Washing Motorcycles is a Flexible Practice, From Water-free Motorcycle Washing to High-pressure Washing!

The Yamaha TT250 Raid is an off-road vehicle that I have not ridden for a while. There were many more parts that needed to be repaired and many more parts that needed to be replaced than I had imagined. Before starting full-scale maintenance, it is essential to clean the vehicle. There are various ways to wash the motorcycle, but it is difficult to clean the motorcycle by just wiping off the dirt and grime. Here, let's try a simple and straightforward motorcycle wash using a water hose. Even so, I made sure to blow the air as promised before turning on the power, and the work proceeded.

Most importantly, the electrical system

I also blew air on the electrical parts and various harness couplers under the gas tank, but that wasn't enough to blow away the stuck-on dirt. It is very difficult to remove the clay stains. The rule of thumb is needed to take care of such parts.

I removed the lid of the air cleaner box and the air cleaner element was not built-in. Did you ride the motorcycle without the wet air filter sponge built-in? Or did you discard it after riding? There is a lot of care and delusion when maintaining a vehicle whose driving history is unknown. Let's proceed with the work, taking care of the current best.

Remove as many parts as you can.

Clay sludge stuck to the motorcycle and it was not going to be easy to wash and clean up. So, I removed the whole airbox and the carburetor by disassembling the insulator manifold. I cut the rag into small pieces and pressed it into the intake port of the cylinder head, and cured it so that the dirt and the water of the motorcycle wash would not enter the engine.

There is a wide range of motorcycle wash chemicals for off-road users. There are also spray detergents available that dissolve clay sludge and promote dirt removal. We removed as many parts around the engine as possible, and even removed the battery before spraying the dirt with the spray chemical. The engine, frame, harness, and even the coupler were sprayed with the chemical.

This is the important, air blow.

When the dirt is loosened and starts to float, various brushes are used and the dirt is brushed. When the dirt is loosened and starts to float, we use various brushes to brush the dirt. When the dirt has been broken down, we spray the chemical again and brush it thoroughly. After that, the dirt was washed away by applying pressure using a water hose and shower head, and then compressed air from a compressor was sprayed with a long nozzle air gun. Not only did we blow air all over, but we also blew the couplers of each electrical part. We also used a long nozzle to blow air along the wiring of each coupler as much as possible.

Various switch contacts are also well taken care of.

The dirt around the handlebar switches is much deeper rooted than you might think. Falling off-road or being partially submerged in a puddle of water can cause dirt and sludge to flow into the switch's internal contact points, leading to problems later on. If there is a noticeable amount of dirt mixed with oil, spray the inside of the switch with anti-corrosion penetrating spray or kerosene in a spray bottle, brush the inside of the switch to dissolve the dirt, and then clean it thoroughly with parts cleaner. After air blowing, spray the switch contact revival agent on the key points and take care of it.

Missing parts are purchased and installed.

For the missing air cleaner element, we purchased a wet sponge element from Yamaha Genuine Parts. When using the sponge element, apply the special air filter element oil before assembly. After applying the special oil, squeeze the sponge to soak up all of the oil so that it can be applied evenly. If you apply too much oil, wrap the sponge with a rag and hold it tightly to absorb the oil into the rag.

A simple air blow is not enough to blow the dirt off. This is especially true for the off-road red dirt and clay sludge, which are difficult to clean up. In such a case, a high-performance motorcycle wash detergent can make it surprisingly easy to remove the dirt. In this case, I used a motorcycle wash detergent from the Makoff brand, which was easy to use; after spraying it on and waiting for a while, it dissolved the red dirt and clay stains, lifted them up, and washed them away.

Sludge and dirt under the gasoline tank and around the engine were noticeable, so we started by removing the surrounding parts. We sprayed water on the bare body with a water hose, and then sprayed detergent all over the body, and left it for a while before brushing. When the dirt is bad, I wipe detergent on it and leave it for a while. Then, the dirt of red soil and clay gradually came to the surface. Using various brushes that I had prepared (toothbrushes are effective for fine parts), I scrubbed the dirt away. Then, I rinsed off the brownish foam stains with the water hose. Then, the stubborn clay-like dirt was washed off surprisingly cleanly. The power of a detergent chemical specially designed for washing motorcycles is quite impressive. I think this will be able to efficiently clean the dirt around the feet and swingarm pivot of off-road vehicles.

By washing the motorcycle several times, the motorcycle body becomes clean, but it is hard to remove the dirt that got into the small parts such as the electrical system and wiring harness. However, we wanted to wash the motorcycle thoroughly, so we sprayed a lot of detergent on the wiring harnesses, couplers, and electrical parts, and when the dirt started to float, we used a small brush (a toothbrush works well here too) to brush the dirt around the harnesses. The cleaning process is repeated, and finally, the cleaning water that has seeped into the electrical components and harness couplers is thoroughly blown out with compressed air from a compressor and an air gun with a long nozzle. After the work, the parts were dried in the sun for three to four hours.

It takes a lot of courage to wash out electrical parts with tap water or high-pressure washing, but realistically, there is no problem if it is only a wiring harness or coupler connector. As for the electrical equipment and the electrical unit (for example, the magnet switch, the fuse box, the ignition unit, etc.), it is good if you wash off the dirt around the connector mainly and practice thorough air blow. The important thing is "finishing by thorough air blow". It is possible to wash the motorcycle drastically if the battery is disconnected before washing and the motorcycle is not energized. However, when using tap water or high-pressure washing, be sure to blow air along with the wiring harness, pull out the couplers that connect the harness one by one, and thoroughly blow air on each male and female terminal. For unit parts such as the fuse box, pull out the coupler and then blow air. Open the fuse cover and blow the air around the fuse. If you pull out the fuse and blow the air, you will be able to work in a better environment.

As for the inside of the switch box around the handle, take the housing apart and visually check the inside. If you find the inside of the switch box is stained with oil, spray a lot of anti-corrosion penetrating spray and break down the dirt inside (use a toothbrush). After that, wash away the dirt with parts cleaner. Then, after blowing the air thoroughly with an air gun, spray the electrical contact revival spray to the important points, and it is obvious that the function will be improved. It may be that you don't want to use tap water as much as possible, but if you wash your motorcycle with a compressor, an air gun, and an understanding of each function, you can make your motorcycle beautiful without any damage. Paradoxically, when you don't have a compressor and an air gun, it's best to avoid fancy tap water washes. The important thing is to be responsible and thorough with your motorcycle.