During summer I hardly wash with soap / water, maybe once a month if that. Also NEVER use a pressure washer, strips all lube / protection from bike and you'll soon find everything starts to look like rubbish and fasteners etc will all sieze.
On the whole soap = bad for bikes if used too much, it just exposes alloys / metalwork to the elements.
Rest of time I have a 5 Litre WD40 also, everything bar discs / chain and fairing gets a wipe over (spray onto rag then wipe over).. cleans up swingarms / frame / forks / wheels / suspension components / switch gear (spray abit into switches) / locks / fuel filler (do while open to avoid getting into tank) even undertray. Make sure it doesn't get on ya tyres.
Maybe gets some all purpose lube for pegs / levers / linkages ...I use high temp lube as it still works even in hottest parts of engine.
If your feeling particulary rich use ACF50, can get cheap from the bay. Maybe only get this to coat everything before winter, WD40 is fine though if applied once a week.
Body just gets wipe over with damp rag or light wash to remove deceased insects then I use Mer for lazy shine.. take a few mins for whole bike.
After all above check chain right tension and lube up with chain lube, tons of different types so it's really take ya pick. don't get it on ya back tyre, I fold up a small piece of cardboard and shove it in between chain and tyre under swing arm and rotate wheel while spraying... saves risk of splattering tyre. I still am not sure whats best tension for chain after 20 odd years of biking, a lot of garages tighten your chain so tight it's just gonna stretch it and stress you bearings / engine.. though I guess they get a sale in future, too loose and clutchless shifting is to notchy. humm
I never clean chains, just seems abit to *&^%, as long as it's lubed it'll be fine... mine last a good 12k miles even on a ZX10 which is all you can expect. I always change them with sprockets after that whatever, as believe me when your chains snaps at 90mph cresting a hill on one wheel you know about it... and you have a real chance of having rear lock or worse, it wrap around your ankle and pull ya leg off
Here is some folded cardboard shoved behind chain ready for lube...really makes it easy
Deffo invest in a paddock stand if you dont have center stand.. makes lubing / working on bike so much easier, if you have a light bike you can tip bike on side stand while lubing chain but it aint fun and needs two people... saves walking the bike up and down to spin the rear wheel.
Just finished riding bike through winter so been spending a lot of time stripping bits and cleaning them... had to do calipers today, I REALLY hate that job. Stripped them, removed all the crud with brush and brake cleaner, then using some chocks of wood and pumped each piston 1 by 1 till they all move free while cleaning the crud off. Take about 30mins per caliper but your brakes will feel 200% better after
If you don't get your brakes stripped / cleaned at least twice a year they soon turn to dust. Just be careful if you not done it before, you dont wanna pull brake and end up nothing happening. I still dont own a torque wrench for caliper bolts so had to guess.. so if I don't post again you know why lol. Have to be careful with kwaks as well as they use hollow bolts a lot for calipers and they can stretch and snap
Use gunk twice a year to clean engine casings / around front sprocket, have to take some fairing off for this so a PITA, but if left the build up of chain lube gradually starts dripping into bellypan and all over the shot.
oh and every biker should own some copper / alum anti sieze paste / spray.. everytime you take a allen bolt out, cover thread before putting back. Fail to do this and in a few months you'll go to move it and it will be siezed tight due to chem reaction between alloy / steel and drilling out siezed bolts is a nightmare.
i use a copper spray, one can will do you a life time...
sorry for wall of text
