After 430 or so k's in a couple of days, most of them in the rain, I had to face up to the fact that I needed to clean the Harley-Davidson before I rode it again. I guess that's part of the commitment of owning something that's 40% chrome :-). Washing vehicles isn't really something I enjoy though, I've revelled in the hand car washes that have sprung up all over the place, they help me with my commitment to not do stuff that people make a living out of (other than what I make a living out of). It's my way of helping the economy.
Anyhow, back to task. I decided to clean the Road King properly some dismantling might be required. So off with the screen. Four loosened bolts and 4 minutes later it was off. Then off came the panniers, that too was a breeze, 20 seconds per pannier. Off with the side panels, 20 seconds each and I was ready to start.
Ecologically sound non-detergents, warm water, lightly hosing, soft rags, carauba wax, dubbin and three and a half hours later the job was done. I was quite proud of the result, being slightly anal retentive and severely A type I set my standards high. I did more kneeling and bending than I've done in 14 years and have got plenty of small nicks and pieces of skin on my hands as testimony to not yet knowing where the sharp bits are. No, I'm not a big girls blouse, I'm just recording it as is happened!
The end result
- Washing your bike afterwards is absolutely the worst thing about riding in the wet
- Nothing I can think of right now looks better than a really clean Harley Road King
- Even though it's 10 years old, it was pretty good to clean because you could get it apart
- It's really going to be hard to hand the rag over, but I think I've found the pillion tax my son should pay next time it needs a bath (but I'm not sure I can hand the rag over quite yet)
- I wonder if there's mobile bike washes like the ones we used to get occasionally for our Great Danes.
Anyhow, there's a before and after shot to remind me it's worth the effort.
