Power Washing

[85_ATC_200S]

Can i power wash my trikes without worrying about hurting anything? Is there anything i should do to prep them for it? Is is smart to do? I wa sjust wondering cause i power washed my plastic one time, and i thought i could clean up my trikes pretty good power washing them too.

[Meat-BoX]

Waterproof you machine just like factory. Silicone areas where wires go into the motor and make sure all wiring is wrapped good. Trust me a few hours work at home will save you a day in the woods pushing your machine. I took mine to the car wash and power sprayed all those dumb warning stickers they put on 4 wheelers. So beware if you have stickers.

[jeswinehart]

in my experiances with power washers i screwed up the decals on a trike with a high power washer,,, i didn't realize it was that powerful.
another time with our shop power washer i screwed up the dash on a sx.
never had any issues with the standard car wash type though.

john

[ejc042]

My pressure wahser is a 1300 PSI electric pressure washer and it does not hurt anything when I use it on my bikes. Just make sure you waterproof the electrics.

[mymint87]

if you have an O-ring chain be careful around it too

[twkmaster]

i am a new owner of a 250 ES but my son and his uncle have owned a trike and 4whlr for many years and their advice to me when i asked about power washing was NEVER use a power washer on your trike or 4whlr. File this under 'for what it's worth'

[atckowalski]

Try to avoid areas where gaskets mate with surfaces and of course DO NOT get any water in the crankcase or seat foam.

[Just3]

i power wash mine after every ride and i've never had any problems

[smokinp]

I pressure wash my trike and I watch what I am spraying very carefully and I havent had any problems

[bbechtel16]

If you have a liquid cooled machine (or an oil cooler like the 350X) DON'T HIT THE RADIATORS WITH THE POW'R WASHER!!! My friend did this to his R and almost ruined his radiators! Luckily he was able to straighten out the radiator fins (after many many hours) and hopefully they will work fine.

[TimSr]

My pressure wahser is a 1300 PSI electric pressure washer and it does not hurt anything when I use it on my bikes. Just make sure you waterproof the electrics.

Thats what Ive got and they are perfect for ATVs. Yove also got easy adjustable focus of your psray beam , and you just turn it for a wide beam for the plastics, and decals, and then you turn it go to "pencil beam" which will clean out the foot pegs and all those mud retaining recesses. This will also rip off any unwanted decals.

As far as any speacial waterproofing, to me, if you cant pressure wash it with one of these, its not trail worthy to begin with. If youve got a dry racer or something with an open air filter, youll want to bag it first.

[250SX_rider]

In the summer, I often powerwash my SX...never had problems... 8)

[jeswinehart]

well,,, i don't mean to step on any toes but i picked up a eletric power washer today,,, + it is going right back to where i bought it tomorrow morning ! even the mrs. said it was pretty whimpy. i swear my house water pressure is equal to the out put of this one and it is supposed to rated 1300/1700 psi.
maybe it's fubar, bad from the get go,,, what ever. i'll be coming home with a gas powered "binford" type tomorrow.

john

[mymint87]

i have a "karcher" with a honda engine...2500 psi rating but i swear it wont even knock a snail of a wall

[Crash104936221]

i used a regular wahser (lower than 2000psi) on my trike a fair bit with no problems
i don't think that i would use the one from work to clean it though its a beast 11hp brigs, and when i looked the gauge hung around 3200psi :shock: then agian its main use is to peel off algie and weeds from boat bottoms but stay away from then graffics or there gone

in the vast washer i have used i think it comse right down to the type on nossle it has on it as i have seen a little 1500psi washer do some damage close to what i woud expect from the one at work

Joe
would i use a pressure washer on my bike Yuppers, would i "water proof" it first hell no if i can make it mess up with the hose in the yard i will be doing some fixing in the yard not on the trail after i hit a puddle :rolleyes:

[Dirtcrasher]

well,,, i don't mean to step on any toes but i picked up a eletric power washer today,,, + it is going right back to where i bought it tomorrow morning ! even the mrs. said it was pretty whimpy. i swear my house water pressure is equal to the out put of this one and it is supposed to rated 1300/1700 psi.
maybe it's fubar, bad from the get go,,, what ever. i'll be coming home with a gas powered "binford" type tomorrow.

john

I'll second that!

I have a Home Depot unit like yours and it is mostly useless. No it won't take off stickers but you can hold it right on grease and it barely touches it.

My Honda 6HP Devilbiss gas powered pressure washer will take your fingers off!!

Overall, sending pressurized water at your trike is not a good thing. So just stand back a bit and keep it moving while avoiding bearings, seals, electrical, stickers, brakes and so on.

[rddlsn8k316]

Something else that works for cleaning your trike is to hose it off with a water hose and spray Simple Green on it. Let it sit for about 10 - 15 mins and hose off. No scrubbing.

[twkmaster]

Here's an afterthought. Although Simple Green is good, I found something that is better. It is called Greased Lightning and it works great.
Handle about the same as Simple Green and with a little light brush work on your tires it really spiffs it up. Try some, (no I don't work for the company, LOL).