Thanks everyone for the great suggestions, I will give them a try and post up my results.

 

Don't be afraid to be aggressive on it, its FILTHY and a real mess, it can not be cleaned up 'properly' without a good top to bottom scrubbing (with care of course).

Just make sure you have everything you need before you start the process (start early in the day), and expect to take the entire day to complete it, I would definitely recommend you clay bar it after you wash it.

The only way to thoroughly clean it is to (take your time, get yourself a mechanic type seat for comfort), get in there and clean every little spot and crevice that is caked up with dirt and crap, rinse and repeat as needed.

Harley's are resilient, just looking at yours proves it's seen much abuse up to now than you think...

 

I would use APC and different size brushes. Optimum Power Clean would eat that gunk up. Im not hitting that with water, but thats just me

 

Who was the dirty kid in the Peanuts cartoons with the cloud of dust around him ? Linus…it looks like Linus sat on your bike and farted. Good God man clean that thing up !

 

I ride it all summer over 11k miles and keep the outside clean, winter time is for a deep cleaning.

 

"Pigpen" not Linus

 

I'm not a detailing type rider but I have gotten disgusted with the same areas on my Street Glide in the past. I just used a bucket of water and some vehicle wash soap with a long, soft bristled brush. Gently scrubbed everywhere and low pressure hose rinse. Never had any electrical issues so far.

 

A dirty bike is still a loved bike, and ridden a lot it seems. Everyone has their own approach to cleaning that area...if they do clean it.

Agree or not, I hit all those areas with S100 Total Cycle Cleaner spray. I do it on a cold bike...in the shade...and rinse with a gentle hose spray after about 2 minutes. Blow off with an 18v leaf blower (get a Milwaukee of course!) until fairly dry. Re-spray any grubby areas and quickly brush to help remove grime. Rinse quickly again. If you're averse to water, tuck a plastic grocery bag over the module and battery before spraying anything in there. I've gotten great results with S100 and no side effects, spotting or negatives when used as directed.

 

Shoulda known that

 

Update: Bought some of the supplies suggested and started on the lowers since the coolant needed to be changed.