Sort of like this fellow?

Many of you probably know me around here for being the noob with a polished up pretty bike. I have a 1998 cr250 that is ridden at different tracks or trails every single weekend since I've bought it back. Used to own it 5 years ago, and just bought it back 6 months ago. In these 6 months we've rebuilt the motor, and basically replaced or improved everything. New carb, hydro clutch, really really made it nice even by a new bike's standards.

There are some small pieces that I've painted myself, whether it's flat black or this red paint that is transparent that looks exactly like anodizing (disc/caliper covers, axle blocks, wheel spacer, case saver, frnt. brake reservoir cap. I also just got done painting my stator/ignition cover with some plastic paint and clear coat because my foot never touches it and it didn't have any scratches before so I figured it would do okay (plus I have a spare). Everyone said no way, but it's been perfect after 3 track days now.

I make a point to show that I'm real big on keeping up with the maintenance of all your machines, and mine, and I've taught myself an insane amount about 2 stroke motors, carbs, jetting, bearings, air filters, oils, the list is really endless. I feel like I've been in MX 2 stroke college these last 6 months. I've replaced pretty much everything except the frame, motor cases, forks, shock, and bolts that hold it all together, SO I've had to teach myself EVERYTHING a long the way in order to do the best job and have a great final product. I also made damn sure to do all of the FUNCTION mods before any cosmetic crap was done, other than grips or something that was free to do. I can't thank you guys of this forum enough for all the help along the way, whatever it may of been, I've asked about it all.

So my point here is lately I've had a few guys come into a thread that was specifically about a cosmetic upgrade and diss me out about my bike having spoke wraps, (which makes the spokes white ) or painted stator cover, over painted case saver. Their argument being I was wasting all my "time" doing this stuff when I should be learning how to turn, jump, or bang dudes like they do

But the point is I go to the track and let it rip every single weekend. All these painted parts have held up for I don't know how many rides..I honestly have no idea maybe 20 rides? I am my own boss and make DAMN sure we don't have any work roll over onto saturdays. That is my day. Many of my friends acted like they were hardcore about riding all the time, but many times it ends up being just me...I am very passionate about riding, and I have equal passion for being a mechanic and knowing this bike inside and out and keep it "race ready" and clean in between track days every saturday.

So to hear this over and over again, it really makes me curious if others actually think like this? DON'T get me wrong polishing the frame or having a DIRT bike meticulously clean is no priority of importance for most folks, I get it, but I am more wondering what yalls opinions are of people who do have keep a clean bike BUT ALSO ride it hard religiously?

The guy who buys a clapped out bike with no intention of maintenance, and goes straight for plastics and cosmetic sh!t is one thing. My thing is why are they bitching saying that I COULD be making it more powerful, when it already has MORE power than I'll ever be able to use? I'm not interested in adding more power, but I am interested in keeping my motor the best condition and always ready to ride or race.

AND WHY the hell would he say I should be out learning to ride it, when I do religiously every weekend like it's church on sunday? Progression of riding skill is NOT going to come any faster either way? And keeping a bike clean sure as hell is irrelevant in regards to that and everything else in his/their argument.

Could it be his argument is hollow, and he's purely driven by some sort of inner hate or jealousy? And I DON'T like using the word jealous either...I'm no stuck up a-hole. I just have a problem with people who just HATE on other people because they have a different style, taste, or even a cleaner bike than them, so they come up with these irrelevant excuses to troll around in threads about painting this, graphics that, or just improving the looks or cleaning a bike up in general.

I ask too because I argue with the fellow forever and no one ever responds. We both have 2 clear different views and I'm curious to hear what you guys think about stuff like this. It's a common thing on these forums with the wide variety of priorities and tastes. I just ride to have fun and progress. I get pleasure and stress relief out of turning wrenches and cleaning my bike and guys hate on it with absolutely NO real reasoning behind it. I already know why they're on douche level 13, but curious to discuss it with others, or see if anyone agrees or disagrees?

Edited by BlackCR25098, 07 June 2012 - 09:52 PM.

Its better then doing "Bath Salts", enough said!

originalmonk, on 07 June 2012 - 09:36 PM, said:

lol I don't get it? But alright, sure. Better than drugs....

BlackCR25098, on 07 June 2012 - 09:57 PM, said:

For me, what I see, is a guy whos just into his motorcycle. Whether its riding it, cleaning it, painting it or having a beer with it, its better then doing bath salts. Its YOUR thing. I feel the reason you wrote this post is because you feel discouraged, someone has taken YOUR thing, and made you doubt it. Do your own thing man....

Heres one of my favorite songs, I think it fits well for your situation......

originalmonk, on 07 June 2012 - 10:11 PM, said:

Haha!! Well thanks man for making that positive, instead of the typical sarcastic route. I'm in no way discouraged I'm going to ALWAYS do MY thang and let the haters rage. If anything it just motivates me. I'm the same way with my truck, and my work. It just keeps happening, and there is absolutely NOO logic behind it, so I'm not questioning whether he's right. I already know the answer to that. I AM however questioning what others think??

I mean, what's the difference in the mechanic guy who keeps a nice bike, but is new and not very skilled at riding AND the kid that daddy or whoever fixes everything, is more skilled @ riding, but doesn't know a spark plug from a piston??? NOTHING..

Riding skill takes time, whether your bike has a graphics kit, polished frame, and is highly maintained OR NOT...It has nothing to do with any of that!? What a ass. It's okay to have the occasional hater, but the guy that's just consistently trolling around into threads based on that topic

It' ain't a big deal. I'm just bored and curious I guess.

Edited by BlackCR25098, 07 June 2012 - 10:31 PM.

damn, that was a long post. you could have used that time to polish your pipe or something.

BlackCR25098, on 07 June 2012 - 09:31 PM, said:

When I see a clean, cared for dirt bike, I always wonder how they do it.

Edited by underbike, 08 June 2012 - 03:27 AM.

I always have the cleanest bike at the track. When I was racing full time in high school, my friends would get done with thier moto and just leave thier bike. Thier parents would usually just power wash it for them, while i was degreasing, scrubing, and scraping everything I could. Those same parents would approach me and ask why Im cleaning my own bike, are my parents making me, did I lose a bet, blah blah blah. I'd always say no, I have a responsibility with my bike and take pride in being clean. Then those parents would yell at thier kids about how they should clean thier own bike

I take pride in cleaning my bike after every ride. How someone takes care of his/her stuff says a lot about them. To me part of the fun of riding is taking something that you have beat the snot out of all day that is covered with dust, mud, sweat, blood, and tears and restoring it to new looking only to do the same thing again the next week. It's your bike, if you want to keep it looking new go for it. The last ride I went on, I had another rider ask me if my bike had ever even been ridden. Your bike is an extension of you.

Alajambama, on 08 June 2012 - 03:58 AM, said:

Practically speaking, washing your bike is a good idea.  You want to get the mud and dirt off the parts that move - like the chain/sprockets.  Many times while washing, I've noticed something wrong - like loose spokes, cracked hoses,etc.

I also wash my bike for pride!  Well sort of - I often do it to get the roost off the front number plate......

I ride my bike hard and clean it religiously. I go so far as polishing my pipe and wheels with Mother's aluminum polish and a Powerball. And honestly I think it's just stupid and irresponsible when people say there's no reason to clean it because it's a dirt toy. Some people just don't take pride in themselves or their belongings. These are also the same morons you see rolling around at the track with rust on their frame and duct tape numbers on their bikes. And you can't tell me that leaving dirt and mud all over your carb or chain or engine or forks or whatever else doesn't hurt anything. Do you see the pros rolling up to the gate on a dirty machine? I'm a process engineer at a major medical device company and let me tell you...our operators have a 6 page cleaning list of all the equipment and machines that is done weekly. Yes, a "little dust" can hurt stuff. Nothing wrong at all with having a clean bike. When I see a dirty bike in the back of a truck on the way TO the track I can't help but wonder if they'll make it through the day without it blowing. If you can't even wash the damn thing why would you bother doing maintenance?! Easier just to ride it and get it more dirty like it should be, right?! Ugh! Ah...I feel better now.

Edited by NaPaul, 08 June 2012 - 04:27 AM.

NaPaul, on 08 June 2012 - 04:22 AM, said:

Settle down dude!  I understand what you are saying, but also recognize that excessive cleaning and washing can also contribute to problems.  Water causes corrosion of some of the parts (e.g., steel fasteners), and pressure washing (or even hose washing with enough pressure) can force water into places where it shouldn't be.  I never wash my bike after riding in dry and dusty conditions, even if I have splashed through a stream or two, and gotten some mud on the bike.  The amount of dirt on the bike simply does not justify the risk of corrosion or water penetration, not to mention the frivolous use of a water resource (we have overtaxed the water supply where I live) and the cost of soap, simple green, wd-40, and any other chemicals that you might use while cleaning.  Some dust and a few spots of mud will not hide broken parts or loose fasteners, or cause any other harm, as the machine is designed to operate in the dirt.  I just clean the air filter (and do whatever other maintenance is needed), and ride again.  So yes, I am one of those guys that will sometimes show up at a race with some dirt on my bike. but it's OK--I know what I'm doing and my bike is not going to blow up.  Of course in a mud race or ride, I do thoroughly clean up the bike.

As a past health inspector, I'll give you a good analogy about eating at restaurants and you will be able to relate this to your clean bike.

If you want to know how good the kitchen of a restaurant operates, have a look at the cleanliness of their bathroom.  Trust me .. this IS true.

So back to bikes.  Just like cars, people who keep their bikes clean are generally more likely to look after their bikes mechanically.  Same thing for cars, boats, etc.   I know people who NEVER clean their bikes and change their oil every 30 hours (whether it needs it or not ) and "think" they look after their bikes.  And you know what, in their opinion, this is proper maintenance.

People tend to over exaggerate or twist the truth about 2 things when it comes to bikes:

1)  The number of hours on the bike (take what they tell you and add at least 50%)
2)  How well they maintain their bikes (subjective to opinion on what maintaining really means)

I know people who maintain their bikes excessively (I am one) and those who do not (yet think they do) ... and YES .. the appearance of the bike is related to the level of maintenance in most cases.  

What it really comes down to is that EVERYONE wants to believe they are maintaining their bikes ... maybe they are depending on what you consider to be maintenance ... just some perform a HIGHER level of maintenance.  This is also usually manifested in the appearance of their bikes as well.  Not always, but I would bet there is a VERY strong relationship between the two.

Edited by supervokes, 08 June 2012 - 05:38 AM.

It's your bike. You can paint it pink or beat it like a pinata and it's none of anybody's business. I think "bite me" is the proper response to anybody who thinks otherwise.

So, what is this thread about????  lol

BlackCR25098, in you OP, are you talking about just one guy doing the hating?  You kept using the word "he".

I take pride in having a clean bike, but you'll never catch me polishing the frame to a mirror finish.  To me, the best looking bikes are the ones that are kept in a "just off the showroom floor" condition.

rpt50, on 08 June 2012 - 04:51 AM, said:

This is a great post
I would love to keep my bike all "bling" looking. It always looks that way after the winter rebuild. But come riding season I ride way to much, 4 days a week minimum, and abuse my bike way too much in the bush, to dream of keeping it all new looking. As far as washing I to agree that washing after every ride in my situation anyways, will lead to way more corrosion problems than hitting it up once a week or so, or when it's really dirty.
Mechanically every part on my bike is like new. I spend countless hours regreasing, rebuilding, etc, just had the top end apart yesterday for a rering and inspection. But my bike will never be the prettiest bike at the MX track, other than the first day of the year

Here is my take.. I don't care much for the "painted" "blinged" stuff.. Just as I see it added weight and cost that could go towards gas, tires, nessesities.

There is nothing wrong with what you did too your bike.. But I just don't see the benafits of the painted parts.. you claimed you have three rides.. The thing is that it will eventualy wear off and your bike will look alot worse then if you had left it "stock" Or you will be having more upkeep by repainting it to keep it looking good.. Kawasaki and others have painted clutch covers ignition covers ect those things rat out and look like crap rather quickly.. I hate it.. I'd rather they just left it raw metal and it would be ok..

Now, IMHO the people whom just ride there bike and wash it maybe once a month those people piss me off more then the bling artists who claim they are super fast but are not.. If you have a dirtbike just because it says DIRT in it's name does not mean you leave it dirty.. These machines can kill you if something fails and leaving it dirty only invites failure to occur quicker.. Just my thoughts..

To the OP.. Nothing against you.. I just don't see the added weight and maintance time that the cosmetic ventures add.. Not my cup o tee.. How ever I don't think less of you or take any care that you do.. As long as you're having fun and being safe to your self and others [me] on the track More power to you!

Hey guys, see now I am glad I decided to start this thread. I KNEW there are others who give a damn about their bikes.

AND I'm not talking about all of you making your bikes bling queens, but more so just cleaning right along as a part of maintenance, just like changing oil, air filter, etc.

I DO however polish my frame, but only because I have the bike apart after washing post-ride, so it's easy. I picked up a power ball polisher that attaches to a drill, so the polishing is about 15-20 minutes total and is less physically demanding than washing her off alone, so why not. Don't even break a sweat. My whole point is, right along with that polishing I am making dang sure that everything mechanically, bearings, seals, grease, tire pressure is to my own standards.

It just boggles my mind how people could even complain about something like that. Yes I have some painted parts I've done, but I specifically picked those parts to paint because they are the areas with no friction or a very low amount of it, so they will last a longgg enough time to make painting them worth it.

You guys who take pride in your bikes and your work, post them up! Here's my horrendous bling queen. When it comes to track days, she's got the black side plastics on and is all business.


I'm glad to hear all of this. I've always taken responsibility with my things and appreciate them so much. Probably because I was lower middle class my entire life. I asked for a dirt bike every year growing up and never got one until I got out and earned the $ myself. This is the bike I bought originally, then sold 5 years ago, then randomly came across 6 months ago and bought back. So maybe sentimental value has a lot to do with it as well. Whatever it is, I'm sure glad I have it.

Edited by BlackCR25098, 08 June 2012 - 12:08 PM.

Well, you claim to ride it everyweekend which I'm not doubting you do. So no I don't have a problem if you want to have a clean bike. I do hate "that guy" who everybody knows that will not ride on wet days or ride through mud because he doesn't want his bike to get dirty. And I also know that guy who every time he goes through a mud puddle he wants to find a clean creek and drive into it to wash most of the mud off, then take a break and scrub it off. THAT'S annoying. But if you ride it and you love it and you clean it, then what's the problem?

Personally, I don't go super hard on washing my bike, because typically I ride it every night or a few times a week and where I live it's pretty muddy. So I only do neccessary washing but don't go to intense with it. I don't take any parts of usually and I don't really scrub the frame. Maybe every 3rd or 4th washing I'll go really hard with a toothbrush and simple green then pressure wash and give it some turtle wax so it looks sexy for an hour or so. But that's about it. If you like doing it then don't let other people bug you about it.

shawn1331, on 08 June 2012 - 12:19 PM, said:

Hah!  I would leave that dude behind on the trail, and not feel bad about it for a second!