The one thing that always baffled me each time I washed my motorcycle was the rust that appeared on the chain the next day. The amount of water that still poured out from the sides when the bike was taken off the paddock stand was annoying, to say the least. I would wheel my bike in the garage with water still dripping from various places that were impossible to reach just with the cloth.
I must admit I was a bit dubious when I’ve first heard of the motorcycle dryers. Thinking it was just one of those things that you buy because it’s a trend, use it a couple of times and then it’s left sitting in the corner of the garage.
For me, bike cleaning is a necessary evil. I am an all-weather rider and my Supersport is out in the rain and in the winter months which is when the cleaning becomes a real struggle. Especially when you come home cold and just want a warm bath but the bike needs to be taken care of first. And by the time I’ve washed it my fingers are numb from the cold and the drying is a bit of a hit and miss affair.
I received the Bruhl Dryer just as my Supersport was at the dealers because it wouldn’t start. However, I have swapped it for the Streetfighter V4 for a few days so I wasn’t too sad. I had to promise Martin at Ducati Manchester that I will wash it after each ride out as there was still a fair amount of salt on the ground. Now, this is something I would have done with my Supersport (mostly) but I’m sure you can appreciate you take better care of something borrowed than your own.
The Streetfighter is a naked sports bike and therefore I figured it’ll be easy enough to dry. I decided to go straight in with the dryer and skip the cloth drying bit completely. It was so satisfying watching the beads of water just slide off the paintwork. The dryer has two settings – cold and warm air and the warm air naturally warms up the hose which in turns, warmed up my cold hands.
I was surprised to see how much water there was under the tank, around the engine and how much water the dryer displaced from the radiator, too. There is no way to dry that off with just a cloth.
The hose expands when the dryer is switched on which extends from it’s retracted length of 1.5 m to 4 meters when in use. This makes it easy to store and it is plenty long enough to keep the main unit in one place when using the dryer. The turbine power is 2100 W with high power which you can literally see when the air displaces the water. When you chose the warm air function it heats the air slightly so it makes it warm rather than hot.
It is worth mentioning that the power lead is long and fitted with protective RCD. It comes with three different nozzle attachments for use in those tricky to get to places.
Of course, I had to check the bike after the first use and I was happy to notice there was no rust on the chain and no damp patches under the bike I normally see after I’ve washed it.
Using the dryer as opposed to cloth is so effortless and easy I now don’t mind washing the bike so much anymore. As soon as I got my Supersport back, I tried it on that, too and I was happy to notice how much water I was able to remove from under the fairing without having to take it off.
It’s a definite win for me! Saving my bike from corrosion and keeping it in better shape, especially in those long winter month is definitely worth the investment.
Incidentally, the problem with my bike was the solenoid unit disintegrated because of too much water getting to it from the radiator and the starter switch was working intermittently which was also a result of the damp getting to it.
Needless to say I will be using the bike dryer everytime after a wet ride/wash! You might like to keep your earplugs in, though. After a while, the noise of the air and the dryer can get a bit much.