
Any similar parts to these should also be removed, and you shouldn’t use pressure washers or hard chemicals on them to keep them in top condition. You should also cover the airbox, exhaust, and muffler. These can be damaged during a pressure washing, but they’re not as simple to take off.
Chip Away At That Top Layer
Once you’ve got most of the delicate pieces removed and the rest covered, you don’t need to exercise quite as much caution. A hose or pressure washer can help you chip away at the upper layers of caked on mud and other dirt. We also recommend laying the bike on its side for part of this process so that you can hit the underside. Make visual inspections regularly to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Scrubbing Time
With the heavy top layers removed by your hose or pressure washer, you’ll want to scrub away anything left. This means hard-to-reach areas and any stubborn bits of dirt. Use a soft rag or toothbrush for this, dipped in either gentle detergent or bike wash. If scrubbing doesn’t seem to work, apply a little water and let the dirt soak it up so it’s softer and easier to remove.
These methods can also work with the parts you removed earlier, but verify that with your owner’s manual.
Final Hose Down
If you’re fairly certain you’ve gotten rid of all the mud and washed everything you can, it’s time to give your dirt bike one last rinse. This will ensure that all the soap and remaining dirty water are removed entirely, as well as giving you an opportunity to look for any spots you may have missed the first time around.
Towel Off And Finish Up
As you start to wind things down, you’ll want to dry your bike off to avoid streaks or corrosion. This can be done with any soft cloth, but a microfiber towel is best for grabbing any residual grease, soap, or dirt. Anywhere you can’t reach with that towel can be dried with compressed air or a hair dryer.
Afterwards, you’ll want to lubricate all your bike’s moving parts, including its chain. You should also take the time to wash your own riding gear, especially the boots. This gives you another opportunity to look for excessive wear and tear or damage hidden beneath the grime. Finally, once everything is dry, make sure you replace all the parts you removed earlier.
For yours and your bike’s sakes, don’t save the deep cleaning for just before long-term storage. The longer the dirt builds up, the more chance there is of it causing major maintenance problems that can shorten your dirt bike’s lifespan and even present a serious danger to you and those around you.
We hope these tips helped you get your bike clean and ready for whatever it’s doing next, whether it’s back to the track or going into storage. If you want more advice, or if you’d like to browse the dirt bikes we have for sale, contact us at Moroney’s Motorsports. We proudly serve the people of Newburgh and New Windsor, New York—let us serve you today!