Step two: Wheels and degreasing:

Your wheels are usually the dirtiest part of your bike. They’re nearest the road so they get road grime, but they also get the worst of chain lube and brake dust. A good spray over with a motorcycle degreaser will loosen the worst muck up. While you’re down here, look for areas where chain lube gets flung – under the indicators for example – and also look through the wheel to clean the insides of the footpegs and swingarm in places you don’t see from the outside. The V-piece (the front, bottom of the fairing) takes a battering from road grime, so degrease here, too.

It’s important to do all the degreasing work first. Degreaser is dispersed by water, so if you get the bike wet first it won’t do anything. Keep degreaser off the chain as far as possible.

When the degreaser has had a few moments to attack the grime, work it into hard to reach places with the alloy wheel brush. It’s worth spending a lot of time on this stage, looking for those unlikely spots of grease. On the ZX-6R, for example, chain lube can get on the tank, by the fuel tap.

Once you’re satisfied that you’ve got the heavy crud off, it’s time to rinse. Hose the bike down, from top to bottom. Get the whole bike wet now – it’ll start loosening the bugs on the fairing – and work from the top down, to clear the degreasant off the bike. Make sure all parts you degreased get a good rinse, and it’s worth giving some attention to the chain, just to clear any that might have got on it. Don’t be stingy with the water – get the degreaser, and the grease it’s holding, off the bike.

Recommended degreaser: Yoshimoto Whizzo Wheels, price: £5.99