This is a good thread. I miss the days of XRs and DRs and such with grease zerks. I have an 82 KDX 250 that even has them. I have added zerks to newer bikes, attempting to put the zerk in a spot where the bearing will get grease, and have had to snip a little spot on either side of the bearings' seal so hopefully the grease can work its way into the bearing. (On wheels and steering heads), and just gave up trying to put zerks in linkage bearings.
I have often wondered if it would be a good idea to just drill a small hole in certain areas like linkages and swingarms, maybe even wheel bearings housings on wheels, and use the hole to use a pump style oil gun to squirt in some heavy duty 50 wt oil or even 90 wt rear end lube rather than using a grease zerk. The oil would work its way around better than grease and the excess would run out. You could just plug the hole with a small fine thread bolt or fine thread machine screw? It would be as easy as a grease fitting but you would have to do it more often.
I have been greaseing them up with good quality waterproof marine grease, (or BelRay grease), and then about twice a year pull the bolts about half way out and squirt in some heavy duty industrial quality White Lithium Grease from a can that comes out thin but gets thick when it hits air. I try to shove the little red stem from the can into the right areas as best as I can, but I have taken them apart later and found that sometimes I didn't get enough Lithium grease where it needs to go, although usually I can tell that it finds its way in. It's a lazy mans way, but most people only break those areas down maybe once per year and don't add any grease other than at rebuild time at the end of the season. I rarely have linkage or swingarm failures when I do it this way. That Lithium grease isn't waterproof, but it seems to be water resistant. It takes quite a bit of water and time for it to wash out, but it is obviously not as good as marine or waterproof thick grease. I use the Lithium stuff because I can't seem to find a can of waterproof grease that's pressurized, never found any brand or similar type canned grease other than Lithium.
I DO NOT regularly use a pressure washer however, and when I do, I usually use my waterhose at home to knock off the worst of the mud before pressure washing so I'm not pushing crud into places. I use a skinny dowl rod and a long screwdriver, and a heavy duty long handled brush to knock off some of the thick mud. I have a fairly low pressure pressure washer at home which takes more time to use but doesn't push much crud in but does knock it off the flat surfaces. It also rarely will take off stickers and graphics. I do use a good adjustable nozzle for my water hose which increases the pressure from the waterhose pretty high and actually knocks off the big mud better than most pay car wash wands do. I got the nozzle at Home Depot, it was pricey but worth it.
When the bike is realllllly muddy with stuck on clay type mud I occasionally go to a pay car wash. I try to find one with hot water, dont' use much soap, and I try to keep the pressure off of any bearing area as much as possible. I also use a whole can of cheap brand WD40 type stuff right after any pressure washing, trying to squirt it in all bearing and fitting areas, as well as levers, shifter, brake pedal, pretty much anything that moves or pivots. I even spray some on all of the electrical connections I can see without taking off the seat and tank. I spray a bunch on the plug cap area and coil area wires too. I think maybe if I'm lucky it will displace any water that gets in there.
I usually use Die-electric grease on any connections if I need to take them apart, and use it for all places that I think may get water in them, but I don't do like some and take apart every connection and use that grease everywhere unless it's an obvious spot that is likely to get water in it.
