how to clean off road grime from scooter

[JustMe!]

How do you guys wash your scooters? After all that rain, mud, wet leaves, and for some people, snow and salt, it does a heck of alot of damage to the underside and wheel wells.

How do you clean this stuff off. Do you just get a wet rag and sponge and wipe it off, or do you go all over with a garden hose?

[Crazy Scooter]

How do you guys wash your scooters? After all that rain, mud, wet leaves, and for some people, snow and salt, it does a heck of alot of damage to the underside and wheel wells.

How do you clean this stuff off. Do you just get a wet rag and sponge and wipe it off, or do you go all over with a garden hose?
I just use a bucket of soapy water and a sponge then I hose it off. If the mud or salt is real bad I use the presure washer. The bike is designed to get wet so don't worry about using a hose, just don't blast the electrics to much :)

[burnt_toast]

I use simple green degreaser for the tough stuff and automotive windex to polish things off.

[Zuma-Zuma]

If its really really bad, always pre-soak it with water, then some type of cleaner. I wouldn't pressure wash it, but a hose should work, and light elbow grease. Safe chemicals are better than elbow grease, as hard scrubbing will mar the finish. The salt should come off right away, it will screw up the shiny parts, and will get under the plastic onto the nut plates and electrical connectors. If you must ride in salt, I would use dielectric grease in all the connectors. The hardest stuff to remove is usually the road tar, or new blacktop that gets on. Again, safe chemicals designed for the grime should dissolve it, and leave the shine.

[GUNSGONZ]

As important as “how to wash” is, “when and how often” is as important, depending on where in the country you live. When I lived in VA, winter time snow & salt meant pressure washing the stuff off as soon as the roads cleared, unless you wanted your vehicle to end up a Fred Flintstone, exaggeration but you get the idea.
Here in AZ its all about desert dust, but no mud or salt. So I hold off on all pressure washing until spring when things bone dry completely in 15 minutes. Black road tar requires a pre-treatment of hand cleaner and let marinade then pressure wash off as part of regular scheduled cleaning and maintenance.
I line up all 5 of my motor toys about every 6 months coincided with maintenance scheduled so that I have very clean bikes to work on and inspect everything clearly and minimize dirt on me and inside the bike. Since pressure washing's only draw back is loss of chasse and cable lubricants, it is the perfect opportunity to re-lubricate these normally neglected areas with a good aerosol lithium grease and tube injector. With all maintenance done and showroom clean the rest of my time is spent having fun and getting them dirty again. :dance: