I finally had a chance to get started on polishing the paint on my bike today.

2002 Wide Glide.
27,000 miles.

The paint was in bad shape from improper washing techniques.
I think it had been to one too many bikini bike washes in its life time.

I have detailed a few cars in the past but never a bike.

I had great help from a good friend who details as a side business. Bryan was named in Autoweek Magazine as one of the counties top nine detailers. Bryan helped me out again with products and techniques. He has been a great mentor.
http://peachstatedetail.com/

The paint correction I did yielded dramatic results. I was able to remove about 90% of the defects. There are still some defects in the paint but I am very please with what I accomplished today. I think even Bryan will be impressed.


Process
Wash
Dry
Wipe down with isopropyl alcohol (IPA).
Tape off areas.
Polish with Porter Cable Random Orbital Polisher using a 4 inch orange spot pad and Meguiars #205.
Change to a black 4 inch spot pad to final polish with remaining product left on surface.
IPA wipe down.
Apply two coats of Zaino Z5 (FX'ed).
Apply Zaino Z8 as top coat.


Selection of products.






Before shots -








Taped off with a tape line run for comparisons.




I made one pass with the Megs 205.
I removed the tape and gave it an IPA wipe down.






Final polish and IPA wipe down.




Outside.




Nice reflections.

 

Wow...that's amazing - great detail & good job. Have to say, even though bikini washes are fun, not the best for quality. Thanks for sharing.

 

I have an 8 inch machine from Sears I've used on my car, any suggestions or info on the Orange and Black pads you used, btw; Nice job!!

 

Major transformation!

 

Amazing - thanks for taping off so we could see a before and after.
How long did the whole process take?

 

Great job. I have been looking at getting an orbital polisher. Is it very hard to use?

 

If the Sears machine is a buffer, it won't have the power for corrections. That machine may also be an orbital only. I believe it is best to use a random orbital.

I use a Porter Cable similar to this one -
http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-7.../dp/B00004SUQ8



The orange pads have an aggressive cut. The black pads are more of a finishing pad. I don't know where my mentor got them from but they are similar to these below.

http://www.properautocare.com/laco4inflpop.html

Here are a couple of great websites -

http://www.properautocare.com/index.html

http://truthindetailing.com/Forum/index.php


Best of luck and have fun!

 

Thank you.

I love running a tape line to have a side-by-side comparison.

It did not take too long. I could have been done quicker but I like to take breaks.

I think it took me about four hours from setup to cleanup.

I only did the tank and front fender. I will do the rear fender when I have time to figure out how to take apart the stuff on the back of the bike to get access to the fender.

 

Thank you.

The random orbital polishers are easy to use. There is no worry about burning through paint like with a rotary machine.

The amount of defects that can be removed with a random orbital coupled with the right pad and product is impressive.

I understand that Harley clear coat is not "hard". There are some clear coats that are very hard.

Preparation of the surface is the most important part to having a smooth, glossy finish.

Here are a couple of great websites -

http://www.properautocare.com/index.html

http://truthindetailing.com/Forum/index.php

 

Thanks everyone for your kind words!