Preparation
Allow motorcycle to cool before rinsing or washing. Spraying water on hot surfaces can leave water spots and mineral deposits.
Rinse the motorcycle from the bottom up. Avoid splashing brake dust on chrome or painted parts.
To loosen dried bugs or hardened dirt, allow surfaces to soak under a damp towel.
NOTE
Refer to the appropriate instructions in this section for cleaning leather, vinyl, wheels, radiator and special paint finishes.
Washing Your Motorcycle
NOTE
Use only recommended cleaning and care products. Refer to After Riding → Recommended Cleaning Products → Recommended Cleaning and Care Products and After Riding → Recommended Cleaning Products → Recommended Surface Care Products.
  1. Apply WHEEL & TIRE CLEANER. Allow cleaner to set for one minute.
  2. Clean the wheel with a SOFT DETAILING PAD or WHEEL & SPOKE BRUSH. Use SOFTSTRIPS to clean wheel spokes. Thoroughly scrub all brake dust and other sediment off the wheel. Accumulated brake dust can trap moisture and dirt, which leads to wheel corrosion.
  3. Rinse well.
  4. Fill a bucket with clean water.
  5. Fill an H-D WASH BUCKET with water and add SUNWASH BIKE SOAP, following the directions on the package.
  6. Soak the H-D WASH MITT in the SUNWASH solution. Wash all surfaces from the top working down.
  7. Spray BUG REMOVER to remove any bugs.
  8. Rinse the motorcycle:
    1. Rinse from the bottom up.
    2. Rinse from the top down.
Drying Your Motorcycle
  1. Dry the surfaces from the top down using a SOFT DRYING TOWEL or a HARLEY-DAVIDSON HOG BLASTER MOTORCYCLE DRYER. Avoid using any type of forced air on speakers or other sensitive components (if equipped).
  2. Dampen towel in clean water and wring out the excess. The towel is more absorbent when wet.
  3. Wipe across the vehicle surface.
  4. Repeat as necessary until surface is dry.
Polishing and Sealing
NOTE
If motorcycle has Denim finish, skip the Polishing and Sealing procedure.
  1. Apply GLAZE POLY SEALANT with a SOFTCLOTH or MICROFIBER DETAILING CLOTH, following the instructions on the package.
  2. Buff with a SOFTCLOTH.
  3. Polish and seal wheels using the appropriate product for your wheel. Refer to After Riding → Recommended Cleaning Products → Wheel Polish and Sealing Products.
    4. NOTE
    Bare aluminum wheels do not have a protective coating. The wheels corrode unless properly treated. Apply HARLEY PRESERVE BARE ALUMINUM CORROSION PROTECTANT when purchasing the motorcycle and at least twice per year to prevent cosmetic damage to bare aluminum wheels.
  4. Apply H-D BLACK TIRE SIDEWALL PROTECTANT to tires, following the instructions on the package.