STEP ONE:  Gather all the elements you will use together.  Soap, water, sponge, towels (lots of soft thick terry ones), cleaner, polish, wax, etc.  Doing this now saves time during the process.  You're not running around looking for them while your doing the job.

STEP TWO:  Pick a spot that is not in direct sunlight.  Do not wash your bike if it has been in the sun!!  Park it in the shade until the finish is cool to the touch.  Remove all jewelry.  Rings, watches and belt buckles will make you cry when you drag them across your paint job.  If you are using a brass type spray nozzle you can cover it with duct (Duck?...) tape to prevent scratching.,

STEP THREE: If you are going to clean your wheels now is the time.  Using a wheel cleaning product that is safe for clear coat and apply as directed.  Depending on you particular brake pad material you may want to do this twice.

STEP FOUR:   I like to use a towel to cover the dashboard and electrical goodies here.  Using cool water (hot will soften the paint; cold can cause micro cracks in the finish if applied to a sun warmed finish[park bike in the shade!]) wet the painted surfaces of the bike.  The water helps to soften caked on gunk and removes all loose material.  Now using a SOFT sponge or a terry wash mitt (my preference) begin to gently scrub the finish with a copious amount of sudsy water.  DO NOT let the soap sit for too long on the paint.  When you have done a section, rinse it and begin another.  If you are going to spend a lot of time on a section either keep the previous one wet or dry it off.  DO NOT the water dry by itself or it will spot.  If your bike has some greasy spots on the engine or wherever, it is a good time to clean them out.  I use a grease cutting dish soap for these spots.  A used toothbrush and/or several small soft bristled brushes work really well for this type of cleaning.  Be sure you rinse well.

STEP FIVE:  Now that the paint is clean we begin to dry the finish.  Use the terry towels to dry the finish.  You can use air to accomplish this if you want.  Keep the pressure low 20-30psi to prevent forcing water into places you don't want.   Also make sure you drain your air tank frequently.  We don't want a piece of rust or dirty water to be blasted onto our clean paint.

STEP SIX:  O.K. The paint is clean and dry.  Now on to protection.  Depending on the condition of your paint you can do all of the following or skip to a straight wax job.  Do only one section at a time.

    1. Cleaner.  Paint cleaner is applied like wax but has the effect of removing embedded crud.  If you gently wipe your hand over your surface and you feel little lumps and bumps use a cleaner.  Another option is to use a clay bar and detail spray for trouble spots. i.e. the front where the bugs smack and grind their way into your paint.

    2. Polish. Polishing gives the paint a really nice wet gloss shine.  It  applies like wax. Remember not to let the polish dry on the finish.  One more reason to do only one section at a time.  Remove polish with a terry towel changing sections when one becomes dirty.

    3. Wax.  Waxing provides protection from the elements and gives a final super shine.  Now some folks are of the circle (wax on daniel san) school and others are of the straight line school.  Doesn't matter, just be sure you cover the whole thing with wax.  Also remember two thin coats are better than one thick coat.  Now depending on the wax, you must let it dry before you remove it.  Read the can/bottle whatever.  Wax is dry when you can wipe it and it doesn't smear.  Use the aforementioned terry towel (a clean one) and begin to remove the wax (wax off daniel san) when the section of towel gets dirty change to new one.  Last but not least, buff the paint with a new terry towel until you can see tomorrow in the paint.

Now this is usually good for just about anyone.  If you are a compulsive nut job like me you must read on!!

STEP SEVEN:  Now the easy part is out of the way.  To continue on our clean quest we must focus on the tiny parts.  To clean the dash and switch gear I use a plastic cleaner or polish and some clean terry wash cloths or clean cotton shop towels.  A spritz with the cleaner/polish and a wipe of the towel does wonders.  You may also invade the nooks and crannies with cotton swabs if you want.  Another good use of these is cleaning out the allen bolt heads.  Cleaning of these areas prevents rust from developing in the recess.  For the windscreen I use the same plastic products.  The signal lights and other plastic stuff get the same treatment.

 STEP EIGHT:  Now look in the out of the way places for bugs and grime.  The upper parts of the forks, any air inlets or scoops are good places for bugs and  tar to hide.  Also check the chain guard for excess lube grunge.  While we're back here might as well check under the fender and tail section.  Clean off the swingarm if you missed anything with the soap wash.  Basically, just be thorough.  Look in places you would normally overlook.  If you see dirt, clean it off.

STEP NINE:  Maintenance.  Maintaining your finish on a schedule will help to keep it clean longer between washing.  When you get back from a ride, use a spray detailing product to remove any bugs, dust or whatever from the finish.  Clean the windscreen with a plastic polish and give the bike a once over for obvious gook.

Doing all of the above not only gives you clean bike it helps you focus on the machine.  You will become closer to your machine.  Look for things going or gone to disrepair.  How's your chain?  Your tire pressure? Do you need new tires?  What's that new oil drip?  You get the idea.  Don't think of bike washing as a chore, think of it as a discipline you will grow into.

That's about it for now unless you want to go completely insane about cleanliness.  If you end up there you will probably just trailer your bike around anyway.  Remember, the idea is to ride the damn thing.