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How do you wash your bike on trips?

I don't ride to be busy. I ride for pleasure, for enjoyment. I'm a leisure rider. I'm not racing to meet a deadline, or impress anybody with how many miles I can rack up in a short period of time.
So I have time to ride, and get somewhere. My big trip this year was Cabo San Lucas.
And lesser trips.
But I also have time to wash myself, the bike, brush my teeth, have a nice dinner, and a reasonable lunch. Relax in the evening. Take a walk. Make a phone call, play with the internet.
Look around and enjoy the scenery. Take a photo or two. Get a good night's sleep. Then do it all over again the next day.
dc
 
Actually, I don't 'wash the bike' on a trip.
I just sponge the bugs off the front, the windshield, the lights and around the front. For a major wash up, I do wait til I'm back at the crib.
dc
 
Hey - reality check here.

You do realize these towels are used by a cross-section of our society bringing everything from acne to STD's to AIDS to the table, right?!

Ewww again, :hungover Now I'll have to travel with my own towels for me AND the bike? The motel towels are always so stiff anyways, lol.
 
I think I washed my bikes once in 2007 and hosed them down once in 2009.. and now that I know that my bike is in danger of getting acne and AIDS, I won't even risk it!
 
I don't want to stir anything up but one of the things that I've been told by motel owner's about motorcycles guests is the use of their towels to clean their motorcycles. The oil and grease is hard to wash out and in many cases they have to throw away the towels.. What I do is carry a micro fiber wash cloth in a zip lock bag in glove compartment (12RT) use at gas stations to soak off bugs from windscreen. At motels use ice tray with plastic liner,warm water. I try to mention at check in so they know I'm not destroying their linen. Many times I've been told that BMW riders are most welcome back and they hate the loud H-D crowd and neither do most of their guests.

Note: Kevin you wouldn't have time to stop at the Land of Oz rally would you?


OK - Old Dog here willing to learn new tricks. I will ask for cleaning rags at the 6 different motels we will be staying at, but first time I get grief, I'm back to using company linen. We'll see how it goes. :dance[/QUOTE]

OK - confession time. Every motel that was asked did provide rags for us to use. Not so much that we were 'washing' the bikes as just keeping essential surfaces (windshields, auxl. lights, headlights and tail/signal lamps) clear of bugs and dirt - can become a safety issue, rather than vanity.

I will no longer soil the pristine towels from my room.

FYI - there are presently thousands of starving birds in South Dakota, as my two buddies and I apparently killed off every bug between Sioux Falls and the Black Hills! :dance
 
I really feel embarrassed now; I've never washed my bike on a trip. I do usually ride through rain. Does that count?
 
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