Cleaning 400EX??

[ride red]

I was wandering what the best thing was to use to make your 400EX look like new. I remember reading on here about using water and wisk, does this really work and should you mix the wisk with water? Or is there somethin else better to use?

[crday98]

read the threads"clean that bad boy up"&"shine that SOB up"in the maint. forum.:)

I read a post on using Wisk, so I tried it myself. IT NO WORKY VERY GOOD. I found that the best way to clean that sob is to do it the old fashion way... bucket, car soap, and a good sponge. Afterwards, go over your plastic with those Arm and Hammer wipes. Spray under your plastic with Mud-Away, and your wash job is done. Good luck!

I just cleaned my 300ex today,
I used:

-'Old fashion way' bucket/soap/spundge.
-Then i dried it.
-Then put wash. det. in spray bottle with water.
-Sprayed a TON all over everything,
and took a scrub brush and scrubbed all the dirt and greese off the engine.
-Then washed down.
-Then dried and used Turtle wax 2001.
(^ BEST EVER)

It came out really good, best yet.
I wish i had dig. cam. to take pics but i will take pics and scan them on.

[trueblue450]

I don't know why people aren't getting the whisk idea yet. All you do is fill a spray bottle with 1/4 whisk(liquid laundry detergent) and 3/4 tap water. Spray it all over your bike, get all the mud soaked with the stuff. Then let it sit for a couple mins depending how bad the bike is. Then spray it off iwith a hose. No scrubing at all. Then dry it with atowel and armoral it. My bike looks like new after every wash.

Who ever made the whisk solution I thank you because its so great. ;)

[crazyfireman]

i personally like using simple green on the motor and chassis. works great however keep it off ther plastic as it fades it.

If your having a problem cleaning the seat cover and it looks dirty, use liquid DISHWASHING soap....... get the seat wet, then scrub in with the soap on the entire seat and then let sit for like a minute or so and either hose off , or if you got a pwoer washer, use that

I just started using the Wisk solution this weekend and it looked great!! It takes no time and cleans the quad beutifully. But after using the Wisk I sprayed my quad with WD-40 and wiped it off. i rode in mud all weekend and with the WD-40 on it the mud does not stick to the plastic and most of it will just slide right off. Also if you need to clean the junk off of your swing arm use some Carbureator Cleaner and a toothbrush. It will come right off with little effort.
J.D.

[JabberJaw]

I don't know why people are making such a fuss on what the BEST way to keep your bike clean and looking new is...... the real answer is, "Just don't ride it!".

Buy two bikes, keep one you never ride in the garage, the other you park in the shed. When someone want to see your bike, just take them to the garage!

I wash the old fashion way also, unless it needs pressure washing. I've found that castrol super clean works well at removing dirt, it may eat alluminum polish though. Also, the trick to making it look new is cleaning the axles, engine block, and other unpainted surfaces. In order to do this, I use a 50% acid/water solution in a spray bottle. We use this to clean 18-wheeler wheels and tanks. It turns them a whiteish color, but with a little polishing, they shine better than new. I found out a couple of days ago that you can spray it on the tail end of the header pipe(single pipe) and it turns it shiny silver. ALthough the acid cleans, it is not comfortable to the skin(just in case you didn't know!). It will also dull any paint, wheels, or plastic.

[SGA]

I tried the wisk solution, works very good. learned two things, make sure while the wisk is soaking it is in the shade, do not let it dry while it is working & let the wisk stay on about 10 minutes. of course wash the heavy stuff off first wit the hose. look mom, no scrubbing! :D

[DiceMan400]

Well the truth is if you ride like me it will never stay new looking..... They aint made to look pretty...... They are made to rip up the track and catch some big air..... Reguler cleaning maintainance is very important but I would not worry about making them look brand new.....:macho