Detailing Your Bike..................

[Wayne-o]

I'm pretty anal about the way my bike looks cuz I can't ride it worth a shit anyways. Today I received some detailing equipment and started on the rear seat cowl.

I hafta say that it looks light years better than when I took delivery of the bike from the dealer.

What do you peeps use (if any) to detail your bike?

I had a bunch of spider scratches on the rear seat cowl and now it looks like a mirror. I am pretty satisfied with the results of my research and effort.

Tell me what you do to detail your bike.

Wayne-o

[ancosta]

I detail my bike similar to how I detail my car, except no slippery stuff on the seat or wheels.

If I am in a hurry, I just spray the bike with some Mother's showtime and wipe it down.

When I do a full wash, I give the bike a spray with Simple Green, let it sit for a minute, rinse it off, wash the painted areas with car soap & a wash mitt, and dry it off with a towel/leaf blower.

To wax I remove the seat, use a clay bar if needed, and apply a liquid wax.

In 5k miles of riding, I have probably washed the bike about 5x and waxed it twice. It spends about 80% of it's time indoors when not being ridden.

[Daytona440]

DAMN Wayne, i dropped the ball and never got you the info...been fighting some computer gremilins...Sorry, that 's not cool on my part. what did you end up using?

[Wayne-o]

I bought a Porter Cable 7424 polisher, Blackfire Polyclay Kit, Menzerna Final Polish II, micro fiber towels, and a polishing pad kit with assorted polishing pads for different levels of cut.

Before I bought these things I found out that detailing/polishing/waxing can be quite a science. The first thing I learned is that I was confusing polishing with waxing. Polishing is not waxing. When you polish, you use a polish that has an abrasive in it. There are different levels of "Cut" depending on the severity of the damage to the paint. The product I used wasn't aggressive at all. So, it took several times going over it to get the spider scratches out. Scratches like spider web scratches really stand out in darker paints. They were really driving me crazy.

One should be aware that there are basically two different types of scratch remover. First there is the “True Cut” polish and then there is "Filler" type scratch removers. The true cut polishes do exactly what the name implies, it removes the scratches by abrading them away. Filler scratch remover also does what the name implies; it hides the scratches by filling them in. I’ve been using a product called Novus for the past couple of years with good results. Recently however, I noticed that it wasn’t getting rid of the scratches to the level I wanted and didn’t last long. Novus is a “Filler” plastic scratch remover.

The steps I took to a mean clean mirror shine:

1. Wash and wipe down with a clean cloth.
2. Clay the paint.
3. Polish with the Porter Cable and the Menzerna Final Polish II.
4. Wax with S100.

There are different types of waxes too. Carnauba Wax and Synthetic Waxes. Synthetic waxes last longer but don’t give you the depth that the Carnauba wax does.

To maintain the current shine I think I should stop using the same bucket of soapy water from the last time I washed my bike. Dah………….That’s how I got all the freakin spider web scratches.

I bought my stuff at www.properautocare.com after talking to them on the phone. The web site has a lot of good info on it. I can attest to that. Another good website is www.autopia.org .Excellent info there too.

[Daytona440]

sounds the similiar to what i do...i love the blackfire...did i tell you about those sites cause that's where i get all my tips....sounds like you did a great job Wayne...

[bbhzx10]

Honda Polish and a clean terry cloth! It's the greatest invention in the world, you may notice that even dealerships that don't sell Honda sell the Honda Polish! Now if they could just make a decent bike....

[Wayne-o]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
I leave it out in the rain. Seems to work well.

Your bike looks like crap too. But, some people like it that way.

[Wayne-o]

Originally posted by Daytona440
sounds the similiar to what i do...i love the blackfire...did i tell you about those sites cause that's where i get all my tips....sounds like you did a great job Wayne...

Tim,

Whataya think about Zaino products?

[R7]

Originally posted by bbhzx12
Now if they could just make a decent bike....

And this coming from someone riding a kawasaki

I wash my bike(s) often, prolly to often but i like them clean. I wash it with soap and warm water and air dry it with a leaf blower (electric) and hit what few water spots are left with a damp towel. Usually it gets a coat of wax every other wash. I use Armoral show&shine liquid wax, it doesn't last long but sure gives you nice shine. It only takes about a half hour to wax the whole body of the bike so i don't mind doing it often.
I personally wouldn't touch a bike with an electric buffer, to many sharp edges and curves to burn the paint off of, that's just my opinion though Plus if the paint is properly taken care of, it should never need that type of attention.

Honda polish is nice to use on clean paint, it looks great and protects the paint well, but it shouldn't be used as a cleaner. If you're using it as a cleaner, you're just taking all that dirt and rubbing it into the paint, that's probably what causes all those spider like scratches i see on everyones bikes

[ancosta]

I would nix the power tools on the bike. You can get the same shine by hand that a random orbital will give you, albeit with more work. Because the bike is small and full of edges/lines, it's not really worth it.

Paint care is done in 4 stages to me:

1) Wash bike with Dawn dish soap to strip wax
2) Clean paint using liquid paint cleaner
3) Polish to remove fine scratches and surface contaminants, oxidation, etc.
4) Wax to protect paint finish

I consolidate steps 1 & 2 by using a clay bar, leaving only step 3.

You should only have to do step 1 once a year (or 10k miles) provided you cover/garage your bike.

The Mother's line of products has the 3 step products that work well for me.

If you are going to take that much time to work on paint finish, I'd work on other aspects, e.g. treating & protecting plastic bits, electrical conduits, hoses, etc. I find that in the year I have had my bike it's not the paint that looks worse but the 'weathering' of all the small fittings, etc.

My friend is a pro auto detailer & GSXR owner and he thinks that my above care plan is a bit overkill.

Another tip - I used to use spray glass cleaner to quick clean the painted parts before using the quick detail to shine it up, and I learned that the glass cleaner (amonia) would eat the wax on the paint.

[Daytona440]

Originally posted by FireNutzRR
Tim,

Whataya think about Zaino products?

From what i can tell it is way overrated. there are lots of people that will tell you that it's the best stuff in the world. the LS1tech forum has lots of people like that.
stick with properautocare.com and autopia..awesome sites. and if you didn't get any microfiber towels i highly suggest it. i just bought this kit http://www.properautocare.com/misukit.html

it's awesome...and to get swirls spider webs out of paint yo will need an orbital. you got the porter cable right? that's a good pick up...i'll be getting one soon...speaking of cleaning, i need to go out and clean the mustang....

[Daytona440]

i will also be buying the blackfire clay kit as well wayne...my buddy uses it onhis black firehawk and it's amazing...that was a excellent choice on your part. i just reread your 2nd post and it looks like you set yourself up pretty nicely....

[slingblade]

Originally posted by FireNutzRR
Tim,

Whataya think about Zaino products?

Zaino is a little overrated, but it is still the BEST IMO. I clay bar'd the Impala and did the multiple coats of the different wax... Simply amazing results.

Its not a wax, its synthetic. You only really need to wax it just a few times a year and water keeps beading up. The Zaino spray detailer is nothing short of amazing. It will really keep a wax'd car/bike looking great.

What do I use now? I decided to give the hondapolish a try. I'm happy with it because its easy to use. In the spring I'm going to go apeshit and strip the wax with dawn, then claybar, and start the zaino process I will probably remove all the plastic and really clean up behind them,

[Wayne-o]

Originally posted by slingblade
Zaino is a little overrated, but it is still the BEST IMO. I clay bar'd the Impala and did the multiple coats of the different wax... Simply amazing results.

Greg,

What Zaino products have you used and liked? I think I'm gonna give the Zaino a shot.

[Wayne-o]

Originally posted by ancosta
I would nix the power tools on the bike. You can get the same shine by hand that a random orbital will give you, albeit with more work. Because the bike is small and full of edges/lines, it's not really worth it.

As far as the nixing the power tools goes, I think you said it yourself, it''s quicker but also produces a better end result. The foam pads flow with the contour of the surface.

I think it is a great investment. IMHO

Now I ghotta get my truck ta look like my bike.

[slingblade]

Originally posted by FireNutzRR
Greg,

What Zaino products have you used and liked? I think I'm gonna give the Zaino a shot.

Claybar
Z1 polish lock
Z2 polish
Z5 for scratches / swirl marks
Z6 the quick detailer spray
Z7 soap. Simply incredible.

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...ory_Code=Zaino

you'll probably want to get the kit

[Nikon]

hey wayne - wanna do mine?

ever notice that when you are washing your car/bike anyone that walks by asks if you wanna do theirs next.?. I either just laugh or staright up say 'no'


but then again....i'm a dick

[SWEET_Z]

Originally posted by ancosta
1) Wash bike with Dawn dish soap to strip wax
2) Clean paint using liquid paint cleaner
3) Polish to remove fine scratches and surface contaminants, oxidation, etc.
4) Wax to protect paint finish

This is about what I do. It's good to strip the wax beforehand. Multiple layers of wax are no better than one layer.

Also note that there is a BIG difference between an orbital buffer and a fixed buffer. An orbital buffer is equivalent to hand polishing, just saves some elbow grease. A fixed buffer can give unbelievable results in well trained hands. If you want to try this out make sure you work on a beater until you figure it out. Go buy a door or hood from a junkyard if you have to. You will do serious damage to the paint if not done correctly.

[Wayne-o]

Originally posted by Nikon
hey wayne - wanna do mine?

ever notice that when you are washing your car/bike anyone that walks by asks if you wanna do theirs next.?. I either just laugh or staright up say 'no'


but then again....i'm a dick

No problem. A half hour, fifty bucks and you're bike is like new again.

[Nikon]

Originally posted by FireNutzRR
No problem. A half hour, fifty bucks and you're bike is like new again.

k

[Wayne-o]

Originally posted by SWEET_Z
This is about what I do. It's good to strip the wax beforehand. Multiple layers of wax are no better than one layer.

Great insight. I never thought of that!

[SWEET_Z]

I have heard of pros using one layer of synthetic wax for gloss and then a layer of carnuba for depth though.

[Daytona440]

it is currently 6:48 and i have been cleaning my car since about 2:30...now it's time to do the interior...i get a little anal about my clean my toys too....

[Ducrappy]

Originally posted by Daytona440
it is currently 6:48 and i have been cleaning my car since about 2:30...now it's time to do the interior...i get a little anal about my clean my toys too....

You're crazy Tim. This is why I bought a silver car. I used to be obsessed with keeping my cars waxed because they were always a dark color. I find that I'm not nearly as anal about waxing my current car since it is such a light color.

[Wayne-o]

Originally posted by A996S
You're crazy Tim. This is why I bought a silver car. I used to be obsessed with keeping my cars waxed because they were always a dark color. I find that I'm not nearly as anal about waxing my current car since it is such a light color.

Shut up and clean your wheels on the Duc! I will never get over how crappy mine were last weekend. Never again!!!!!!!!!!!!!