Once upon a time the only cleaning method for motorcycles was a bucket of suds, sponge, garden hose and lots of elbow grease. While simple, it required quite a time commitment. In this day and age, everyone wants tough tasks to take less time and effort. I don’t blame them.

Over the years many ideas and products have been introduced to make cleaning easier. One of the most revolutionary was invented by Alfred Karcher in 1950. After repairing many unreliable steam cleaning units, Alfred designed and patented the first hot-water high-pressure cleaner.

These large bulky machines were first used to clean Armed Forces vehicles, Jeeps, Tanks, Planes, etc. Later they were adopted for industrial settings for large, tough cleaning jobs.

Pressure washers today are smaller and lighter. Now considered appliances, they are sold at big box stores. Fast and easy to use, many people have embraced them as the cleaning tool of choice. What’s not to like?

Unfortunately, there are side effects to pressure washer use on a motorcycle.  A motorcycle’s inherent design results in many moving parts being out in the open, exposed. The high-pressure water easily pushes past rubber seals lodging itself in bearings, bushings and other moving parts. Water alone might not  so bad, but this pressurized water carries dirt, sand and other debris into delicate regions of your bike.

While outward appearances show the bike to be squeaky clean, not all is as it appears. There is trouble brewing just below the surface.

Performance

One of the reasons we enjoy motorcycling is because of the performance of our machines. Some of us spend a great deal of money to improve performance or add horsepower to increase the thrill factor. But what if our cleaning ritual is creating the opposite effect?

Wheel-bearings, swing-arm bearings, steering head bearings, shock bushings, spoke nipples and drive chains receive the brunt of this damaging assault. The longer this water/dirt mixture is allowed to remain in these sensitive areas, the more damage will result. This mixture turns into a lapping compound which wears bearings and bushings prematurely. The lubricant is displaced, causing rust to form, which accelerates the damage. An expensive proposition.

While the labor and replacement cost is quite high for these moving parts, there’s more bad stuff happening to your machine.  It’s losing precious horsepower! This is due to additional friction caused by the introduction of dirt and water into bearings and bushings.

This is not the only issue that can affect the performance of your motorcycle. Is your bike water-cooled using a radiator? High pressure water can bend radiator fins creating  a dangerous high temperature condition. In extreme cases, this damage could lead to heat-related engine failure.

Motorized vehicles require a clean, dry flow of oxygen to perform at their best. Water from pressure washers can drive water and dirt past air filters or rubber air boots, introducing water and dirt into the intake side of your engine. As above, dirt that gets to the internal parts of your engine causes extreme wear. And don’t even get me started about water in the fuel system.

The Rubber Meets The Road

 

Now if all that weren’t reason enough to avoid pressure washing your ride, some pressure washers can cause damage to your tires. The high pressure stream of water can penetrate and blister the rubber compound compromising the tire’s structural integrity.

Have you ever observed brown stains on your tires after washing them? There’s your sign that the rubber compound is beginning to break down. Worst case is you could experience a blow out at an inopportune time. Best case, you will have to replace your tires sooner than you expected.

“German safety group DEKRA has discovered that if a washer nozzle is held close to a tyre at very high pressure, serious damage can occur in just five seconds! Even tyres that appear normal after being subjected to a pressure washer may have microscopic perforations, which can weaken the sidewall and cause a possible blow-out.” Carpages.co.uk

Lights Out

Ever find yourself with mysterious and intermittent electrical issues?

Highly pressurized water forced into electrical components and wiring causes corrosion which leads to many of these issues. The cost of troubleshooting these problems can be very expensive. Not to mention the cost of the replacing the components themselves.

Does A Pressure Washer Really Clean?

Honestly, they do initially clean pretty well, maybe too well. When a coating of dirt, mud or debris is present on your machine, the impact of pressure washing results in these particles turning into dangerous projectiles. These particles propelled at high speed at paint, chrome, plastic, anodizing and other surfaces of your machine create scratches and/or dents on all finishes. This process is nearly identical to sand blasting. Not sure this is what you had in mind to clean your expensive motorcycle.

Is There A Safe Way to Clean Your Motorcycle?

Yes. Pro Clean.

Pro Clean has been created specifically for cleaning motorcycles. Pro Clean is specially formulated to gently penetrate and lift dirt off the surfaces of your machine.

Pro Clean is easy to use. Simply spray it on and wait 5 minutes while it loosens the adhesion of the grime from the surface of your machine. Once the Pro Clean has worked it’s magic, a gentle stream of water from a garden hose is all that’s required to rinse the dirt, dust and debris from your machine.

Safe for all surfaces of your motorcycle, Pro Clean will not harm or fade any part of your bike, including paint work, carbon fiber, anodizing, polished plastic, tires, chrome, titanium, brake pads, brushed aluminum and more.

Happily, Pro Clean is non-toxic and biodegradable so it’s not only safe for your machine, but safe for you, your children, your pets, your lawn and the environment in general.

We are so confident that Pro Clean works as advertised that we’re willing to stand behind it 100%. That’s right, should Pro Clean not live up to our claims, please return it for a full refund.