How to Clean Electric Dirt Bike - ElectricVehiclesFAQs.com

Washing your electric dirt bike is a crucial step when it comes to maintenance. Doing it right after every ride will make it easier on your machine.

Cleaning your e-bike in California will help it last longer and look better. Avoid using abrasive cleaners, and try not to use a pressure washer.

Doing so could infiltrate seals and infiltrate the electrics, causing corrosion. Keep reading to learn more about electric bikes in California.

Table of Contents

Why You Should Avoid Using Abrasive Detergents

Abrasive detergents and cleaners can damage the beautiful finish of an electric dirt bike. It may clear off tough marks and gunk, but it will damage plastic parts.

A better alternative is to use a mild detergent. You’ll need to be patient to remove the scuff marks, but it is gentler.

More importantly, mild detergents will not leave a film or other debris on the e-bike. These detergents are easily accessible from any retailer near you.

Mix them with warm water and wash away the dirt. Use a soft-bristled brush to wipe out the dirt.

It might be tempting to take your e-bike to a car wash. But the above advice also applies here. The high-pressure washer can make things worse.

It can force the dirt and water into parts of the e-bike where they don’t belong. Do this frequently enough, and the e-bike will get damaged.

For the most part, your e-bike and electric components may be waterproof. So you don’t have much to worry about the water damaging your e-bike.

But it is better to err on the side of caution than to take risks.

Things You Need to Clean an Electric Dirt Bike

The first step in cleaning your electric dirt bike is patience. You will also need a palace to clean the electric dirt bike. This could be your yard, garage, garden – any place with enough space.

You will also need the following items:

A bucket full of water
Mild detergent (an e-bike cleaner will also do just fine)
Brushes and sponges
Degreaser
Brake cleaner
Lube for the chain

Always Consult the User Manual

Consult the e-bike manual for instructions on how much water it can withstand. This is indicated by the letters “IP”. A higher number indicates that the e-bike is more waterproof.

Start by taking the display down. Or cover it with a poly film protector to keep the water out. Next, remove the battery. Most modern e-bikes come with removable batteries.

You can leave the battery there if it has adequate protection from a short circuit. After all, most electric dirt bikes can withstand harsh weather conditions.

In any case, it is better to remove the battery during the clean-up process.

Finally, turn the electric bike upside down. This allows it to rest on the handlebar and seat. You can cover the handlebar and seat with poly film to keep the water out.

Turning the e-bike upside down is a great way to clean the wheels. You can freely move the wheels without worrying about the e-bike crashing down.

You may ignore this step if you trust that the crank arm is strong enough.

Remove the Chunks of Dirt and Mud By Hand

You’ll have to get your hands dirty for this one. The first step in cleaning your e-bike is to remove large pieces of mud by hand.

Use your fingers and nail to pry them loose and remove them. You can also use a small object, such as a rubber mallet, to dislodge particles.

Consider applying an undercoating to prevent mud from accumulating on your e-bike. This layer of coating works like body armor against dirt and mud.

Undercoating makes cleaning your e-bike much easier.

Not Recommended: Using Pressure Washers

So you’ve decided to take a chance with pressure washers? They can make the cleaning process much more manageable. But pressure washers can cause more damage than good if you’re not too careful.

If you must use a pressure washer, be careful. Avoid spraying on the wheel bearings, the chain, and moving parts.

The pressurized water can infiltrate the seals and lead to corrosion. You can always pass a gentle stream of water past these parts. But avoid prolonged and direct exposure.

Pro tip: Get a 40-degree nozzle that changes the angle of the water. However, it would help if you did not use a 0-degree nozzle to blast water on the e-bike.

A 0-degree nozzle will strip graphics, and plastic parts, and loosen the chain. You might even find these components across the yard!

There are a few areas where you should not apply the water jets to:

The headset
The bottom bracket
The wheel hubs (front and rear)

Scrub the eBike

After you have cleared out the dirt, it’s time to scrub it.

Brushes and sponges are useful because they help you clear stubborn pieces of mud. Apply the brushes on areas where the dirt tends to accumulate.

This could be the wheels, sprockets, chain, and swing arm. Be patient when cleaning these areas because it’s easy to miss a spot.

Don’t forget to clean the underside of the bike. These are parts of the e-bike where dust tends to reside. This could come back to you later on!

Thoroughly inspect the e-bike to ensure that the dust is gone before moving on.

Sponge Bath

The next stage involves giving your e-bike a sponge bath. Use a soapy solution to clean your electric bike in California.

It is generally a good idea to mix dish soap with water. The type of soap you use depends on the trail you take your e-bike on.

The soap or detergent should be able to clear the dirt on your e-bike.

Mix the soap or detergent in a bucket until it starts to foam. Use a sponge, soft brush, or mitten on your e-bike. Some sponges may not work well in tight spots.

Cover the e-bike well with soapy water and leave it there for two minutes. This will allow enough time to penetrate the dirt.

Just make sure to not allow the dirt to get into sensitive areas. Rinse the e-bike off with water.

Clearing the Derailleur

The derailleur resides under the cassette and helps with gear shifting. It accumulates more dirt than any other drive train part, especially the jockey wheels.

Mixing dirty lubricant with dirt is a recipe for disaster and requires manual removal. Cleaning the derailleur is relatively easy. Here’s how:

Turn the crank slowly until the wheels are in motion
Hold the edge of a screwdriver against the wheels. This will remove the old grease from the jockey wheel.
You can place a smallholder under the derailleur to contain the grease as it falls.

Use a Degreaser to Clean the Drivetrain

The next step is to spray the drivetrain using a degreaser. Mix the degreaser with water in a 1:1: ratio. Fill the spray bottle with the mixture.

Spray the entirety of the chain, rings, sprockets, and derailleur with the mixture. Allow the degreaser to loosen up the dirt and grease.

You may have to apply the spray repeatedly for the degreaser to work. Ensure that the degreased penetrates areas that are hidden from view.

Degrease the Chain

Thoroughly cleaning the bike chain can be difficult. There are a few tools you can use to clean the bike. These tools can clean the entire chain length in a few minutes.

Prepare a degreaser and water mixture (same as the one above). Now turn the crank to 40 revolutions. This will clean the whole length of the e-bike chain multiple times.

Repeat the process, discard the dirt, and refill with a clean solution until no dirt is visible.

Degreasing the Cassette

Apply the degreasing solution above to clean the chainring and cogs in the cassette. You might have to increase the concentration of the degreaser.

Use a brush to scrub around the chainring, including its teeth. Now carefully spin the crank to reveal the great teeth. Scrub them as they go by and clean the chainring.

Use a toothbrush to clean each cog by removing grime.

Keep turning the cranks to spin the cogs and reveal their surface. The grease accumulates between the cogs and it is important to clean inside the gaps.

Pro tip: Buy brushes designed for cleaning gears (they have characteristic narrow hooked ends). These brushes are designed for cleaning up cogs and removing grime.

Clean the Frame of the Electric Dirt Bike

For this step, you will need some dishwashing liquid, brushes with soft bristles, and sponges. Follow these steps:

Fill the bucket with water
Add some dishwasher liquid to the water and mix it thoroughly
Use a sponge to clean the frame of the e-bike.

This includes the front suspension, saddle, seat post, and handlebar grips. Don’t allow the water and soap to enter the display and power stitch.

Use a soft-bristled brush when cleaning both wheels. Scrub the rims and tires using the solution you prepared above.
Clear the pedals and cranks in the same way. You may find it difficult to clean the wheel hubs because of their wheels.

You must be careful if the electric dirt bike has a hub motor. The hub motor and controller units are encased in special housing.

Even then, it would help if you were careful when cleaning them.

Drying the Electric Dirt Ebike

This is the final step in cleaning your electric dirt bike.

Clean the electric bike with dry towels (make sure they’re clean). You may also use air compressors to speed up the process.

It is important to dry the e-bike to prevent rust. Use a dry towel to wipe down the e-bike and absorb all traces of water.

Lubricate the Drivetrain

This is important because cleaning the e-bike will also have cleared the lubricant. Lubrication will preserve the condition of your electric dirt bike and its motor system.

Your battery and motor will work extra hard without lubrication to keep the wheels spinning. Use a lubricant that is specially designed for e-bike chains.

Don’t forget to lubricate the outer and inner sides of the chain. Spray lubricants should do an excellent job reaching all areas of the sprocket and its teeth.

Spray lubricant also works for the derailleur. Finally, check the drivetrain to see if all parts are evenly lubricated.

Taking your electric dirt bike for a ride will also shift the lubrication throughout the gears.

How Often to Clean Electric Dirt Bikes?

The more you use your electric bike, the more often you should clean it. Do you use your e-bike every day? Consider cleaning your e-bike once every week.

Clean the e-bike once a month if you only ride on certain days. Cleanliness becomes more important if you do a lot of off-roading.

Then you should clean the e-bike right after you’re done riding. The frequency of cleaning the e-bike depends on a range of factors.

So spending the afternoon on a muddy trail will require more immediate cleaning. Ultimately, you should make a judgment call on how often to clean the e-bike.

The weather and trail generally dictate how frequently you should clean the e-bike. Following a maintenance schedule will also ensure that your dirty bike stays clean.

Parts You Should Not Clean

Some parts of the e-bike should not be cleaned because they are highly sensitive. Avoid cleaning the following pieces of the e-bike:

The bottom bracket where the pedals are connected through the frame
The bearings that connect the handlebars to the frame
The area of the seat post that connects to the frame
The braking system
Chains and gears
The motor

These components should be handled by trained individuals only. Avoid getting any water into these parts, especially the motor. Don’t allow any soap to get into the rotors and brake pads.

Steer clear of these components to ensure they stay durable for the long haul.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it – cleaning an e-bike can be more than a handful. You need to be patient and take your time with cleaning all parts.,

Stock up on quality tools before you wash your e-bike. The path to cleaning your dirt e-bike is challenging, but one that will avoid repair costs.

How often do you clean your electric dirt bike, and what tools do you use?