Not everyone’s as obsessed with keeping their bike as clean and shiny as I am but I thought I’d share this piece in MCN with everyone in case they missed it - http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/advice/searchresults/MCN-Articles/2004/Dec30-04-clean-and-polish/
I was wondering if anyone can recommend a place to go for best value kit - cleaning gear mainly but all sorts really. I can feel a mammoth clean coming on this weekend**
** Will help you clean your bike in exchange for lunch 
We are obviously doing this wrong - we just wash the bike with a bucket of gentle bubbly water and a cloth after a muddy ride and then rinse it.
Rinsing can include throwing a bucket of water (aimed at bike) over the pillion passenger to test the quality of waterproofing of the suit - all this takes as long as the kettle is boiling for the tea after a ride and is quite fun.
PS It does get a proper clean and polish now and again but the above method does keep the build-up down a bit
you can come clean mine if you want - I’ll supply TEA free of charge
The above plan only works if you do it immediately when you get home- the momentum and good intention only lasts for about 30 seconds after taking the helmet and gloves off - sorry - but thanks for the offer of the tea 
1 bucket
1 sponge
1 tooth brush
1 packet of elbo grease
some fairy liquid
and some time…
thats all u need…
you defo should not be using fairly liquid. it has salt it in, will scratch your patch to b*ggery
“5. Take the bike off the paddock/sidestand. Grab the bars firmly and lean the bike over on to your knee, then go round to the other side and repeat – this helps trapped water drip free. Put the bike back on to its stand and remove the fairing. Soak up any excess water from around the engine.”
LMAO 
Seriously!!! No way could I do that, the bike would be on the floor in seconds.
Do any of your read Fast Bikes magazine?
If so, you will notice with this months mag there was a free V2 spaostar pack, from the same people that make the V2 sponge. I can confirm, they are absolutely great! I normally use auto glym cleaner in water and a brush, l will be buying some more off these from now on! Just put in a bucket of water, get the bubbles going and your there!
I use auto glym show shine to polish the bike (quicker and easier then resin polish), I use Wurth brake and chain cleaner for those parts, and for stuck on bugs I just use cheapy tesco bug & sap remover, which is just as good.
As you can see, the results are good, I think you will agree!
Damn, that is one clean bike! must get on and clean my two…
yep bought it and will test the freebie ‘v’ shaped thing this weekend.
Get the 10 ready for the may day run.
Mostly cold water and microfibre cloths, I kid you not. Autosol on the bare metal, WD40 on the chrome finished off with water/microfibre. If it gets really caked, the Lithuanians with the power hoses down the road get that off for a fiver, then I clean the chemical residues off after. The chief knob insisted on spraying the seats with silicon polish last time I went there… made life interesting for a while.
I start off with brushing/spraying Gunk on the swingarm and wheels. Tesco ‘value’ car shampoo, warm water and hose to wash the bike. When dry cover the disks with bags, spray much of the bike with GT85 or ACF-50. Wipe the wheels with ACF-50.
I find covering the bike with ACF-50 or GT85 makes it much easier to clean next time and stops salt corroding.
I use mainly muck off stuff, halfords stock it now, degreaser, bike cleaner, polish and I use wd40 and back to black for the plastics.Result
I use Autoglym stuff from Halfords, Autosol, some bucket, water pressure cleaner, sponge, few brushes and clothes .
Mine after cleaning:
car shampoo, industrial hard surface cleaner on grease, Turtle wax polish, brasso on chromes. When it’s really bad - a small Karcher pressure washer helps a lot, normally just a big sponge and tesco wheel rim brush (great stuff!), some soft cotton clothes, e.g. old t-shirt
Turtle Wax
The shame of it all… I hate cleaning and I am rubbish at it, i use a jet cleaner because its easy, i am kinda carefull not to blast the chain but it does a decent job with the rest of the bike. My ZXR 400 is imaculate because i never use it and Glamma cleaned it with a tooth brush before i bought it:D
A tooth Brush:D
must of took ages:hehe:
muck off + hose pipe + 5 mins of your time = 
clean bike 
