How do YOU detail your bike?

[TYEster]

Originally Posted by askmrjesus

Riiiiight, cause dirt bikes have the magic bearings that withstand water pressure at 150 times the normal atmospheric pressure.

I completely forgot about that...

JC

Well after 100 washes our oldest dirtbike still has plenty of bearing grease left, so you can claim whatever you want.

Dirtbikes these days ARE built to withstand pressure washing unlike the bikes of your era.

Fork seals are the most common failing part, however I HARDLY would say it comes from pressure washing the forks. I mean, setting your compression low and hitting a BIG jump and landing hard will blow out your seals. Also forks these days come with multiple chambers for this very purpose, and my shocks have about 3 seals that particles will have to breach before really cause damage to valves or springs.

I don't worry about the oil because that's changed with every seal change. With the amount of riding we do(50 wks out of the year) we usually have to change the seals once a year. The only way to extend that is to either NOT ride, which will cause drying of the seals and they will deteriorate faster than if you had ridden, or ride the bike around in a field just to say it was ridden. Neither of which are fun.

You can talk all the science on paper you want, I KNOW from experience of 4 years of pressure washing it takes a LONG time for water to really wear out bearings and bushings, thankfully those are replaced when they need be. I do take exceptional care of my bikes because I tend to resell them often, but we have several we have kept for awhile all of which are tip top. General maintenance and a good wash actually extend the life of the parts because if we left the dirt on them, they would not last long.

So I'll take my chances with what works versus what doesn't.

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by TYEster

Well after 100 washes our oldest dirtbike still has plenty of bearing grease left, so you can claim whatever you want.

Dirtbikes these days ARE built to withstand pressure washing unlike the bikes of your era.

Fork seals are the most common failing part, however I HARDLY would say it comes from pressure washing the forks. I mean, setting your compression low and hitting a BIG jump and landing hard will blow out your seals. Also forks these days come with multiple chambers for this very purpose, and my shocks have about 3 seals that particles will have to breach before really cause damage to valves or springs.

I don't worry about the oil because that's changed with every seal change. With the amount of riding we do(50 wks out of the year) we usually have to change the seals once a year. The only way to extend that is to either NOT ride, which will cause drying of the seals and they will deteriorate faster than if you had ridden, or ride the bike around in a field just to say it was ridden. Neither of which are fun.

You can talk all the science on paper you want, I KNOW from experience of 4 years of pressure washing it takes a LONG time for water to really wear out bearings and bushings, thankfully those are replaced when they need be. I do take exceptional care of my bikes because I tend to resell them often, but we have several we have kept for awhile all of which are tip top. General maintenance and a good wash actually extend the life of the parts because if we left the dirt on them, they would not last long.

So I'll take my chances with what works versus what doesn't.

They didnt have internal combustion engines in his early days, remember time started on his berfday

Are the dirtbike fork/seals different from the street ones. I had one go on my aprilia and we think it was hastened because of riding on and off the construction sites a lot of mud, dirt an dvarious debris here and its all over the fenders and undersides of the bike. I now wipe down the tubes after I ride through the site just to be safe

[TYEster]

Originally Posted by tommymac

They didnt have internal combustion engines in his early days, remember time started on his berfday

Are the dirtbike fork/seals different from the street ones. I had one go on my aprilia and we think it was hastened because of riding on and off the construction sites a lot of mud, dirt an dvarious debris here and its all over the fenders and undersides of the bike. I now wipe down the tubes after I ride through the site just to be safe

Technically speaking all forks are the same because they all do the same job.

However internals can vary from bike to bike. If you wipe your tubes down, make sure you put a little oil back on the dust seal(the visible oil seal) so it doesn't dry and crack, dirt will have an easier time reaching your internals. Preferably fork oil.

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by TYEster

Technically speaking all forks are the same because they all do the same job.

However internals can vary from bike to bike. If you wipe your tubes down, make sure you put a little oil back on the dust seal(the visible oil seal) so it doesn't dry and crack, dirt will have an easier time reaching your internals. Preferably fork oil.

I usualy spray alil wd40 on the tubes, but will put some oil around the seals too. I wa sjust wondering if dirtbiked went to greater measures to keep the seals intact given the riding environments vs a street bike.

[TYEster]

Originally Posted by tommymac

I usualy spray alil wd40 on the tubes, but will put some oil around the seals too. I wa sjust wondering if dirtbiked went to greater measures to keep the seals intact given the riding environments vs a street bike.

They build them to withstand both terrain and most riders, but lots of people upgrade to suit their needs as far as skill level and weight. I would stay away with the WD, that will causing your seal to dry up faster than just soap and water without using oil to relube the seal.

Originally Posted by the chi

In true TWFix style...assholes, this is about cleaning bikes, not arguing the pros or cons of using a pressure washer on mechanical things.

I think I'm leaning more towards Kel's style, got a friend who runs a bike shop across the street taking mine today for a full detail. For the grand ole price of a can of cleaner. I was informed my bike needed serious TLC in the cleaning department. He volunteered, who am I to argue??

But it IS about cleaning bikes?

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by TYEster

Well after 100 washes our oldest dirtbike still has plenty of bearing grease left, so you can claim whatever you want.

Really? Good for you. I'm curious as to how you arrived at this conclusion. I'm curious because the wheel bearings in your YZ250 (like the wheel bearings in just about every other modern bike on the planet) are of the sealed variety. Sealed, as in sealed at the factory when they put the grease in. So unless you have x-ray vision, or you pulled your bearings apart with a can opener, you have no fucking idea what is, or isn't in there.

Originally Posted by TYEster

Dirtbikes these days ARE built to withstand pressure washing unlike the bikes of your era.

My era? The oldest dirt bike at my place, is a 2001 KTM 640, so, so much for that theory.

Originally Posted by TYEster

Fork seals are the most common failing part, however I HARDLY would say it comes from pressure washing the forks.

And what causes fork seals to leak? Grit stuck between the seal and the fork tube, right? And what's the easiest way to insert grit? Shove it in there with water at high pressure, yay! It really ain't that hard to figure out.

Originally Posted by TYEster

You can talk all the science on paper you want,

Science and Texans....I should have known that would be a problem.

Originally Posted by TYEster

I KNOW from experience of 4 years of pressure washing it takes a LONG time for water to really wear out bearings and bushings, thankfully those are replaced when they need be.

I think the whole point, is that without the pressure washing, they wouldn't have to be thankfully replaced quite as often.

Originally Posted by TYEster

So I'll take my chances with what works versus what doesn't.

The big question is, why? Is it a power tool thing, cause I understand that, I'm a power tool kinda guy. What the fuck are you riding in, that's so hard to get off of your bike? I ride in some nasty, mucky red clay and that shit comes off just fine with a regular hose. I might wash my bike with a pressure washer, if I rode through a giant pile of AIDS or something, but that's about it.

JC