On the ride home from work I passed by a house that had a man with a hose and bucket and bike in the driveway. Sounds like a lot of us right? But he had a gas powered leaf blower in his hand, and way drying his bike off with hurricane force winds.
Just wondering if anyone else does this?
Not me. I just use water and a micro-fiber cloth, to wash a small area, then dry that area with another micro-fiber cloth. Then move to another area on the bike. Never used a hose or any type of pressure sprayer, or any type of blower for drying. I have the Matte/finish paint, so I also never use any type of polish or wax. Everyone has their own way to clean their bike, just saying how I do it.
When I wash my bike, which isnt often (have yet to wash my '15 6), I use my air compressor to blow the water away, then use a micro-fiber towel to dry.
2015 Honda F6B Deluxe
2007 Honda ST1300A (176K miles)
2003 Honda VTX1800C (80K miles)
Waaaay to many MX bikes to list.
The leaf blower will sandblast the paint! I have a special air dryer just for that job and it works great on the bike and the autos,... no spots and no water hiding!
2019 Honda Goldwing Tour DCT / CSC trike
Not a gas powered blower but I use my electric Toro leaf blower to dry my bike off all the time. No damage to the bike at all.
2013 F6B in black of course
I dry it first with cotton towels, but then use an electric leaf blower to get water out of the various crevices. No damage to paint at all.Originally Posted by VaBob
+1 In addition it's great for occasionally blowing out the radiatorsNot a gas powered blower but I use my electric Toro leaf blower to dry my bike off all the time. No damage to the bike at all.
No way would I use a gas powered leaf blower on my bike, period...I purchased the long handled air device that some of us got a while back from Harbor Freight and hook it up to my air compressor if I need it...Have never washed any of my bikes with water anyhow and only clean with Honda Cleaner/polish..(now called Original cleaner/polish)...Been lucky I suppose to have not gotten on dirt roads or in the rain when riding.....Ride safe
Several years ago, my dealers washed bikes after a service or repair. They used pressurized air to dry them off This became an issue, as it forced water into connectors and there it would slowly corrode and begin a host of electrical issues. Many dealers stopped due to customer issues and arguments about the air pressure and the issues they found it caused. I get this info from my brother who owns Harley Dealership in Connecticut. They found some mold and/or corrosion and with electronics not using high amps, there in lies the problems!
Ride Safe, Ride Often
C
Mekong Delta/Can Tho/ Rung Sat- 8/66 ~ 8/68
I discovered that by accident one day a big bug blasted my bagger shield and I had forgotten my can of cleaner wax and polish. What I had on the bike was a couple bottles of water and a micro fiber towel. I wetted the towel on one end and the bug even though it was dried on wiped right off. I was amazed and since that day its been a wet microfiber towel followed by a dry one and the bike comes out great and it doesn't cost me 7 bucks a can for cleaner wax and polish anymore. Who would have guessed that would work so well. I never did use any water hose or leaf blower or soap on my bikes. It was always Bike Spirit cleaner wax and polish. But the matte silver bike is a different animal for sure, not the glistening paint job of my old bike. So this was a wonderful discover for that flat paint.
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