Motorcycle Washing Machines Offer New Ways to Keep Two-Wheelers Squeaky Clean
Americans tend to love — and take for granted — their household devices. We tend to seek out the latest gadgets that can make our lives even easier. In fact, around 69% of homeowners said they were willing to spend more money for kitchen appliances. For many of us, dishwashers are an absolute must; washing dishes by hand is often looked down upon as an antiquated practice, or as a household chore we hope never to have to do again. That’s why families often fill up their cabinets with plates, dishes, and cups that are 100% dishwasher safe, made of materials like melamine or other plastics.
And of course, we couldn’t possibly go back to washing our clothes in the river and beating them on rocks. Easy access to a well-functioning washer and dryer (preferably, high-efficiency models) is non-negotiable. Clothes need to be cleaned well and often to make a good impression.
But keeping our vehicles clean isn’t quite as easy. Sure, you can take your automobile to the car wash, but when you ride a motorcycle, the process isn’t quite as straightforward. Unfortunately, you can’t just stick your bike in the washing machine — or can you?
Recently, a YouTube video featuring pro-motorcyclist Mike Reefman showed the Aussie washing his bike in a massive glass machine that essentially eliminates the need to cleanse with more pedestrian methods. When Lanesplitter contributor Andrew P. Collins inquired where the machine came from, Reefman explained that his brother-in-law, Paul Adams, came up with the concept. Adams spent nine months and up to $15,000 developing and constructing it.
Since several family members ride motocross competitively, the machine certainly comes in handy. It reportedly holds 40 gallons of water, which is blasted through four different jets. It then gets a detergent soap treatment and a hot water rinse. You can even set a timer for cleaning time, depending on how dirty your bike has become. It also has an air compressor so that the bike can be quick-dried.
But Adams and Reefman aren’t the only ones getting into the bike cleaning game. Inspired by an Israeli enterprise called BikeSpa and by American car washes, Arnav Shah and Siddharth Jain set out to change the process by which Indian motorcycles are cleansed.
In India, cars and bikes were being washed entirely by hand, at unauthorized garages or roadside stores. Not only were the waits long, but immeasurable amounts of water were being wasted, too. And since the pair discovered that 81% of the Indian automobile market consisted of two-wheeled vehicles, they decided to make a big move.
Thus, they started BikeCleanse, a concept which features automated motorbike washing machines to wash these choppers within three to four minutes. It looks like a mini-car wash, except the driver doesn’t go along for the ride. Not only does the chamber remove all the dirt and grime, but it recycles 95% of all the water used. BikeCleanse has reportedly washed more than 100,000 motorcycles and managed to save 5 million liters of water to date.
While these innovators are certainly not the only ones trying to tap into the motorbike washing market, the possibilities they present for competitive and recreational riders certainly are intriguing, to say the least.
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