When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Try a rinseless wash if it's not too dirty. If you're unfamiliar, Google it. There are dozens of good ones available.
If you want to keep doing a traditional hose/bucket wash, use something like Adam's Detail Spray and spritz the bike down immediately after the final rinse. This will help sheet the water and greatly reduce the formation of waters spots. It will also add some lubrication and gloss to the final dry.
As someone else said, a pop up canopy. Harbor Freight, Home Depot Lowes, etc. for 200 bucks. I have one and use it when I wash and work on my bike (or Jeep) because I dont wanna bake in the hot TN sun and get heat stroke lol
Try a rinseless wash if it's not too dirty. If you're unfamiliar, Google it. There are dozens of good ones available.
If you want to keep doing a traditional hose/bucket wash, use something like Adam's Detail Spray and spritz the bike down immediately after the final rinse. This will help sheet the water and greatly reduce the formation of waters spots. It will also add some lubrication and gloss to the final dry.
Gizmo's suggestion is solid, TnFatboy is an obvious suggestion, but it's good advice...if you can't do it in a garage, a canopy is a great option...in fact, i have a garage, and prefer to wash the bike under a canopy...it's way brighter
try a waterless or rinseless wash
some suggestions
Waterless: ECH2O by Carpro
Rinseless McKee's N-914 or Wolfgang's Uber
If bike isnt coated in heavy layers of dirt and grime, I run a California duster LIGHTLY over the bike and use a waterless wash like McGuires or Harleys cleaner & polish. I keep bugs off with Harley bug remover. I prefer not to use water, unless it gets filthy or I get caught in the rain. Bike looks like new still and there are no scratches in my clearcoat. I enjoy keeping my ride clean, so I wipe her down almost after every time I take her out. Usually the next day when she cools off of course.
People still use the california duster? No thanks.
I dont believe that Harleys cleaner and polish is a WW. If it is, its not a very good one.
Not to be a jerk, but paint is only perfect one time. If you are using a duster on your paint, there is micro marring somewhere. Put a swirl finder light on it, they tell you everything you want and dont want to know
I have a gallon of RO water sitting near by when I'm washing the bike primarily because the local water has lots of soluable solids any remaining water will leave spots. I will also spray the washed parts to keep them wet until its fully washed. Then I blow dry it best I can. Then pour the RO water over the bike and blow again. And then a light drying with microfiber towels if needed.
If I keep a good coating of wax on the bike, water rolls off easily and makes the blow drying part easier and quicker too. But with my poor water quality, I do a final rinse with RO to minimize water spot build up in places I can't easily dry.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.