Yes, I do wash and in some cases polish while on tour. I try to stay at motels that have a water hose. I stayed in a model in the Texas panhandle that furnishes a water hose and rags if needed. I usually carry a small container of concentrated Esquire soap and us the trash can from the motel room to get the front of the scooter clean. The rest of it gets a rinse off if needed.

 

I wonder how much more bad than good is done by people trying to clean their bike on the road. I can see the paint getting scratched from dirt being rubbed in. I've seen people at motels take a damp cloth to a dirty bike and YIKES I could only imagine how much dirt was being ground into the paint.

 

You mean we can wash these things?

 

Does this answer your question?

 

I know people who don't wash their bikes at all..let alone while touring..one of them got mad when the dealer washed it as a curtesy after a warranty issue

 

That's not dirty if you ask me. I'm talkin day long rainsroms, dirt roads, and general road grime. We did a trip out to Maine last year where it rained 75% of the week. I wish I would've snapped a pic before I cleaned it up. That was dirty! The whole bike was shades of grey, with bug guts!
I was nervous about putting a spnge to her after I soaked it for a while. That stuff was baked on.

 

In these parts the morning dew is normally enough to loosen the bugs, I take a wet towel and wipe them off, then microfiber dry... Only concentrate on windshield and batwing... sometimes top of bags... Otherwise it can wait till I get home..

 

High pressure car wash to knock the bug splooge off. Thats it. Don't even wash it much when I am around the home base.

 

I try and keep it reasonably clean. If it's caked with dead carcasses? I used to just find a bucket, a hose, some dish detergent and a couple of rags.

I picked this kit up in Sturgis last year and now I carry it with me on all trips that last longer than an overnight.

http://www.cyclecare.com/mm5/merchan..._Code=PACKAGES

...and a few microfiber shop towels. It all packs down to about the size a little larger than a paperback book. Now all I need is a bucket and a hose.

 

Mine looks worse than that after one 45 mile ride to work here thru the cornfields of IL