Jet washing and snow foaming a motorbike

[Tiggie]

I've got a bottle of this special BMW brand cleaner I can send you to try if you want @Stu?  

 

 

[Stu]

@Tiggie if its free I will have it........

[Tiggie]

Might not be safe around the decals 

[Stu]

My bike has no decals! 

[linuxrob]

Have used snow foam (Bilt Hamber Autofoam, now surpassed will Bilt Hamber Touchless snow foam mixed 40ml per 1lt of water) for quite a few years on the car and bikes with no problems, as long as you keep your distance and be sensible. With the bike i stay away from chains and switchgear, and regular inspection, sprays like wd40 or GT85 you will get no probs washing bike or not. After a wash i blow down with the airline. It beats anything i have tried in loosening and removing road film etc. I do not wet first just spray on to the dirt and wait 5 mins, keep spraying to stop it drying in the summer though.

 

I do not have a snow foam attachment for the 2004 Karcher K washer so i used a garden sprayer to wet the bike/ car and now use the IK 1.5 lt foamer sprayer. Some heavy crusted stuff is agitated with a soft detail brush before rinse. The Autofoam needed a good bit of pressure to get it all off but the Touchless will rinse quick even with the hose pipe.

 

It does a good job on brake dust, get a lot of this with the bandit, just don't let the dust stay on the wheel for a long time. Be careful with "bleeding" wheel cleaners on cars and bikes. Avoid spraying onto the brake discs and calipers just the wheels, after all it does change rust to another compound so will eat into steel unprotected parts.

 

 

The foam can get up to 90% of the dirt off before a hand wash with soap and wash mitt.

 

The Z500 went through a thunderstorm last year on country roads and looked like a off road bike when i got home. left it to cool down then foamed it.

 

Came up a treat.

 

 

After just snow foam and rinse

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve_M]

4 hours ago, Fish said:

I snow foam and never had any issues, the main difference is when using a jet wash I always have the head a few feet away.

 

I know bearings are good at dealing with these environments, but chains not so much IMHO. So Most of the bike is fine, but chain and brakes are the two main area's I would use lower pressure.

What is this “chain” of which you speak.

[Stu]

16 minutes ago, Steve_M said:

What is this “chain” of which you speak.

 

I am going to put it in the swear filter......

[Fiddlesticks]

Anyone else using half a tennis ball up the exhaust?

 

(No, that's not a euphemism - stop sniggering at the back - it's to keep the water out).

[Stu]

7 minutes ago, Fiddlesticks said:

Anyone else using half a tennis ball up the exhaust?

 

(No, that's not a euphemism - stop sniggering at the back - it's to keep the water out).

 

Nope! 

 

A gimmick thats not needed  

[Steve_M]

8 minutes ago, Fiddlesticks said:

Anyone else using half a tennis ball up the exhaust?

 

(No, that's not a euphemism - stop sniggering at the back - it's to keep the water out).

Nope. There’s a drain hole at the lowest point of my exhaust, and I try not to point the jet wash down the exhaust. 

[MikeHorton]

I degrrased the chain today with the little contraption in the picture, no corrosion on the chain so I'm glad I used gear oil through the winter I find that the best. Ran paraffin through the chain cleaner dried it all off and back onto a dry lube for the summer. Quick  clean up of the bike after. I find paraffin is another nice cheap degreaser. Hopefully no fling with the chain lube I'm using so less cleaning work through the better weather 

[Davidtav]

I think a lot of you are a lot better experienced with looking after the chain. … I don’t actually wash my bike that much. I do smear wd40 over the engine regularly. And quite often rinse off with a garden hose

[JustinW]

For me, the snowfoam bottle, although attached to the jet washer, has nowhere near the power of the raw jetwash nozzle output. The power of the jetwash is massively decreased, and what comes out the attached bottle is a lovely soft mass of foam. It isn't going to get into the bearings etc. I let the foam sit for 5 mins and wash off with a brush or sponge.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

18 minutes ago, MikeHorton said:

I degrrased the chain today with the little contraption in the picture, no corrosion on the chain so I'm glad I used gear oil through the winter I find that the best. Ran paraffin through the chain cleaner dried it all off and back onto a dry lube for the summer. Quick  clean up of the bike after. I find paraffin is another nice cheap degreaser. Hopefully no fling with the chain lube I'm using so less cleaning work through the better weather 

Which gizmo is that? I've seen a similar device from Draper but it got crap reviews.

[MikeHorton]

1 hour ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

This is it I found it cheapest via Louismoto gets any grit out of the chain any the brushes inside the cleaner can be replaced Ive3 found it useful 

 

[MikeHorton]

https://www.louis-moto.co.uk/artikel/kettenmax-louis-edition-chain-clean-lube-device/10003114

[billy sugger]

I use a worx battery powered jet washer and mucoff bike cleaner

[S-Westerly]

19 hours ago, linuxrob said:

Have used snow foam (Bilt Hamber Autofoam, now surpassed will Bilt Hamber Touchless snow foam mixed 40ml per 1lt of water) for quite a few years on the car and bikes with no problems, as long as you keep your distance and be sensible. With the bike i stay away from chains and switchgear, and regular inspection, sprays like wd40 or GT85 you will get no probs washing bike or not. After a wash i blow down with the airline. It beats anything i have tried in loosening and removing road film etc. I do not wet first just spray on to the dirt and wait 5 mins, keep spraying to stop it drying in the summer though.

 

I do not have a snow foam attachment for the 2004 Karcher K washer so i used a garden sprayer to wet the bike/ car and now use the IK 1.5 lt foamer sprayer. Some heavy crusted stuff is agitated with a soft detail brush before rinse. The Autofoam needed a good bit of pressure to get it all off but the Touchless will rinse quick even with the hose pipe.

 

It does a good job on brake dust, get a lot of this with the bandit, just don't let the dust stay on the wheel for a long time. Be careful with "bleeding" wheel cleaners on cars and bikes. Avoid spraying onto the brake discs and calipers just the wheels, after all it does change rust to another compound so will eat into steel unprotected parts.

 

 

The foam can get up to 90% of the dirt off before a hand wash with soap and wash mitt.

 

The Z500 went through a thunderstorm last year on country roads and looked like a off road bike when i got home. left it to cool down then foamed it.

 

Came up a treat.

 

 

After just snow foam and rinse

 

 

 

 

 

I think you have a rather more severe definition of a dirty bike than me! I thought the "before" pics were a clean bike....

[Throttled]

I have snow foamed and hosed (good pressure, but not a jet wash) my bikes for years with zero issues.

[Joe85]

I jet wash and snow foam. Never been *careful* about distance or electronics either (well, i don’t jam it point plank into the dash or anything). I generally go to town with it. The only thing I’m mindful of is the air intake - spraying up and in behind the radiator. 

 

No issues encountered in 7 years.