[xBhp Universal Thread]: bike polish!

[raghavtlwr]

I've got my bike coated with teflon about three months back.

Now I'm looking for a nice polish for the painted parts and chrome parts. Which one should I go for? And please also let me know where they are available in Chandigarh. I've heard that I need not polish the painted parts since it's already got teflon. Is that true?

Also, the bike has got a very small bit of rust in the handlebar screws. Will a polish coat keep it from spreading, considering that the bike is going to stand out in the open for about a week?

[sunilg]

Please use this thread to discuss about the various bike polish options available in the market, including the Teflon coating.

[pushkarb]

Guys I own a Titanium grey Apache RTR 160 (matte finish), since most of the polish is to make the bike look shinier and cleaner, I would like to know what to apply to mine.

[n_aditya]

I use these for my Ninja. I dont have teflon coating on my bike though.

1. ArmorAll Wash n Wax - Its basically a car shampoo with carnauba wax so you dont need to apply wax polish separately after washing the bike. Just pour a couple of capfull's of this in a bucket of water.

Armor All - Product Detail

2. Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell - I use this once or twice a month for the added shine and gloss. Cost - Rs. 250/-

Turtle Wax - Super Hard Shell

3. Microfiber cloth / Towels - Highly recommended. Regular cloth WILL scratch the paint. Use microfiber towels for washing the bike, drying it and for wax polish. Turtle wax has a set of 3 such towels in a pack for around 560 odd rupees. Highly absorbent and leaves no scratches.

4. Chamois Leather - use this to wipe water particles off the bike. Highly absorbent and leaves no scratches or water droplet stains.

Method:

1. Connect a hose to a water outlet and rise the loose dirt and mud off the bike.

2. Soak a microfiber towel in the bucket containing the wash-n-wax solution.

3. Wash the bike with this solution

4. Rinse the bike again with plain water to wash off the solution

5. dry the bike with a MF cloth or with the chamois leather

6. Wax the bike with a fresh MF towel if needed

Important:

Always wash the bike top-down so you dont gather muck and dirt from the bottom of the vehicle and spread it on the top (causing scratches).

When using a hose to rinse the dirty bike, run your hands on the surface of the vehicle to loosen dirt. Remove all jewellery such as rings, bracelets, watches etc. to avoid scratches.

P.S. All these products are available in most car accessory shops. You can order online on ebay too.

Hope this helped.

[mav1234]

Thanks Adi for the detailed information...

I am thinking of ordering it through EBay. Where you got it from in Bangalore. ( Chamois Leather too ).

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by mav1234

Thanks Adi for the detailed information...

I am thinking of ordering it through EBay. Where you got it from in Bangalore. ( Chamois Leather too ).

My pleasure Prashant.

I bought it from a shop called Evo in Cambridge layout, Blore.

EVO H.A.L. II Stage|EVO Bangalore|EVO Ratings & Reviews on Sulekha

Ask for Sathya.

[stefanm]

Originally Posted by raghavtlwr

I've got my bike coated with teflon about three months back.

Now I'm looking for a nice polish for the painted parts and chrome parts. Which one should I go for? And please also let me know where they are available in Chandigarh. I've heard that I need not polish the painted parts since it's already got teflon. Is that true?

Also, the bike has got a very small bit of rust in the handlebar screws. Will a polish coat keep it from spreading, considering that the bike is going to stand out in the open for about a week?

No such thing as teflon coating for paintwork, teflon in aka PTFE slippery stuff as used by plumbers, it's used in other products such as Yamalube and some waxes contain it. Most probably all they done is wax your bike, it's a big rip off industry in India. Teflon seams to be a generic desi word for wax in the Indian automotive industry, pure BS!

If only your screws are rusted, then it won't spread as such, as rust is not contageous, parts rust only if the paint is damaged or the corrosion has started before painting.

Just to clarify the difference between polish and a wax,

A polish contains micro abrasives which on a paint will remove a layer of paint, we're talking microns here, these generally are used to remove small scratches and swirl marks, they can also be used to remove orange peel from paintwork with a machine. Use polishes with caution!

Waxes are a layer which go on top of either paint or clear coat, these offer protection for a period of time, against bird poop, tree sap and sun etc. after buffing they become a transparant and a highly reflective coat on your paintwork, the paint should have a deep shine/wet look, they can be built up in layers, each layer needs time to harden to get the desired result, 24-48 hours will work, I just do it weekly for four weeks, so that's four layers, technically I should do five layers, as washing before waxing is required, this will remove small amounts of the previous weeks layer.

Your friends for your paintwork are as follows.

A hose pipe, to rinse your ride before and after shampooing, get the dust off with this only, do not wipe or let you're watchman do it without training.

Two buckets

Automotive shampoo, it's worth the money, it is designed to lubricate as you wash

An Automotive sponge for washing, trust me on this, sponges are different, I have just imported sponges from the US for my companies tile work, I cannot get the finish with the junk sold at hardware stores, there is a difference!

Microfibre cloths, most accessory shops are stocking these nowadays, mostly you will get 3M brand, these are great for buffing wax and also drying your ride, after each use put in the washing machine, add detergent and start the machine, leave to dry in the shade, do the same for the sponge and the chamois.

Chamois Leather, artificial or natural, if you can get sheepskin, they are the best, mostly they are being replaced by microfibre cloths, but should have a space in your arsenal, great for drying after washing, fantastic on glass, best is after waxing and buffing, is to do a final buff with one of these, they just gluide over the paint, you may not feel you are achieving anything, until you stand back and admire, the results will turn heads.

Now for the method, Aditiya had explained earlier, I will ellaborate and take it one stage further, Warning do not scroll down without parental consent!

1) Do it in the shade, when washing and rinsing, the wetter the better!
2) Keep two buckets ready, with cold water, add shampoo to one of the buckets of water, give it a quick mix, you don't want too much foam, just a few sudds.
3) With your hose pipe, rinse the paint work, try to avoid excess water on the chain and the console, squeeze the end of the pipe if you don't have an attachment, to get a powerful spray, if you can fabricate a pumped supply with a filter in line this will be best.
4) Ok now you have removed the layer of dust, bird poop etc. with your sponge, dip it into the soapy water, do not squeeze, it's loaded with goodness, that soap is there for a reason, as you wash the lubricants will help the sponge glide across the paint, after each wipe, you need to turn the sponge over and use the other side, now you have done two wipes, you need to rinse the sponge in the clean water, squeeze it out a few times, swirl the water to create a mini vortex, this will help the heaveier dust particles sink to the bottom of the bucket and away from your sponge. Now you are ready to continue, you need to dip your sponge in the soapy water and repeat the last spep, until you complete the washing of the bike. Now you have finished check the two buckets, the one for rinsing your sponge will have all the grime/dirt and dust, the soapy bucket should look relatively fresh. Now discard both the buckets or give them to someone you don't like to wash their car or bike
5) So now your ride is clean, the contaminents are gone, what next? Dude you now need to rinse off the soap, with your hose rinse the bike as per step three!
6) Now the bike is clean it's washed, it's rinsed and it sparkles, but something is missing, what? Oh yeah you need to dry it! use either your micro fibre or your chammy to do this, if you have any spots on the paint, do not try to scratch off with your finger nail or microfibre etc. for this you need to take some neat shampoo, put it either on your microfibre or your sponge these must be fairly damp, place it on the offending particle, leave it there for around 15 mins, then it should be loosened enough to fall off with only minute persuasion, rinse and dry.
7) Now you're looking good, still something is missing though, time to wax, this is the pleasureable part, apply the wax with a microfibre, wait the instructed time, now buff off with another micro fibre cloth.
8) Now the shine is for all to see! for the perfectionist in you, take your chamois and gently buff along the paint, slippery isn't it? doesn't feel like you are achieveing anything does it? Now step back and look, wow isn't it?
9) What you waiting for? lube your chain
10) Detail, get youself some vinyl/plastic cleaner and coat your console and other plastic parts, now you are the envy
11) Go for a spin!

Repeat all the steps weekly for four weeks, after that repeat all the steps weekly, except steps 7 & 8. Do not dry or wet wipe your ride in between, this will ruin your had work, let it have the coat of dust, don't do more harm than good!

Peace.

[Drifty]

Stefanm,wow sir,you had explained the part with so much details! This would help many noobs here like me.As for now I am following your advice ,giving 3-4 coats of wax successively,like you said earlier.I can feel the difference by going with this method.Currently,I am using waxpol ultra glo for my bike.And what you said about is true,these guys use the normal wax polish in the name of teflon.

[aargee]

@Stefanm - I agree on wax, but there're much better products in market today that consumes less than 2 Gallon to wash the entire car, forget alone motorcycles & the costs aren't that expensive.

Use Collinite 845 Wax, such an amazing stuff, such a beautiful product, tested on my car & Rx. Why do you need to apply only once is because, the wax simply stays there & doesn't gets washed away even with mild rain. The wax covers & provides beautiful shine. Very easy to apply, just apply one coat & simply scrub with micro fiber cloth. Once applied, you don't need to apply for next 6 months for sure, though the company says 8 months. One full bottle is sufficient to wax a mid size car like Civic, so one bottle is more than sufficient for the life time of the motorcycle & its such an amazing paint protector.

Collinite Wax Products* :: Choice of the Pros :: Auto, Marine and Industrial

The history of Collinite 845 started as a product that was designed for electrical insulation almost 80 years back, and people found out it works great on automobile. People use it on Glass/Windshield , it works as rain repellent also, and help smooth wiper movement. And some people use it as interior protector on dashboard and all. And some use it as metal protector also

For washing use Optimum No Rinse (ONR). Its a best product than even a traditional car shampoo. The greatest advantage is that, one can wash the entire motorcycle with just 2 liters & not bucket of water; ONR is environment friendly product too. Greatest advantage is that, you only need to wash it once & no rinsing required because there're no soapy films to stick on the surface & ONR also leaves a glossy finish on the surface.

To read how to use the product refer this URL - Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine: clay lubricant, optimum rinseless wash, no rinse car wash, optimum detailing products

In India you can buy it online from Auto-Mall.in - Home or use e-bay which is also promoted by same Auto Mall - eBay India Store - Auto-Mall-India-Online:

Ideally if you wash using ONR & apply Collinite 845 wax, its more than sufficient to simply wipe the vehicle everyday. Guaranteed that for next 3 months one needn't worry on applying wax or polish & loss of paint (other than crash) or even paint getting dull. Most importantly, the finger impressions can be easily wiped off from the tank.

[n_aditya]

Its best to stick to widely known brands as some polishes can cause severe paint fade and dullness over time.

IMO, the best wax polish by far is Meguiars. Costs a bomb but worth every cent.

This is what i am looking for right now:

Turtle Wax - ICE Clay Kit

Turtle Wax - ICE Paste Polish