First of all, never, ever take your bike to a car wash and use high
pressure spray on it. A Harley is designed to stand up to wet roads and
rain, but it is not designed for high pressure spray. The spray will
eventually force its way up under your gaskets and you will be stuck at
the car wash for a while, cause it won’t start. If you will notice at
Sturgis, Laughlin, Daytona, etc. at the Bike Wash stands, they have
bikini clad girls hand washing bikes. They aren’t using portable high
pressure sprayers, which would be easier for them, they are actually
hand washing the bikes. This isn’t just for your entertainment, so you
can watch them get all soapy, the hand washing is for a reason.
Paper Towels
Second of all, never, ever use a paper towel to wash, dry or wipe
off your bike. Paper is a wood product, it actually has very small wood
chips in it and it will scratch your bike.
Washing Solution
For washing your bike, use any car wash solution, but never use
household products to clean your bike. Dishwashing detergents are too
aggressive and will strip the wax and dull the finish on black engines
or plastic housings. Use only a thick 100% cotton terry cloth rag or
mitt, or a lambs wool mitt. The loops in the terry cloth or lambs wool
helps trap the dirt and helps keep it from scratching your bike. If
your bike is extremely greasy and oily, use a degreaser before washing
(such as PJ1 Degreaser Contact Cleaner or PJ1 Spray and Wash).
Towels and Rags
This might sound really petty, but I suggest that you buy thick
100% cotton terry cloth towels for drying your bike. Do not use these
towels for anything else, keep them in a sealed container when not in
use, and DO NOT EVER put them on the ground. The reason is, if you just
grab some old towels from the house, you never know what they have been
used for and they might have something trapped in the loops that can
scratch your bike, this is the same reasoning behind not ever laying
them on the ground before, during or after drying your bike, you might
get pine needles, metal shavings, saw dust or anything else trapped in
it and it can do damage. After you have used these specific towels, if
you just throw them up in a cabinet or just lay them on a shelf in the
garage, God only knows what will end up on them or who else in the
household will use them for something that will render them useless due
to contamination. This is why I suggest you buy a sealed container to
keep them in. Just make sure you wash all new cloths and towels before
using them, because they have what is called "sizing" in them and this
needs to be removed.
In the auto wax department of Wal-Mart,
they have a bundle of 4 very thick blue towels called "Detailing
Towels" and a bundle of 6 cotton "Finishing Rags" at a very reasonable
price. Both of these are excellent.
Wax or Polish?
Should you use WAX or POLISH? Let me describe the difference, and then you might have a better idea of what to buy.
Polishes have a very fine grit to them. They actually take off a very,
very small portion of clear coat in order to get rid of oxidation
caused by UV rays that dull the paint. They also are used for removing
"swirl marks" and "spider webbing" caused from previous washings and
waxing. If your "swirl marks and "spider webbing" are just a little to
deep for a polish to handle, then try a swirl remover, such as Mequir’s
Swirl Remover. This is the same as polish, however, it has a little bit
more grit to it to go a little deeper, but not as deep as a compound.
Waxes, have no grit to them. If your wax is labeled as a "cleaner wax",
such as Mother’s Carnauba Cleaner Wax, this means that it has a mild
chemical cleaning agent in it, not grit, therefore it does not remove
any clear coat, but it can help with pollutants, bug guts and other
things like that. I have researched the subject of what waxes are
preferred by show car enthusiasts and show bike enthusiasts, and they
all agree that a carnauba wax is the best. It is the best wax for
protecting your paint job from UV rays and pollution. Many brands
manufacture carnauba wax, and they are all good.
Just about all the wax manufacturers now produce a instant detailing
spray. This product is great for the times you want your bike to look
great, but it has a layer of dust on it from just sitting in the garage
or from driving on some of our over abundant dirt and gravel roads, and
you just don’t have time to wash it. . Just spray this product on and
wipe it off with a clean detailing rag. You can also spray this product
on your wax applicator before your apply the wax. It will make the wax
easier to apply and to wipe off.
My suggestion for buying special towels and keeping them sealed in a
container also applies to the applicators, towels and detailing rags
used for applying and removing your wax or polish.
Black or Other Very Dark Paint
A special note for those with black or any very dark paint job.
According to Meguiar’s and Mother’s Wax representatives, for a really
deep shine, first apply a glaze, wipe it off and then apply wax. Glaze
is sold in the same section as the waxes, and it is labeled as "Glaze".
This is twice the work, but worth it.
Windshields
If you have a windshield on your bike, you need to periodically
renew the windshield for appearance sake and for safety’s sake. While
you are traveling down the road at 60-70 mph, dust, bugs, stones, etc.
are having a mild sandblasting effect on your windshield and dulling
it. To renew its deep, clear appearance, use a windshield cleaner
designed for motorcycles (not for the glass on your vehicle). Follow it
with a coat of wax or instant detailing spray.
Spoke Wheels
An easy way to clean your spokes is with a wide shoelace. Wrap the
shoelace a couple of times around the spoke and pull it back and forth
over the length of the spoke.
Wrinkle Black Cases
You can clean and clean and clean those black cases, you can even
use a toothbrush, but when it is all dry, it still looks dull due to
water deposits and even worse, misapplied wax. Try Pam cooking spray.
After your bike is washed and waxed, spray a small amount of Pam on a
soft rag and polish the wrinkle black areas. It will shine better than
new.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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