New bike day. 690SMC-R.

[Yorick]

After being OTT for me with cleaning on the Duke I've not washed mine for 3.5 months

About a year for me. Hoping to nip over to Fuertaventura tmrw. If it gets mucky I might come home via the jet wash

[Taipan]

Not washed the MT-09 since I've had it...

[weeksy]

You're bike right now!

Ummmm not unless the rust is magic

It was washed... cleaned... then dried off with a pet blower... then wiped, then dried off for a 2nd time with pet blower. Then polished.... then lubed.... it's spotless again

[weeksy]

After being OTT for me with cleaning on the Duke I've not washed mine for 3.5 months

About a year for me. Hoping to nip over to Fuertaventura tmrw. If it gets mucky I might come home via the jet wash

Not washed the MT-09 since I've had it...

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

[Supermofo]

Not washed the MT-09 since I've had it...

Last bike I commuted on regularly, my Z750, I remember once putting it in the garage one Nov thinking - Bloody hell that's minging - before closing the garage door so I couldn't see it anymore

[Taipan]

After being OTT for me with cleaning on the Duke I've not washed mine for 3.5 months

About a year for me. Hoping to nip over to Fuertaventura tmrw. If it gets mucky I might come home via the jet wash

Not washed the MT-09 since I've had it...

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

Regardless of what I think of it, its primary role is a functional bit of kit. Plus up until recently, its only been rained on and was pretty clean, if a little dusty, until I got caught in the rain the other day. Now it could do with a wash and will probably get one. No date has been set though...

[weeksy]

Regardless of what I think of it, its primary role is a functional bit of kit. Plus up until recently, its only been rained on and was pretty clean, if a little dusty, until I got caught in the rain the other day. Now it could do with a wash and will probably get one. No date has been set though...

However, whether it's functional or not, it's likely to cost more to maintain and also lose more in depreciation if neglected. ?

[Supermofo]

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

I'm not proud of it, but I certainly don't think some summer dust and a few flies harms the bike in the slightest, so equally I'm not bothered by it either. Only difference is I've not spent hours cleaning it so it can get dirty again which is what I was doing with the 690. I should imagine mine is several magnitudes cleaner than Taipan's though as mine's not seen rain. In Taipan's defence though when I was doing 300 miles a week commuting on my Z750 bikes very much become more a tool than a treasured play thing so it got washed when I could be bothered.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I used my DRZ400 for commuting for one winter, it did more damage than 9 years of trail riding and enduros, the poor thing went white and furry from road salt.

[Skub]

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

I'd be of a similar mindset,though maybe less afflicted.

From my years of commuting all year around,I destroyed several good bikes with road salt. It took years before the penny dropped,so matey and myself bought a shitter to share.

Cleaning will always divide opinion between the 'it's a tool,when it breaks I'll buy something else' and the polar opposite of 'never seen rain' owners. As with anything there's a happy medium.

If your bike is a shit heap due to lack of simple cleaning,you've got it wrong.

If you'd love to ride some days,but there's an off chance of rain,so you don't bother,you've got it wrong.

Road salt is the deal breaker for me.

[Supermofo]

If you'd love to ride some days,but there's an off chance of rain,so you don't bother,you've got it wrong.

That is why I don't want to be so anal about cleaning this time around. With the Duke I didn't ride sometimes just in case it got dirty.

Road salt is the deal breaker for me.

That absolutely.

[Taipan]

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

I'd be of a similar mindset,though maybe less afflicted.

From my years of commuting all year around,I destroyed several good bikes with road salt. It took years before the penny dropped,so matey and myself bought a shitter to share.

Cleaning will always divide opinion between the 'it's a tool,when it breaks I'll buy something else' and the polar opposite of 'never seen rain' owners. As with anything there's a happy medium.

If your bike is a shit heap due to lack of simple cleaning,you've got it wrong.

If you'd love to ride some days,but there's an off chance of rain,so you don't bother,you've got it wrong.

Road salt is the deal breaker for me.

Mines public transport!

[Skub]

Mines public transport!

That's definitely buy a shitter time.

[Yorick]

After being OTT for me with cleaning on the Duke I've not washed mine for 3.5 months

About a year for me. Hoping to nip over to Fuertaventura tmrw. If it gets mucky I might come home via the jet wash

Not washed the MT-09 since I've had it...

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

Because it's just metal and plastic. Cleaning it has no value. Doesn't make it better or faster or worth more.

[Count Steer]

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

I'd be of a similar mindset,though maybe less afflicted.

From my years of commuting all year around,I destroyed several good bikes with road salt. It took years before the penny dropped,so matey and myself bought a shitter to share.

Cleaning will always divide opinion between the 'it's a tool,when it breaks I'll buy something else' and the polar opposite of 'never seen rain' owners. As with anything there's a happy medium.

If your bike is a shit heap due to lack of simple cleaning,you've got it wrong.

If you'd love to ride some days,but there's an off chance of rain,so you don't bother,you've got it wrong.

Road salt is the deal breaker for me.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I'll do enough to try and protect a bike and treat it as basic maintenance. It's not something I enjoy, it's a chore. If I could I'd do what I do with cars. A lovely chap called Bob arrives and cleans them inside and out. He also used to clean aeroplanes - but won't touch bikes.

It wouldn't cross my mind not to go out because a bike was clean and the roads were wet, but snow and ice are a no-no. Would commute on salted roads but don't have to any more. (Had to do both when I had no other transport and work was miles away. It took a long time ). It's a conundrum, the season bikes get dirtiest is the season when cleaning them is the most meh.

I do know people that think the perfect Sunday is to clean his, hers and the children's cars. It takes all sorts.

[weeksy]

About a year for me. Hoping to nip over to Fuertaventura tmrw. If it gets mucky I might come home via the jet wash

Not washed the MT-09 since I've had it...

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

Because it's just metal and plastic. Cleaning it has no value. Doesn't make it better or faster or worth more.

Of course it makes it worth more. I'd bet a mars bar my zx6 is worth more any other 12,000 mile zx6 by at least £500 if not a grand. Ive seen other zx6 s with 5000 less miles I wouldn't value anywhere near mine

[Yorick]

Baffles me why people seem proud to not look after their expensive objects. You wouldn't buy a sofa, throw food all over it and then just sit on it... Or leave a bathroom covered in mud.... or food all over the kitchen worktops.

Why people spend good money on something and seem happy to then neglect it is absolutely beyond me.

Because it's just metal and plastic. Cleaning it has no value. Doesn't make it better or faster or worth more.

Of course it makes it worth more. I'd bet a mars bar my zx6 is worth more any other 12,000 mile zx6 by at least £500 if not a grand. Ive seen other zx6 s with 5000 less miles I wouldn't value anywhere near mine

Not over here. There's no rain or crap weather to fight. So folk don't really bother. You can't beat the constant wind and dust, so nobody tries.

If I spent hours cleaning the GSXR it would have a thin layer of dust within a few days

[weeksy]

Because it's just metal and plastic. Cleaning it has no value. Doesn't make it better or faster or worth more.

Of course it makes it worth more. I'd bet a mars bar my zx6 is worth more any other 12,000 mile zx6 by at least £500 if not a grand. Ive seen other zx6 s with 5000 less miles I wouldn't value anywhere near mine

Not over here. There's no rain or crap weather to fight. So folk don't really bother. You can't beat the constant wind and dust, so nobody tries.

If I spent hours cleaning the GSXR it would have a thin layer of dust within a few days

Ok. You win. Your island is amazing, you win the pension/property and money game, the beer is cheap and it's always sunny.


Did I miss anything?

[Yorick]

Of course it makes it worth more. I'd bet a mars bar my zx6 is worth more any other 12,000 mile zx6 by at least £500 if not a grand. Ive seen other zx6 s with 5000 less miles I wouldn't value anywhere near mine

Not over here. There's no rain or crap weather to fight. So folk don't really bother. You can't beat the constant wind and dust, so nobody tries.

If I spent hours cleaning the GSXR it would have a thin layer of dust within a few days

Ok. You win. Your island is amazing, you win the pension/property and money game, the beer is cheap and it's always sunny.


Did I miss anything?

Just the opposite. It's a little backwards in that material things are not important. No expensive cars. Never see anyone using the car wash.

I only used it when the Husky was caked in clay.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Of course it makes it worth more. I'd bet a mars bar my zx6 is worth more any other 12,000 mile zx6 by at least £500 if not a grand. Ive seen other zx6 s with 5000 less miles I wouldn't value anywhere near mine

This is very Devils advocate, but could you have earnt more than £500 - £1000 in the time you spent cleaning the ZX6, if the answer is yes, then you've wasted your time cleaning it if your reason for cleaning it was financial.

But I know that you get pleasure from cleaning bikes.