Motorcycle Detailing Thread

[stefanm]

.it has never been subjected t regular wiping with a cloth...just may be once in a month...i

Once a month is enough to scratch up your clear, something you should never do! That's one reason and the second is the method of washing, washing once or twice a week properly will stop the build up of gunk and other random shit, that will be dragged across your paint whilst washing or drying, still you could try some swirl remover, or wet sand and buff or put new clear coat on top, that's if you're like me and can't bare swirls.

[mayank.travadi]

How can we put another layer of clearcoat on ou bikes? is it a DIY job or only painters do it? and any estimated cost?

for swirl mark removing most suggest rubbing compounts...and i dont want to use them becuase in incomepetent hands like mine who doent have exp of such products might screw up the paint work...

once a eek isnt possible everytime to wash the bike...but will try..the damage is already done i suppose....any other solutions?

[stefanm]

^^ shouldn't cost you much more than 2k for your bike to wet sand with either 400 or 600 grit, shoot 2/3 coats of clear wet sand and buff.

I also don't wash my bike so often, but when I do so I am very careful, any bits of dirt that are stuck after rinsing get neat shampoo covered by a cloth until they fall loose, these things are what cause scratches and swirls, I also have a separate bucket of clean water for rinsing the sponge, when wiping with the sponge turn after a small stroke and then rinse, your soapy bucket should not get too dirty this way and less chance of self induced scratches and swirls, if you have the patience you can also use filter water, around 25 litres would be enough!

[mayank.travadi]

I dont think i have patience to wash so often and take so much care...will stick to normal once a fortnight wash and wax...nothing else...the swirls are only visible in bright light directly falling on the bike....otherwise the paint still looks gorgeous and i can live with that...

[Eagle_Eye]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

waxing is done on the metal part,
then what we have to apply on the fiber fairing of the bike(painted one)?

[Legend Racer]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

waxing is done on the metal part,
then what we have to apply on the fiber fairing of the bike(painted one)?

waxes, sealants, polishes, etc all work on paint surface . if it is painted then you can surely use these on them, irrespective of whether metal or non metal part.

but take care of seats, and parts like speedometer panels, other dull plastics. they require other specific products.

[Eagle_Eye]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

waxes, sealants, polishes, etc all work on paint surface . if it is painted then you can surely use these on them, irrespective of whether metal or non metal part.

but take care of seats, and parts like speedometer panels, other dull plastics. they require other specific products.

ohh.....ok
thanks for the information.

i have finalised amway car wash shampoo and collinite 845 wax for my bike, can you suggest which foam pad should be used for it's application.

[BloggingWheels]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

^^ Are you really going to purchase a 'branded' foam pad? And by the way, you've answered your query by yourself. You need a 'foam' pad to apply. Any soft and clean foam pad will do. Some people use the cut foam pieces from sofas/similar material. Those are good but are bad for economical use of wax. You see, they tend to absorb a lot of wax and trap it under their surface, preventing any chances of re-using the trapped stuff.
Also, baniyaan(vest) material cotton is best for applying wax. and buffing it off too. I cut my old vests according to requirement and do the needful

[Legend Racer]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

ohh.....ok
thanks for the information.

i have finalised amway car wash shampoo and collinite 845 wax for my bike, can you suggest which foam pad should be used for it's application.

C845 is both a wax as well as a sealant. a true value for money. but i think you selection of shampoo is not good. the 1st point born in mind while selecting a shampoo for vehicle should be that it must not strip down the applied wax or other protecting materials. in other words select a ph neutral shampoo.

asBloggingWheels told a nice new banyan cloth is the cheapest alternative thing for waxing and buffing but not the best option. grab a good Micro Fibre cloth for the job.

[RohIIT]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

Has anyone tried diesel for degreasing engine , after dishwash washdown i use diesel to clean engine, it gives pretty good shine to it , does it damage the paint work on engine ? Also i try some of black left over diesel after cleaning chain to shine alloys , mine is kind of matte finished . People please help me out here , is diesel corrosive to alloy and engine paint ?

[sunilyo]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

ohh.....ok
thanks for the information.

i have finalised amway car wash shampoo and collinite 845 wax for my bike, can you suggest which foam pad should be used for it's application.

^^ Are you really going to purchase a 'branded' foam pad? And by the way, you've answered your query by yourself. You need a 'foam' pad to apply. Any soft and clean foam pad will do. Some people use the cut foam pieces from sofas/similar material. Those are good but are bad for economical use of wax. You see, they tend to absorb a lot of wax and trap it under their surface, preventing any chances of re-using the trapped stuff.
Also, baniyaan(vest) material cotton is best for applying wax. and buffing it off too. I cut my old vests according to requirement and do the needful

C845 is both a wax as well as a sealant. a true value for money. but i think you selection of shampoo is not good. the 1st point born in mind while selecting a shampoo for vehicle should be that it must not strip down the applied wax or other protecting materials. in other words select a ph neutral shampoo.

asBloggingWheels told a nice new banyan cloth is the cheapest alternative thing for waxing and buffing but not the best option. grab a good Micro Fibre cloth for the job.

For good results and to keep swirl marks to the minimum use a good branded applicator pad. Some brands like Formula1, Turtle wax sell foam pads along with their products or you can also get them individuall. Meguairs sell these pads for around 200 bucks for a pack of 4, which in my opinion is pretty cheap. I have been using one such pad from Meguairs for waxing only for the past one year and am satisfied with the results. Check their website: Meguiar's India. And for buffing get a good micro-fibre cloth. Avoid using any old baniyans, they do feel soft but for waxing / buffing painted surface they are not ideal. I wont recommend such stuff for washing painted surfaces either. Also do not use the house hold scotch brite foam pad they are pretty hard (good for house hold utensils not painted surfaces). You will get the shine that you desire by using old vests / baniyans but over a period of time and due to usage of such materials the paint surface will get dull due to minute swirl marks. But you can use these things for cleaning the engine, rims etc. If you really want to protect the paint surface and get good results I would recommend investing around a Rs.1000 get yourself one MF cloth each for washing / drying / buffing with a couple of extra MF and get a good applicator pad for waxing. Since you have decided to go for Collinite 845, make sure that the plastic (matte / unpainted) surface and the seat do not touch this product, this stuff is pure wax and will ruin the plastic and cleaning will be a pain.

[Eagle_Eye]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

For good results and to keep swirl marks to the minimum use a good branded applicator pad. Some brands like Formula1, Turtle wax sell foam pads along with their products or you can also get them individuall. Meguairs sell these pads for around 200 bucks for a pack of 4, which in my opinion is pretty cheap. I have been using one such pad from Meguairs for waxing only for the past one year and am satisfied with the results. Check their website: Meguiar's India. And for buffing get a good micro-fibre cloth. Avoid using any old baniyans, they do feel soft but for waxing / buffing painted surface they are not ideal. I wont recommend such stuff for washing painted surfaces either. Also do not use the house hold scotch brite foam pad they are pretty hard (good for house hold utensils not painted surfaces). You will get the shine that you desire by using old vests / baniyans but over a period of time and due to usage of such materials the paint surface will get dull due to minute swirl marks. But you can use these things for cleaning the engine, rims etc. If you really want to protect the paint surface and get good results I would recommend investing around a Rs.1000 get yourself one MF cloth each for washing / drying / buffing with a couple of extra MF and get a good applicator pad for waxing. Since you have decided to go for Collinite 845, make sure that the plastic (matte / unpainted) surface and the seat do not touch this product, this stuff is pure wax and will ruin the plastic and cleaning will be a pain.

yes...... definitely what i had planned.

will be getting one microfiber cloth for drying the bike.
other am getting free with the collinite wax. it will be used for buffing the wax.

will buy a good foam pad for application of wax. As, collinite wax does not have it.

[rajpandey10]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

I bought a formula 1 wax for my cbr250. Today after washing I let my bike fully dry and then I applied wax with the sponge came with it and then I let it to dry. After that I started wiping it off and then buffing but there are still some wax stick with it and I tried hard to remove it but still it is not getting removed. Do I need to buff it more? I used MF cloth but still not able to get the expected shine. .. Did I messed up anything.? Please let me know what to do next?

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[Rajan..]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

I bought a formula 1 wax for my cbr250. Today after washing I let my bike fully dry and then I applied wax with the sponge came with it and then I let it to dry. After that I started wiping it off and then buffing but there are still some wax stick with it and I tried hard to remove it but still it is not getting removed. Do I need to buff it more? I used MF cloth but still not able to get the expected shine. .. Did I messed up anything.? Please let me know what to do next?

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Did you apply the wax and left it in a hotter place? You are supposed to keep the bike in a cooler place during the entire process. If that is what you did, then you need to apply a bit more strength while buffing.

[rajpandey10]

Re: Motorcycle Detailing Thread

Yes it was hot I did at 10 in morning.. it was hot with direct sunlight.. is doing in sun is not the right way? I tried to buff but its still not getting removed... shall I do it in shade? Do I need to use water? Please help

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