Grime. Together we’ll crack it

Cleanliness is a personal thing. Some reckon they can get by with a quick rub with a wet flannel. Others fell no less than an hour in the shower is sufficient.

It’s the same with bikes. You may unholster the chamois after every ride, or you may wait until the shock is straining under a mud paintjob because, let’s face it cleaning it is a chore and eats up valuable riding time.

However it is possible to keep your bike dressed to impress without getting blisters or wasting all the good weather cleaning. Just keeping on top of it will let you wipe away dirt with minimal fuss. There’s something strangely satisfying about a scrubbed up bike and by jingo if it doesn’t seem to ride better, too.

There are other benefits. You’ll prevent corrosion with a regular clean-up. If you’re storing it for the winter, a good clean beforehand will make it easier to prepare when you wheel it out again in the Spring. And if you’re getting ready to sell it, a couple of hours labour with the sponges can add a couple of hundred quid to the value. Cleaning your bike will also help you find potential problems before they become serious.

If you’ve been truly neglecting it, you’ll need to set a couple of hours aside to clean your bike thoroughly. But do that once and it’ll pay you back. Give it some attention every fortnight and you’ll get it done a lot quicker.

You can always get someone else to do it. A valet at RGS Motorsport in Wellingborough, Northants (01933-441452) starts at £45. Or you can save yourself some cash and take some tips from the professionals. To find out how they clean a bike, we took a Kawasaki ZX-6R with a good layer of road grime to RGS. This is what they told us.