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Jet washing bikes


justjosh9
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I got this last week, not had a chance to try it out on the bike.

It has a lower pressure than a mains washer, seen 1 being used at a trial a few weeks ago and I was impressed with the job it did.

Use it straight after the trial while the mud etc is still fresh and it cleans it off no problem.

Not cheap at £118, but when your bike is worth a hell of a lot more I didn't mind paying it

Karcher OC3 Portable Cleaner

Integrated water filter

Water tank volume, 4 ltr

Lithium-ion battery (20mins use)

Spiral hose, 2.8 m

 

382382.jpg

Edited by shakennstirred
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I have a 12v water pump that runs off a cigarette lighter socket, and a couple of 10L water bottles.  It's ok for getting watery mud off, but not much use for clay ... haven't used it much so far, lol

 

It was £20 from a famous auction website ...

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6 hours ago, oni nou said:

the air that is drawn into the motor along with the fuel usually has a fairly high water content... relative humidity[especially in the UK.... washing the bike will cause the water suspended in the the air in the crankcase to form condensation that will sit as droplets of water on the crank itself and on the main bearings [unless they are the new type fully sealed ones] and the big end bearing/pin etc. The idea of warming the engine up after you wash the bike is to expell the corrosive water droplets.

But then the air in the crankcase cools down and condenses again?  

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4 hours ago, lineaway said:

There are many more places for the moisture to enter the engine than the exhaust tip. All the plug does is try to keep the packing from getting wet.

Where else other than the airbox and the exhaust? I guess the join between the front pipe amd mid pipe but not that likely.

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I run the bike for a good 5 - 10 minutes up on a stand under the bashplate, when the fan has been on I run it up through the gears to fling any water out of the chain before oiling it then go through & do the normal maintenance 

Haven't had to replace bearings in quite a while

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9 hours ago, oni nou said:

This isn't an appropriate time for making jokes.. this is VERY serious :wacko:...especially for people who clean their bikes .........The only water my bike usually  sees is rain water and streams I wouldn't waste my time ...not in the UK anyway, by the time you arrive at the 1st section 1st lap it looks like you never cleaned it.....I clean/oil the air filter every 2 to 3 outings and that's it and I don't have any of the problems that everyone else seems to have when they are meticulously cleaning[twiddling about] and maintaining their machines every 5 minutes......perhaps its because I keep it in a warm dry place that I do not get the problems. along with not spraying water  near all the seals of the bike on a regular basis.

I do all the cleaning and oiling. Clean air filter every ride, brakes out and cleaned every ride. Bikes never an issue and get good value on resale. I also service my van and cars and wash my riding gear and I also wash every day.:iamwithstupid:

No issues through negligence is just good luck in my book not a methodology , If your bike is dirty when you work on it all that muck is getting in the threads and workings etc  

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Wash the bike, clean with Wd40 or similar. Remove air filter box, strip and clean carb, clean inside filter box, fit clean filter, re fit filter box.

Occasionally start bike at home but rarely. Bike lives in the garage which isn't heated.

Ive had no issues in the last 15 years I've been doing this.

I think some people are trying to solve imaginary problems. My bike is currently out of use , I went through the above routine about a month ago and the bike has been in my freezing garage since. So after reading this thread earlier I've started it this afternoon. It's absolutely fine, no rattles no grumbling mains no big end failure, same as it always is.

 

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Just dont directly point the pressure washer at the carb or flywheel cover for prolonged period. The amount of people i see that point the jet right at the carb and hose the life out of it just to remove every speck, and then complain they are always getting water in their carb.

Ive also seen people power wash a bike after an event with the engine running. Dont think ill ever understand the reasoning behind this

Edited by faussy
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The item with the most bearings is the chain.   If you really blast every inch of it to remove the dirt, then you can be sure to have water in each of its bearings.  So the only answer is to take it off, dry it for half an hour on a stove, then oil it and then wipe off any excess with a rag.

.

 

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Thing is, if the chain is covered in mud it'll also be full of water and grit already, with a nice coating to keep it locked in there (unless it's an o-ring one).  Might as well get the unknown off/out, then you know you've only got water in there, and wipe and WD40 it.

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24 minutes ago, oni nou said:

 if the bike is running and water gets in some electrical part it may just burble a little then dry out with some heat and all is well  and you know your engine is definitely running when you finish washing it; so hopefully it will run the next time you go to it.......not having the engine running while you wash the bike or  not starting it up after you wash it may leave you unable to start your bike next weekend or whenever  and you will have missed an opportunity to realise it had happened at the time of the washing.and given yourself more time to deal with it.

But its virtually impossible to power wash a bike without getting some water into the airbox, resulting in a wet filter. I would not want my bike running as the filter gets continually wetter and wetter

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21 hours ago, oni nou said:

I think the general idea of running the engine is to generate some heat to evaporate water that may fall in unwanted areas of  the ignition..... if the bike is running and water gets in some electrical part it may just burble a little then dry out with some heat and all is well  and you know your engine is definitely running when you finish washing it; so hopefully it will run the next time you go to it.......not having the engine running while you wash the bike or  not starting it up after you wash it may leave you unable to start your bike next weekend or whenever  and you will have missed an opportunity to realize it had happened at the time of the washing.and given yourself more time to deal with it.

 

Sherco rider at an event I was working could not get his bike to start for the event.  He was at his wits end.  I started asking him questions to help jog his memory/diagnose the problem.

- when was the last time it was running:  Yesterday

- how long did it run: A few hours (he was practicing for the event)

- did it run ok: Ran perfect

- did you change a plug or something after getting done riding: nope, just washed the bike

- you got a bad ground mate,

Sure enough, disconnect ignition ground from frame, clean, reattach and VROOOM event was enjoyed.

 

(And people wonder why I don't wash my bike very often, all it does is make me notice the problems she is having) (yes, that is sarcasm)

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