There have been a few threads on bike washing several years ago, can't find anything recent so wanted to get some opinions and ideas for this day and age.

Any old auto soap and any old sponge ....Sometimes use compressor to dry it off.

Wash , then blow off with compressor , then wipe off , then take it for a ride & another wipe off.

Pressure cleaners are capable of blowing the coating off fins and engine cases and pushing water where it’s not wanted. Wouldn’t let one near my bike. 

for a start a quick spray on the bugs with bugger off,a lot of people dont like ct 18 ,but thats what i use with a spot sprayer,let soak/dry,then normal car wash,good rinse [ no hi pressure cleaner here as well,although i have one its for the 4wd's]. drip dry for a few minutes.then shammy and micro fibre clothes.now and again i use turtle wax "wax and dry",comes up well with this. i try and avoid washing in hot sun. imho, pressure washers have a place but it's not around black finish engines,wheel bearings, cables or instrument clusters.the ct 18 does a good job on brake dust and hard to reach areas.this all might seem a bit over the top,but it doesnt take long.

I hose the bike down a with gentle  spray setting and garden hose. Wash with a wax free car wash, sponge and two buckets, one with the suds the other the rinse water. Do tank and paint first, then progressively dirtier bits with wheels last, hose rinsing as I go, then a good wash off when done.

Looks like a male elephant likes your bike!

Nahhh just Soapbox.

Great tips guys, I really appreciate it.

Autosol polish. One for alloy and another for chrome work.:) A tube lasts for ages. Not surr what ur rims are, mine are bare alloy.

I may be a little OCD but then again my 09 Sporty still looks better than it would have on the Dealership floor and that's with 100K under the belt.

Search for the term "Scholl" and you will come across a couple of threads where I have put down a detailed process for washing and paint correcting in a thread called "my polishing tips'.

No pressure washer used normally, but ANY pressure washer will do the trick, just remember to not point it at the wheel bearings.

SOAPs are critical so get a good one!

My goto dryer is now a mains powered leaf blower I got cheap on Gumtree (I also have a battery one but its only 1/2 the power of the mains one and its noticible)

Its not rocket science, but its definitely a case of you get out of it what you put into it. 

I've always used Mothers metal polish with good results and would still recommend it. 

Bigfella , on the wheels , if they are chrome , & on bare Alloy ss100 is best I've tried.

I love the simplicity of that saying

All bowdens products. Bugger off soak to most of anything facing forward. Wheely clean around front wheel fork and calipers. Snow blow after and gentle pressure clean after with compressor and dry with bowdens big green cloth to finish. I try not to wash by hand with sponges nor chamois as they produce swirl marks and paint damage....

Try to avoid abrasive polishes on chrome. After washing, I use Mr Sheen on the chrome.