Ok had a fun ride over memorial weekend even though it rained all day. I got my 400ex stuck in a few mud holes. Anyways now I need to clean it up and was wondering what to use to remove this film of dirt. Is there some kind of soap that would be safe to use on it? It is extremely difficult to wipe off the whole quad. Which seems to be the only way to get this mud off.

Also I have a few scratches on my frame from being pulled/pushed out of mud holes. It is like the paint is peeling off of it. Is there anyway to touch this up? Do I have to worry about these spots rusting? Thanks for any info.

 

Don't want to say to much about the which is the best product to wash your atv with, but i will say if you wash your quad by hand it gives you a chance to inspect it for any potential problems that might come up.
As for the scratches on the frame, they will surface rust but i am sure it will not weaken your frame to the extent that you are thinking.
Chances are you will put more sratches on as time goes by goes by. It's too hard to have a great time and not put a couple of scratches on as you found out.

 

I use Simple Green to clean mine. Wash off the real heavy mud, soak the entire quad down with Simple Green then spray it off. Dry it off, then use one of the tire foams on the whole bike. Looks good as new, except for the bent stuff.

 

The best stuff I have ever used to clean my machines is a product called Mr. Moto Wash. It comes in different variations, but the one I bought from a local bike shop for about $15.00 was a gallon jug of their concentrated product. I use an old 32-ounce spray bottle (only add about a tablespoon of Moto Wash and fill with water), and then spray the entire machine and hose it off after a few minutes--you won't believe how good it works at removing dirt and grime.

The jug I have has a web site listed on it, but I noticed on their order page that they only sell in bulk, so you have to buy 4 jugs of it for about $40--maybe a group could go in on a purchase. Anyway, here's the web site:

http://www.ia-info.com/mrmoto/products.htm

 

I found that Chaparral carries Moto Wash...$6.99 for a 32-ounce bottle, or $14.99 for a 64-ounce jug. The Quick Polish work well too...

 

I use regular car wash, then wipe the whole machine down. Like someone said earlier, that is a good time to check for potential problems. After it is clean and dry, I spray the whole machine with "son-of-a-gun" protectant. Don't wipe it off. Wait 15 - 20 minutues and all small scratches and imperfections will disappear. Looks like new again.

 

I've found that washing it by hand works better than a pressure washer. Use the PW to get the mud off but then wash it by hand to get the fine dirt off. I then use Nu-Finish car wax on the plastic.

For the scratches on the racks, I just finished coating my racks with "Herculiner". It's more commonly used as a roll on truck bed liner but it works good on the racks. It's available at KMart or WalMart for $29. 1 quart could probably do 2-3 machines.