I washed my bike last year, I'll probably wash it again next year.

If you want to wash your bike after every ride and spend some time shining parts up, have at it.

If you want to come ride, I'm ready to go, dirty bike and all.

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

Thank you!! I guess it does sound easy not to believe when you look at my bike and hear about how anal I am with cleaning. Definitely have ridden every weekend since I bought this bike back 6 months ago. I could count the number of saturdays at the track I missed on one hand, just to be perfectly honest, but I don't like missing one bit...

And you're exactly right, there is always THAT GUY or that point where it's just a little over-board. I got bored this past sunday and rode the wolf river trails (hardcore trail system following a river at back of my neighborhood) I can take those trails clear across the city and several counties, it's awesome and rough...I had my buddy randomly meet me down there on his 4 wheeler and it was IMMEDIATELY apparent that my bike was odd for what we did. Very very tight trails and we went through several deep mud holes, up to my cases, some hill climbs and then came out to a deep sand area.

I work so hard on the bike that when it comes time to ride, I don't hold back at ALL...Yea I may polish or keep my plastic clean, but all that stuff is super cheap and easy to replace, so when it comes down to breaking it, I could really care less. When I decided to go ride those trails it was on a whim and my bike was as clean as it is in that picture. When I got back, it was..well actually I have a pic! I hosed it down a little before this out front, and then ate dinner and snapped this pic.


And now it is as clean as it is in the first picture...The THING about this whole, religiously take care of my machine is, it makes it SOOO much more fun to ride it when I bring it back to perfection for each time, whether it's a quick mud bog trail ride or a full track day. When it comes down to rolling on WFO throttle, that jump, that berm, I KNOW the bike is right because I torqued those bolts, changed oil, filters, tires, everything...I dunno! And I definitely sympathize with what you said, if my riding was always really muddy I definitely would not clean as much but just get the main big clumps of dirt off and run a color that hides all that better. You should look into Maxima SC1, spray the bike down with it before muddy ride and it will all just slide off.

RedRider31, on 08 June 2012 - 12:23 PM, said:

Agreed! When RIDING is OVER, that's when it's time to do maintenance or clean...but when it's time to RIDEEE, well..that's ALL that shall be done.

When you see military vehicles in the field they are dirty but when you see them on the street they are spotless. The same goes for my bike and should for yours too.

Edited by Excite-Bike, 08 June 2012 - 12:49 PM.

You cleaning fairy people don't bother me one bit so long as you don't say anything about my dirty girl. I never let mine become "nasty", but she is by nature a dirty girl lol.

Did you really make a thread to complain that a guy gave you shit for over-cleaning your bike? This is almost as ridiculous as saying your friend is Marco Simoncelli.

I don't really care for the way your bike looks, I like the wheels, but the bodywork looks a bit too bland, but then again, it's your bike and why should my opinion matter. If you have spare time to work on your bike and make it look and run the way you want, then that's awesome. Any time spent working on a bike is well worth the invested in my opinion regardless of what you are doing.

I've had too many people tell me I waste my time playing with my bike, when they spend hours staring at the boob tube.

Unless your job is to make a bike look a certain way to sell it to people, I wouldn't waste any time worrying what they think about it. The important thing here is 1) You own a dirtbike and spend money on products which support the industry and 2) You get enjoyment either riding or working on a dirtbike. What else really matters?

I don't mind the cleaning, but why so much money into a 98?

A previous KTM I owned....76hrs



Current KTM I own....53hrs


Wife's 125....60hrs


Wife's DRZ and my old one....hers has 4000miles


My point is, I ride my bikes, I have 7 motorcycles that need/are being maintained at any moment. Somedays they are dirty, other days they are clean. I don't leave my bikes dirty for weeks on end, but if I go away for a while, this is what they look like when I leave. But when I'm home and going riding the every day, or every couple days, I don't bother washing them unless it was a real mudfest, and the only reason I clean them at that point is for maintenance or inspection purposes.

^those bikes look great!

Where in BC do you live?  Everytime I see a mountain bike video from up there, it's the most gorgeous scenery you could imagine!  If you've got any scenic riding vids, post 'em up in the pic/vid forum!

Edited by RedRider31, 08 June 2012 - 01:59 PM.

It's a shame to see a bike not used as it should be. However, if the owner chooses to keep it showroom clean after every use then more power to them. I simply like to get all the built up dirt and grease off of my bike after riding.

I keep all of my toys spotless! Because I am anal when it comes to taking care of my stuff...I work hard for my $$$ and I like nice things and I like to keep them nice! Pride of ownership!
Call me crazy because I know I am but I will detail my truck toyhauler and bikes before I leave for a camping trip just because I like my stuff to look good on the way there but, Once I get there it's game on and I could care less how dirty everything gets but when I get home everything is spotless again.

As far as some guys here giving you crap about keeping your stuff nice...it's a Internet forum trolls and haters love to hang here!! You just have to ignore them! Just like the loud drunk dude at the bar!

originalmonk, on 08 June 2012 - 01:56 PM, said:

Loving the KTM in white! 250 or 300?

Zappa, on 08 June 2012 - 01:08 PM, said:

Thanks and I didn't build this bike for anyone but myself, and I agree it is bland with the random decals on it now as well. It's just taken a very long time to pick a killer graphics set up for the bike because there is hardly anything out there for the gen1 cr250's, but I've finally found it. Sort of a custom deal, and it's a black/white with a factory honda look to it. Adds a lot more black to break it up some. As she sits now, just wayyy too much white.

tribalbc, on 08 June 2012 - 08:34 PM, said:

250, sadly she will be parked for the rest of the year. I had a major get-off at the Dirty Dragon race in Kamloops, looks like both rotator cuffs are torn and some sort of chest issues. I hit a stump 4th pinned.

Edited by originalmonk, 08 June 2012 - 08:47 PM.

MINGHAG, on 08 June 2012 - 01:41 PM, said:

Well as I said in my OP
1. My whole life 5-18 years old I asked for a motorcycle every year for christmas or birthdays and never got one.
2. I used to own this bike many years ago (my first bike ever) I sold it while off at college and randomly came back across her this year. It was history after that. The speed gods have spoken.

I'm not one of those guys who trades in a bike to get a new one all the time, forget that..I'm much more into taking a GOOD bike and making it awesome. Not saying I'm there yet, still have to upgrade the suspension and tons more but for instance I've finally got a hydro clutch on my 98. That's something you can't get even on a brand new eight THOUSAND dollar 2013 CRF450r...

Obviously anyone can buy that, but I take a lot more pleasure in building my own bike, especially one that's a decade old, with mods that even the new toys do not have.

I think of it sort of like the rich guy who goes out and buys a dodge viper to have a fast car, versus the guy who builds up his own for HALF that $ and has a better car...I'm NOT saying my 98' is even close to these newer bikes, but it sure isn't a piece of shit either.

I think of it sort of like

originalmonk, on 08 June 2012 - 01:56 PM, said:

Yes I know these bikes. Did you put tire shine on them after washing? Seen them before in some other picture thread. They all look amazing, you've done a great job   and what you've said above is right in line with my thinking. You take care of them to BETTER them, and whatever graphics/cosmetic add-on's are all part of your own individual taste, but the point is still the same

Edited by BlackCR25098, 08 June 2012 - 08:50 PM.

I always clean my bike after riding. When I am cleaning/wiping her down, I can also check to make sure everything is in  working order......bolts are tight, spokes are tight, etc, etc.

BlackCR25098, on 08 June 2012 - 08:49 PM, said:

Yeah, Maguires Hot Shine. I also discovered that not only does it make the bike look good, dirt and mud just slide off during the next wash.

haters gon' hate brother! do wut ya want...ya cant please everybody. we all like different stuff, thats wut makes the world go round (stfu bout science ya geeks)

dirtynasty, on 08 June 2012 - 02:22 PM, said:

Not sure what you mean here? Do you say the same thing when you see the pro's pull up to the gates at SX and outdoor races every weekend?? For most people, seeing their bikes is enough encouragement to go wash their own bike. My bike's spotless while she sits and waits, as I work all week and tinker with her, but come ride day....She's used exactly as intended but mainly all that hard work each time always pays off. I never have a ruined ride day for some mechanical flaws and pulling up to the nice track with a bike that is 110% does something to me. Then I feel like I can really ring it's neck, I deserve it, without wondering if this or that is going to break.

I don't know if any of you also do this, but I have a book bag with some tackle boxes that have brand new sets of spark plugs, jets, gaskets, tools, clutch/throttle cables, levers, brake pedals, shifter, handlebars, you name it!! All in one book bag. Never needed much other than a flat head to tune my air screw on warm-up, but it sure is nice to know I got it.

Edited by BlackCR25098, 08 June 2012 - 09:07 PM.