Haven't really been riding long and just bought my first Harley at the beginning of January of this year, brand new.

I have read mixed reviews about how to and how not to clean the engine and its components. Obviously you shouldn't wash the engine when it's hot, but after that, what should be done to ensure a good clean but to also ensure that the engine doesn't get damaged? Can you use a pressure washer?

What are you guys' thought's on this?

Thanks in advance!

 

Avoid the pressure washer!
I clean mine a couple times a year with a pail of hot soapy water and a medium brissle brush, a 3/4" paint brush, a tooth brush and a soft rag. I scrub it good with the various brushes and use the rag to "saw" back & forth behind things like the push rod tubes then rinse the whole thing down just with the water flowing out the open end of the hose, no need for a sprayer.
You can air dry with a leaf blower then use metal polish on the shinny bits, and because mine is black I use either pig spit or S100 engine brightener.

 

Be ware the old wives tales.

Doesnt matter if you wash when hot. No different from riding in the rain. Its not a good idea to WORK ON a hot engine.

A pressure washer is also fine as long as you can adjust the spray pressure. I use one regularly.

s100 or gunk engine cleaner will do the heavy lifting as far as stains and baked in dirt. Scrubbing helps.

​​​​​treat the metals differently based on their coatings. Pig spit and other goodies will help withthe shine after its done.

 

We spray our dirt bike engines with Water Displacement 40 aka WD40 when we're done washing. Keeps the nuts and bolts from looking nasty, gives a little shine and simply burns off when it's hot. I also use Bleach White and Simple Green to wash. When I'm done washing my Sporty I use Car Gliss on the paint. It's a ceramic coating from Fictech and takes 10 minutes "wipe on wipe off". By the way, don't be afraid to use a pressure washer, just be careful not to blast sensitive areas.

 

I feel more comfortable using a running hose vs a pressure washer, mainly because I just purchased the Harley from the dealership and i'm still being cautious. With the amount of rain that MN get's, it's easy to accidentally get caught out in the rain and those pesky rain water spots drive me insane, especially on chrome. I purchased some chrome polish that you wipe on and then wipe off, haven't gotten the chance to use it yet but hopefully it was a good investment.

 

Yep, I totally understand. To each their own on the pressure washer topic. Hey, what chrome polish did you get?

 

I bought "Mothers California Gold Chrome Polish"

Havent gotten the chance to use it yet but within the next few days im going to give it a test run.

 

 

I've actually read many things pertaining to this and found this to be a very popular option since you have the whole ride home to air dry the bike. The only thing I get worried about is getting water in places where it shouldn't be.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Turtle-Wa...3=1223&veh=sem