I scratch all of my cars, bikes, trucks, and once bought a new Sea Ray boat from a bankruptcy auction...I walked up to it and scratched the hull with my car key...my wife looked at me in amazement when I said..."NOW it is mine"
Meh.. not a fan of that look. But it's all personal taste.. so I'm sure some will love it. I prefer a classic look over the mean.. bad ass.. look of the storm. I guess that's why I went with the blue/white. Tho I like the silver/black color too. And some of the haze colors look nice as well.
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I'm generally not either, but i saw a matte black storm a week or so ago ride past me as i was walking and i was surprised to find myself thinking it looked really really good. That said, you couldn't give me that color. Anything happens to a matte finish, and it will even just minor scratching, and you are stuck with it. You cannot do anything but wipe it down with a soft cloth and some sort of cleaner. Bird crap'll ruin it, scratches, water spots, you can't take any flaws out. I don't think most people even realize that when they buy them.
Nope not complaining, just wasn't aware of what is normal for a set of tires. Just took the bike in for it's 20,000km tune up. Will be picking it up tomorrow. I was told that it is a 5 hr service$$$$$ I have used the mothers scratch remover, and followed up with the sealer glaze and then the wax. Does a great job! But can still notice some marks. So I personally do think that the triumph black is a soft paint. Maybe I am to picky. I just used some of the lemon pledge for the first time, and was quite impressed with it. For a quick and easy polish works great.
Theres also another product that like pledge uses silicone but it's better than pledge. It's called maxima SC-1. It does a better job and it's easier to remove. Pledge tends to leave greasy streaks that are hard to remove. By the way, both having silicone it's said that you cannot get a repaint because the silicone sinks in to the metal and causes fish eyes when they try and paint on it. They said it cannot be fully removed. Today tho i wonder if thats still true, as it would seem they'd have found a way by now.
Funny story....i used pledge about 8 years ago till i found the maxima, and i remember several times when i'd start applying it and b4 i knew it i was being assaulted by bees because of the lemon scent.
Glad to know I am not the only one thinking the paint is a little soft. I know black will scratch and get swirls. I have a black car, cut and polished a custom paint 1982 black Katana and my 09 Sprint was black. But the Storm is the softest that I have seen.
Oh well, I got other things to worry about like riding it. Winter is for worrying and fixing.
After polishing soft blacks try a sealant that hardens the paint & helps to reduce cleaning like Gtechniq C1. You can wax or layer other coatings over the top of it & it'll help reduce swirling significantly.
Soft paint on the 2011 Storm is a fact, not a subjective whine. The performance, however, will kick your butt on the back county roads.
I ride with folks that park their bikes on the street 365 and ride 50/52, so blemishes are a badge of honor.
5 yrs from now, the Storm will prob be painted camouflage anyway, cuz that is our official color in Sussex County, New Jersey!
One approach is to apply a paint protective film on the critical areas of the bike. You can either do it yourself by ordering a kit online or find a local shop that applies the film. If a local shop does it, you get a warranty with it. The stuff is clear and really does a great job of protecting the bike.
