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Cleaning, waxing, polishing help

1148 Views 12 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Triumphil59, 
Jesse H
So my Bonnie is the first vehicle I’ve ever owned worth spending time and money waxing and polishing… and I’m completely lost. Soooo many products with different names that seem to do the same thing. I’m not looking for show level detailing, but what’s your standard clean/polish/wax routine and products?
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Triumphil59
This will be worse than the “which oil is best” thread 😂 Personally for washing the bike I use Armourall brand car wash, I don’t think it really matters which car wash you use as long as it is one of the better known good quality car washes. To me the important thing is to rinse the bike of well BEFORE you start washing it and to use a good quality microfibre cloth to wash it with. I was recently put on to Bowdens Carnauba body wax, ( beware the smell is addictive) which is very easy to put on and polish off again and doesn’t mark your black plastics or rubber. You shouldn’t need to “polish“ your bike yet, but if you do again use a good quality polish, not a cutting polish, (sorry I’m presuming your bike is new, if not the polish depends on how deep the scratches are) I use Mothers brand polish but everyone has there favourites.
I also am a big fan of Meguiars synthetic X wax, does a really good job of “preserving” your black plastics. It is not a restorer type product but keeps new plastics looking like new.
On the chrome I use California Custom Purple Polish, or Blue Magic. Autosol is also very good.
Again my big tip is to use good quality microfibre cloths throughout the process.
I also use a big boy blower to dry the bike, it’s not quicker but it gets water out of places you never reach with a microfibre cloth.
Always great sitting back admiring your machine after a good wash and wax.
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Jadorff
well if possible I never take the Bonney out in the rain and always dry wash to much can rust and to much to clean .I do use this gear called muck off after cleaning you spray on Crome, paint, wait a bit and wipe of excess and next clean most of the dust and so forth just wipes off. if its going to rain I take the Deauville as its covered with plastic
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Jadorff
Triumphil59 said:
This will be worse than the “which oil is best” thread 😂 Personally for washing the bike I use Armourall brand car wash, I don’t think it really matters which car wash you use as long as it is one of the better known good quality car washes. To me the important thing is to rinse the bike of well BEFORE you start washing it and to use a good quality microfibre cloth to wash it with. I was recently put on to Bowdens Carnauba body wax, ( beware the smell is addictive) which is very easy to put on and polish off again and doesn’t mark your black plastics or rubber. You shouldn’t need to “polish“ your bike yet, but if you do again use a good quality polish, not a cutting polish, (sorry I’m presuming your bike is new, if not the polish depends on how deep the scratches are) I use Mothers brand polish but everyone has there favourites.
I also am a big fan of Meguiars synthetic X wax, does a really good job of “preserving” your black plastics. It is not a restorer type product but keeps new plastics looking like new.
On the chrome I use California Custom Purple Polish, or Blue Magic. Autosol is also very good.
Again my big tip is to use good quality microfibre cloths throughout the process.
I also use a big boy blower to dry the bike, it’s not quicker but it gets water out of places you never reach with a microfibre cloth.
Always great sitting back admiring your machine after a good wash and wax.
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looks good I like the dog
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FLY-TRI-GUY
I known U said u r not looking for show level detailing but that’s all I know.
but here’s one inexpensive product that u will b very pleased with to use, I will share with u its been around for ever.
In the last 7 years I have done 8 motorcycles shows with 9 wins with 4 of my custom bikes and 90% of wins were ”Best In Show” and thnx mostly due to detailing.
My finishing step wax detail I use for the tank and plastics is ( Meguiars Quik Detailer ) it’s fast and easy with a nice protective coat and the more u rub it the shiner it gets When u apply it correctly.
And like TRI 59 mentioned u want to use the right material cloth, u would b surprised what regular rags will due to a finish, u can end up marring it with light scratches.
So that’s a couple of my detail tips for u at this time..FTG
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Jadorff
Meguiars Quick Detailer Yes i use this also its good
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Jadorff
Sorry the muck off is called mudslinger and i use a bit of gear between the car and bikes

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Itchytoe
I've always used a microfiber rag in a bucket of soapy water followed by a good old carnauba wax. It's not a super high tech type of wax, but it looks great. Then again, I don't wash my bike anywhere near as often as I should. A dirty bike is a ridden bike, right?
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CafRacer
Itchytoe said:
A dirty bike is a ridden bike, right?
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Maybe but the opposite is not always the case, many owners enjoy both riding and keeping their bike clean.
Have put over 10,000 miles on my TTR in just over 2 years and its far cleaner and tidier now than when I bought it.
Also I think thorough cleaning is part of a good maintenance routine as it helps keep all the working parts in good condition and is a good opportunity to spot potential problems before they turn serious.
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MarlinSpike
A clean bike is a happy bike, along with its rider showing pride. (y)
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HiDesert
I'm kind of casual about my Scrambler because it sees a fair bit of dirt road.

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But I'm pretty meticulous about my Indian.

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One product I really like is Rain-x waterless car wash and rain repellent. Here in the desert southwest, I can use that for garage-kept cars, and go years without actually hose-and-bucket washing a car. Easy to use on bikes too. I almost never take the hose-and-bucket approach on a motorcycle. I did a bit of that after this:
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But short of that level of dirt, almost never. I did some WD-40 spraying on the engine and metal parts when the Scrambler was muddy, and then wiped it down after a day.

I've used a variety of spray waxes and detailers. I really don't see much difference. I've used Eagle One Nanowax, and Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax among a lot of others. No, I see none of the ceramic finish benefits from the Meguiars Ceramic wax.

When I want a serious wax, I'll use NuFinish. But I don't use that routinely because it's an old-fashioned liquid wax, which means you can get buildup on emblems, and on rubber/plastic items like the knee pads on the Scrambler's tank.

I just polished a light clear coat scratch out of the Scrambler's tank, and I used the same polish/swirl remover you'd use for a car, then NuFinish, then a spray wax.

I use the spray waxes on chrome too. Which is important for the Indian. :cool:

Plasticizers are good for black plastic and rubber. Turtle Wax Inside and Out Protectant. Handlebar controls, fork gaiters, clutch/throttle lines, rubber coated brake lines, they all benefit from some of that and they look good afterwards.
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Hooli744
Triumphil59 said:
This will be worse than the “which oil is best” thread 😂 Personally for washing the bike I use Armourall brand car wash, I don’t think it really matters which car wash you use as long as it is one of the better known good quality car washes. To me the important thing is to rinse the bike of well BEFORE you start washing it and to use a good quality microfibre cloth to wash it with. I was recently put on to Bowdens Carnauba body wax, ( beware the smell is addictive) which is very easy to put on and polish off again and doesn’t mark your black plastics or rubber. You shouldn’t need to “polish“ your bike yet, but if you do again use a good quality polish, not a cutting polish, (sorry I’m presuming your bike is new, if not the polish depends on how deep the scratches are) I use Mothers brand polish but everyone has there favourites.
I also am a big fan of Meguiars synthetic X wax, does a really good job of “preserving” your black plastics. It is not a restorer type product but keeps new plastics looking like new.
On the chrome I use California Custom Purple Polish, or Blue Magic. Autosol is also very good.
Again my big tip is to use good quality microfibre cloths throughout the process.
I also use a big boy blower to dry the bike, it’s not quicker but it gets water out of places you never reach with a microfibre cloth.
Always great sitting back admiring your machine after a good wash and wax.
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I hope you dont get that Mogwai wet after midnight!
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Triumphil59
Only did that once, it turned into a Hyabusa ……
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