Cleaning Your ATV

All-terrain vehicles get dirty fast. That’s part of the fun of riding them -- you can tear through the muddiest terrain, ride over dusty trails and crash through puddles with ease. Once you’ve had your fun off-roading, though, and you’re noticing some caked-up mud on your machine, it’s probably time to give it a good scrub. Cleaning your ATV will help it last longer and prevent dirt and debris from clogging up vital engine components, reducing your ATV’s performance. Your local ATV dealer, Interstate Cycles, has the low-down on how to clean up your ATV so it’ll be shiny and ready to tackle the mud again next weekend.

Pre-Soak The Mud & Scrape

First, find a place to wash your ATV. Keep in mind that if you clean it in your yard, you’ll potentially introduce new weeds and grass to your lawn when you wash them off your vehicle. If you clean your ATV in your driveway, make sure to hose down the sidewalk and get as much of the grime down the drain as you can so it doesn’t run off into a neighbor’s yard or mess up the street.

If your ATV is very muddy, you’ll probably have to either scrape the mud or soak it off before you can apply any soap. A plastic mud scraper will let you pull off chunks of dirt without scratching up your ATV’s finish or paint. Otherwise, you can hose down your ATV and wait for the dirt to run off, then hose it down again until the first layer is removed.

Pressure Wash Off The Grime

A pressure washer can help you blast off any stubborn filth that remains after your initial soaking and scraping process. Even when it comes out full blast, the water shouldn’t damage your ATV. You can get either a gas or an electric pressure washer, with the former being the more powerful option. A hose and nozzle can also blast water pretty well if you don’t have the funds or desire to purchase a pressure washer, though. You just want to make sure you get as much of the layers of dirt off as possible so you’re not scrubbing at them for ages by hand.

Add Soap & Scrub

Once your ATV is rinsed down, you can use a wash mitt or a sponge with some bike soap or automotive detergent to scrub every surface of your four wheeler, from the wheels to the handlebars. Work on the plastics, the seat, the frame and the wheels in particular. A stiff brush can help you to drag out dirt and oil in nooks and crannies. Degreaser can help with very oily areas, as you just spray it on and wait, then scrub or rinse it off to remove oil.

Dry It Off

If there isn’t a cloud in the sky, you can simply let your ATV air dry in the sun, or you can take it into your garage and towel it off with a lint-free towel. An air compressor, if you have one, can blast water out of every crevice in your ATV and get it dry in no time, preventing rust and saving you the trouble of drying by hand.

Polishing

Your final step when cleaning your ATV is to give it a good polish. A plastic polish that you can spray over your ATV and wipe down will do wonders to make it look brand-new. Just avoid getting any on the seat, as it will make things very slick and endanger you on your next ride. Step back and admire your handiwork -- you now have a shiny four wheeler that you can proudly show off at the track next weekend, right before you get it dirtied up once again!

If you find that your four wheeler needs professional service or parts as you clean it, call up our repair department so we can have our mechanics tune up your machine. While you’re here, you can look over our inventory of new and used ATVs for sale, just in case you’re looking to upgrade or add to your collection. Interstate Cycles is in Lake City, near Jacksonville and Tallahassee. We also serve the Florida cities of Gainesville, Alachua and Sanderson, in addition to nearby Valdosta, Georgia.