Great detailing polish...

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

I'm not pushing any products here and I know a lot of you use Lemon Pledge for cleaning your bikes. I bought this product last year and never used it till yesterday. I have used the Pledge and it works really well, but this stuff works even better. I simply sprayed a little on a microfiber rag and wiped down my bike after washing and drying. No streaks, no buffing and no work..does it ever leave a nice shine. Plastic windshield, paint, chrome, it does it all. Original Bike Spirits from my local NAPA parts supply. I took the rocket out for a little ride today. A rider on a Honda Goldwing pulled up beside me and hollered at me.....that is really a gorgeous looking Triumph. I gave him my thanks and simply said, I wanted something different. He was impressed...I think it was the detailer/polish I just mention.

Good stuff. Been using it on my Rocket since day 1. Great on paint, chrome and windshields. Use it on my helmets too.

 

[IMFASTTOO]

Truth be told, I usually just gently wipe my bike down wth a damp cloth first to remove the surface dust. If you don't it doesn't matter what you use...Pledge or otherwise...you're just rubbing the grit into the finish of your bike. Damp rag first...Always.

NO the pledge lifts all the dust etc off the surface and you just wipe it off trying to rub it off with a damp cloth WILL scratch the hell out of the surface

 

[cr0ft]

I was looking at some options for my car recently and ran across this:

Chemical Guys WAC314 - Innovate Paste Wax and Paint Coating (8 oz)

For some reason I decided to take a pass.

Yeah, there's a lot of snake oil in the "high end detailing" market I suspect. But of course when some rich ******* overpays a "celebrity detailer" to take care of his car, he wants them to use ridiculously overpriced products to do it also, I guess.

I think it's kind of like the audiophile cable thing, people think a $2000 digital cable is better than a $20 digital cable. Even though they both pass ones and zeroes, and either work or don't work...

Car Wash? Not the best way to clean a motorcycle. High pressure washing can cause a lot of headache and heart aches later on down the road. Wheel bearings, electrical connections and a host of nasty little things that should not be subjected to pressure washing.

Yeah and not to mention any nooks and crannies on the bike, and even in between the nuts and bolts if you are unlucky which can promote corrosion. If you very carefully spray the billet parts of the wheels and stay away from any seams of any kind, maybe, but going with a more gentle flow is fine for lifting the worst particles off before you start in with a foam gun or just a wash mitt and some car shampoo.

I just polished my rear fender last night with some Meguiar's M105 ultra-cut compound and the dual action to get the marks out where the stock 2-up seat had rubbed circles into it (putting a Mustang solo one on)... very satisfying to see it turn into a clear mirrored surface again, still going over it with some 205 tonight and then some wax.

 

[IMFASTTOO]

Yeah, there's a lot of snake oil in the "high end detailing" market I suspect. But of course when some rich ******* overpays a "celebrity detailer" to take care of his car, he wants them to use ridiculously overpriced products to do it also, I guess.

I think it's kind of like the audiophile cable thing, people think a $2000 digital cable is better than a $20 digital cable. Even though they both pass ones and zeroes, and either work or don't work...



Yeah and not to mention any nooks and crannies on the bike, and even in between the nuts and bolts if you are unlucky which can promote corrosion. If you very carefully spray the billet parts of the wheels and stay away from any seams of any kind, maybe, but going with a more gentle flow is fine for lifting the worst particles off before you start in with a foam gun or just a wash mitt and some car shampoo.

I just polished my rear fender last night with some Meguiar's M105 ultra-cut compound and the dual action to get the marks out where the stock 2-up seat had rubbed circles into it (putting a Mustang solo one on)... very satisfying to see it turn into a clear mirrored surface again, still going over it with some 205 tonight and then some wax.

PLEDGE was designed for use on expensive furniture and will not scratch or harm any finishes and I use it on everything you can spray the whole bike even the rims and tires and engine seat windscreen under the seat your helmet your leather jacket and boots everything seat wiring etc. etc. etc. and it hasnt harmed anything on the bike

 

[cr0ft]

Yep, we went a round or two on Pledge before. I'm sure it's not the worst thing to use as a finishing touch as long as you make sure to wash the bike first so you get grime and particles off first and don't scratch the **** out of the paint and cause massive swirl marks.

But the wax in it is very light, so it goes away in the first rain it encounters most likely.

 

[EasTexRIII]

Make sure not to use WAX polishing compounds on Matte black (flat black) finishes............. It will rub it shiney. Only use a spray on, wipe off product. The Original Bike Spirits spray clean & polish is good stuff, it doesn't just wipe right off though, you have to make enough wipes to not leave wet streaks (you can really see it on black) so just make sure you get it all off but don't rub hard on it if it is new repaint or a new bike. I do use it on my (black) paint BUT DO NOT rub in circles... With gloss black always rub back & forth in a straight line to prevent swirls in your clear coat that show up over black base coat.

 

[Bedifferent]

Make sure not to use WAX polishing compounds on Matte black (flat black) finishes............. It will rub it shiney. Only use a spray on, wipe off product. The Original Bike Spirits spray clean & polish is good stuff, it doesn't just wipe right off though, you have to make enough wipes to not leave wet streaks (you can really see it on black) so just make sure you get it all off but don't rub hard on it if it is new repaint or a new bike. I do use it on my (black) paint BUT DO NOT rub in circles... With gloss black always rub back & forth in a straight line to prevent swirls in your clear coat that show up over black base coat.

Mine just wiped right off with no problems, but then again I only sprayed it on the cloth to wiped down the bike. Never had any streaks show up.

 

[Old N' Grumpy]

So far all I have done with my matte black is rinse the dirt off with a hose and go ride. It looks the same as when I got it. One of the reasons I got matte black was little maintenance.

 

[EasTexRIII]

Mine just wiped right off with no problems, but then again I only sprayed it on the cloth to wiped down the bike. Never had any streaks show up.

You did it right. I was just saying some people think these spray on, wipe off products will wipe off in one stroke. It stays a little wet if you don't wipe enuff to get to a point of it looking dry again. If the paint is not new you can rub it till it spits back at ya, I was just also making sure that people with fresh paint knew not to rub it that much.

 

[EasTexRIII]

So far all I have done with my matte black is rinse the dirt off with a hose and go ride. It looks the same as when I got it. One of the reasons I got matte black was little maintenance.

Yup, I've just seen some people wax there matte black paint with wax compounds for various reasons & now their matte black is gloss black