bike polish!

[aargee]

PLease explain the reasons for avoiding polishing of a new bike

Like I said before, polish is required ONLY to remove dullness; one really doesn't need to polish a new vehicle as there will be no dullness or imperfections (not to the extent of Benz/Audi); Google for polishing new car or how polishing works, you'll be surprised to read some genuine comments.

many other bikes and 90% plastic parts. So what do you suggest for that??

Sealant...may be

Or something specific like - MeguiarsDirect.com:PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish

Since most plastics on my CBR's are black & are relatively new, I really don't find any need for any such needs; may be I use Forever Black or something in future

[Shibadip]

NEVER polish a new bike; use polish ONLY if the area is dull because you'll not notice any difference

Like I said, avoid Polishing on a new bike for now & apply only on dull areas to get high shine; wax...do it almost on any part & avoid plastics though. As a matter of fact (Collinite 845 liquid) wax can be applied almost on anything

PLease explain the reasons for avoiding polishing of a new bike..Also as @Abhisek said, NS;FZ;Fazer and many other bikes and 90% plastic parts. So what do you suggest for that??



@sunilyo - As @aargee suggested you need to degrease the chain before washing the bike, and also need to thoroughly wash away the degreaser (turpentine in ur case) while washing the bike. Otherwise the lube that you give afterwards will have no effect as the degreaser will eat that up too.

Also san u tell me the cost of the Motomax dashboard polish

[Abhisek]

Guys,read many posts on this thread but as I can see wax polish is avoided on plastic parts of the body of a bike, So my confusion what to use to polish bikes like FZ, R15,CBR etc. where most of the parts are plastics ?
Also, MF (micro Fiber) cloth , just heard about it from you guys, what is it & where can I get it in Kolkata.

[aargee]

But i use normal orange soft cloth for washing, polishing and buffing

^^^ The culprit

Anyday, nothing beats MF when it comes to detailing; Why?

I use a silicon based liquid wax from waxpol...or just use it after washing and drying

Ok, it's a good wax as the culprit is above

I am thinking of getting...Microfibre cloths for cleaning my bike

Get a QUALITY MF cloth; for buffing polish/wax + glass, use YELLOW; for removing dirt & grime use BLUE. Pls don't ask me why GREEN or RED are used, I don't know as I haven't tried

Rinse bike with water with a hose and loosen all dirt (under engine, mud guards etc.) using a small brush

Avoid regular use of hose if possible; use it after monsoon. Just use simple water & remove dirts

clean chain with Turpentine oil

Do this before the above step

clean under belly...Cyclo engine degreaser

Don't know what this is

Wash using Amway car wash shampoo and MF cloth and rinse again

Ok

Wipe dry bike using MF cloth

Ideally if you do under shade, you don't have to wipe dry; may be use vacuum cleaner to blow off water droplets inside emblems etc

After drying polish matte areas

NEVER polish a new bike; use polish ONLY if the area is dull because you'll not notice any difference

buff off the paste wax using MF cloth

I thought you said you buff with a Orange cloth unless you mean that, you WILL BE buying it soon

Apply Turtle wax Protective Extra gloss liquid wax to seal the wax using applicator

Don't know how effective sealant this works, but has a good review over the internet; okay though.

buff off with MF cloth

Once again, Orange (read above)...

Lubricate chain, brake pedal, gear shifter, brake and clutch levers

Ok

This whole procedure will take almost 3 hrs to finish and i intend to do this at least twice a month

Wow!!! You're amazing!!! It takes me more than half a day for me to complete

What do you think of the extra STEP 5. Should i do it or should i just skip it.

Like I said, avoid Polishing on a new bike for now & apply only on dull areas to get high shine; wax...do it almost on any part & avoid plastics though. As a matter of fact (Collinite 845 liquid) wax can be applied almost on anything

[sunilyo]

^^
Swirl Marks from the polish or Water?

Don't know. Could be from polish or water. But i use normal orange soft cloth for washing, polishing and buffing. Could it be due to the cloth? Or should i STRICTLY be using a micro-fibre cloth for all cleaning purpose - washing, polishing, buffing and routine everyday dusting?

I presume it's from the polish; if so, what's the brand of polish you're using?

I use a silicon based liquid wax from waxpol till now. But have recently bought the Turtle wax Protective Extra gloss. The shopkeeper said if you want you can used it after waxing for an extra shine or just use it after washing and drying.

I am thinking of getting the Turtle wax paste wax along with a set of Microfibre cloths for cleaning my bike. Following is my cleaning procedure.

STEP 1
- Rinse bike with water with a hose and loosen all dirt (under engine, mud guards etc.) using a small brush.

- clean chain with Turpentine oil.

- clean under belly of the engine using a degreaser (i will be using the Cyclo engine degreaser)


STEP 2
Wash using Amway car wash shampoo and MF cloth and rinse again.

STEP 3
Wipe dry bike using MF cloth

STEP 4
- After drying polish matte areas - consoles, side panels, RVMs, switches on the handle bar etc. with Motomax dashboard polish using applicator

- Polish front and rear mud guards using Motomax bumper black using applicator

STEP 5
- Wax tank area, rear side panels, headlight using turtle wax paste wax using applicator

- buff off the paste wax using MF cloth

STEP 6
- Apply Turtle wax Protective Extra gloss liquid wax to seal the wax using applicator

- buff off with MF cloth

STEP 7
Lubricate chain, brake pedal, gear shifter, brake and clutch levers.

This whole procedure will take almost 3 hrs to finish and i intend to do this at least twice a month.

Hope i have covered each and every step of the cleaning process. What do you think of the extra STEP 5. Should i do it or should i just skip it.

[aargee]

I am seeing some swirl / streak marks on the tank and rear-side panels of my Pulsar NS

Swirl marks from the polish or Water? I presume it's from the polish; if so, what's the brand of polish you're using? I use Meguiar's & just hand buff, but don't see the swirl marks & hence the reason to ask.

How can i remove them?

Two ways...
1. Buff to shine
2. Apply Wax

Does anyone have any experience with these products or something similar?

Not me; those products are for older vehicles; Since your's is NS, it's relatively new & I don't think you'll even need a polish in first place.

Also I wanted to ask...Protective Extra Gloss.

Paste wax - application & buffing is hard, but provides long protection
Liquid wax - application & buffing is relatively easy & provides protection sufficiently long
Gel wax - Not experienced

[sunilyo]

I am seeing some swirl / streak marks on the tank and rear-side panels of my Pulsar NS.

How can i remove them? I have seen products specially made for these purposes like Meguirs SwirlX or Turtle Wax Scratch & Swirl. Does anyone have any experience with these products or something similar?

Also I wanted to ask like after using a normal paste wax can i use another product for bringing out the extra shine? for eg - Turtle wax paste wax and then Turtle wax platinum Protective Extra Gloss.

[IronHide Shetty]

Just thought i am reading a Encyclopedia for Bike wash. Great post. Thanks a lot stefanm

[Above_All]

For a change the website opened today. Do you mean the Collinite 845 Insulator Wax as in here ??

Whats the tentative cost (since it aint mentioned here)?? Which shampoo do you use for your automobile?? Recommendations please...

Yes it is same wax , email them for price , as they don't like it to be posted in public . I don't use any shampoo .

[pacificwaters]

Bringingbest.com is working here . Got Collinite 845 from them before 4/6 months . Really good product .

For a change the website opened today. Do you mean the Collinite 845 Insulator Wax as in here ??

Whats the tentative cost (since it aint mentioned here)?? Which shampoo do you use for your automobile?? Recommendations please...

[Above_All]

Well, I have spent almost my entire day going through this thread...While it has been very informative, it is also a bit confusing for an absolute newbie like me....

But I think I have decided which wax polish I would be going for after reading this thread...Waxpol auto polish - hard carnauba wax (orange tub) or else the Turtle Hard shell wax (green tub) - whichever of the two I get first...

Coming to one more question though now...Which car shampoo should I buy for use before waxing my bike?? Can I go for the shampoos we humans use, since they are usually mild, or else if not, please suggest me some good car shampoo...Thanks in advance..


P.S. And yes, there are some dead links in this thread. Bringingbest.com and carpolish.in dont work. Neither does the Automall site open at my end. Is it just me or everyone else too???

Bringingbest.com is working here . Got Collinite 845 from them before 4/6 months . Really good product .

[shahbaz63]

For meter console there is Dashboard Liquid available , Repeating Third Time

Moto max Dashboard polish or 3m Dashboard

[ariendj]

I used wax polish on my meter console, now it has left white patches. Is there any way to get rid of it.

try using vinegar.

[hellbreaker46]

I used wax polish on my meter console, now it has left white patches. Is there any way to get rid of it. I've used diesel, paint thinner but of no use. Any inputs??

[shahbaz63]

Well dont think too much just go through this products

motomax, 3M & Formula 1 ... everything available in this brands ... Choose what suits you best...

For me motomax is best for Dashboard Polish