Clean a motorcycle
There’s a 5 stage process to cleaning a motorcycle engine.
- Pre-wash and prepare your bike before using motorcycle cleaning products
- Degrease and clean your engine
- Clean your brake discs and pads
- Clean your motorbike chain
- Dry and polish your bike
Motorcycle cleaning products
Motorbikes are exposed to all kinds of weather and driving conditions and under assault from dirt and grit. Having a motorcycle cleaning kit to hand for a regular clean will give you the best performance and maintain your bike’s value.
Browse our range of bike cleaners.
More specific cleaning tips
This short guide is intended to help you understand the process. You should always refer to a detailed workshop manual and wear protective gloves before undertaking a change yourself. Only work on a cold engine. Alternatively, consult your local workshop.
How to clean motorcycle carbs
- The best way to clean motorcycle carburettors is to use an ultrasonic bath. This will help to remove deposits which are blocking the jets and airways
- Once you remove your carburettors from the bath, make sure you dry them off thoroughly
- Squirt a carburettor cleaning fluid through all the airways
- Force air through each of the jets using a high pressure airline
- Repeat this process using a brake cleaner
- Fill the carburettors with petrol and leave them for at least an hour to make sure that the needle valves seal.
How to clean motorcycle downpipes
Motorbike exhausts often stain. To clean your motorcycle downpipes, follow this simple guide.
- Brush off any surface dirt and muck
- Use a mildly acid based cleaning agent to clean off the remaining dirt
- Make sure you wash off all the cleaning agent once it has done its job to prevent any corrosion
- Use a metal polish or fine grade wire wool to continue the scrubbing, cleaning, polishing and buffing
How to clean a motorcycle air filter
Air filters have an important part to play in engine performance. They provide the air that your engine needs to burn fuel and create power. And you certainly need them to intercept harmful particles and keep them away from your engine. You should check your air filter every time you change your engine oil.
First work out whether your bike has a paper, foam or cotton air filter. Paper air filters will need to be replaced but foam and cotton filters can be cleaned. If you are cleaning your oil filter, make sure you wear protective gloves.
To clean a sponge air filter, knead a specialist cleaner into the foam pad as if you were kneading a dough. Rinse the dirt out in warm, soapy water and repeat the process until you are satisfied you have removed the dirt. Then leave it to dry.
To clean a cotton air filter, apply a specialist cleaner to the cotton and leave it to stand for a few minutes. Rinse the cleaner off and then continue to Rinse the dirt out in warm, soapy water and repeat the process until you are satisfied you have removed the dirt. Then leave it to dry.
