Don’t make cleaning your dirt bike feel like a chore! Teach your little one responsibility and good habits by inviting them to join you in the cleaning process. Kids love getting down and dirty, especially when it means getting outside and playing with water. So pull your bathing suit out of retirement, dust off the old garden house, and show your kid the time of their life!
#1 Dress for the occasion
If you’re fortunate enough to live in a warm climate, invite your child to switch into their bathing suit and sandals. This enables them to really get in on the action and use washing as a way to cool off. Just check out how much fun vlogger Rocco Piazza is having in his swim trunks! Water offers a wealth of hands-on exploration. Not to mention, it relaxes the body and the mind.
#2 Let them lead the way
Let your child run the show! While washing a dirt bike may not sound like a confidence-boosting activity, that’s precisely what it is! Pull out your phone or camera and record a child-lead how-to video. Vlogs like these are extremely popular on YouTube, just ask your kids. While you don’t actually need to send your clips into internet ether, your child will feel like a true boss as you capture their real-time expertise.
#3 Get the right gear
We promise we aren’t about to make a hard sell about how you need to go out and purchase a cartload of items at your local big box store. In truth, we want you to scour your home for things that can be given a new life as “crud killers” and “guerilla grime getters”. Laugh if you will; catchy names make cleaning cool! Old bath, dish, toilet, and toothbrushes are great for removing caked-on dirt. However, my kid’s favorite washing tools are old tube socks. He slaps on each hand and dips them into a bucket of sudsy water, using them like manufactured carwash mitts.
#4 Total saturate yourselves
Start things off right by wetting the entire surface of the dirt bike. A standard garden hose works great. However, you’re guaranteed to win over your little one’s heart if you let them you a super soaker to blast away the residue. You’ll want to let the water sit for a few minutes. Just enough time for a quick water war.
#5 Scrub-a-dub
Does your kiddo need a little pep in their step? Turn dirt bike bath time into the dance party of the century. Now’s the time to bring out your old mixtapes and get moving and grooving to the beat. There’s no better way to motivate your little one to scrub each and every inch of their dirt bike. Just don’t attempt any embarrassing geriatric dance moves in front of the girl next door!
#6 Go halfsies
Teach your budding motocross master about the glories of shared work. Suggest that they clean the front tire while you spiff up the back. They’ll love that you’re taking interest in their hobby and maybe even let you in on the meaning of some of their motocross slang.
#7 Tidy up their gear
Take the time to spray down everything from helmets to boots. Dirt biking is, for lack of a better word, dirty! It’s important for your child to know that each item is an investment. When they grow out of safety equipment or want to upgrade bikes, they may want to resell their old ones. There’s no question that well-maintained dirt bike gear can be cashed in for a decent return, say Kids Ride Wild.
#8 Cherish the runoff
While it’s undoubtedly important to teach responsibility, kids will be kids. Don’t rush the process or aim for perfection. Dirt bikes are designed to get dirty! A chunk of mud or skid of dirt isn’t going earn your little one’s dirt bike a final resting spot in a motocross junkyard.
Step away from the task at hand and enjoy the sensory overload. Let your kid jump in the soapy runoff and make footprint tracks on the pavement. Build up the experience so that they look forward to doing it again!
#9 Grease the chain
A properly maintained chain will keep your bike up and running longer. Prop your freshly cleaned bike onto a step stool so that you can rotate the chain without sending the bike in a forward direction. Have your little one crank the rear wheel back to engage the chain. While they’re doing this, take a dry rag and run it against the interior and exterior of the moving chain, just as Toyko Offroad does in the video below. This will eliminate any stubborn dirt before its time to add lube. Then, add a bit of lube as your kiddo guides the tire through a few full rotations. While you’re at it add a bit of grease to the foot pegs and gear levers. Poof! No more squeaks!
#10 Make a game of It
Having trouble getting your kid to step away from the video games? Don’t threaten to take away the phone or send them to dinner without dessert. Threats like these set a rotten example and typically come back to bite you in the you-know-what. Instead, ask your child if they’d like to play a game of car wash with you. Invite their siblings and friends to bring their bikes and ride-on-toys to a “professional” car wash. Most children will snatch up the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise to their peers.
It’s important for your children to clean and maintain their dirt bikes on a regular basis. However, not all kiddos get excited about spending their afternoon with a soapy sponge in their hand. While driveway car washes rarely trump motocross tracks, we’re confident that our ten tips for cleaning dirt bikes will give your youngster the gusto they need to launder their off-road vehicle. If not, it’s probably about time that you possess that grimy crotch rocket.’ essential dirt biking kit
