Swirls!!!
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 624
Likes: 125
From: Reading, PA
You are putting in the swirls when you touch the paint, any dust that is on the surface is an abrasive. Machine polishing, I am using Griot's G8 3" random orbital polisher. Buff and Shine yellow and white polishing pads. Wolfgang total swirl remover and Wolfgang finishing glaze. I have microfiber towels that are specific for polish removal (not drying towels). You will need a bar of clay, and a bunch of other stuff. It adds up. These pads and polishes are pretty safe to use. AutoGeek has most of what you would need. I found that I only need a few quick passes over an area with the G8 to get out the swirls. However, the whole process is time consuming (+/- take part off, wash, clay, polish, wax, clean up).
I have occasionally looked at the finish on used bikes for sale at the dealer, and I can tell which ones have had "paint correction". The finish looks like new. So consider asking your dealer who they use if you don't want to get involved with it yourself.
I have occasionally looked at the finish on used bikes for sale at the dealer, and I can tell which ones have had "paint correction". The finish looks like new. So consider asking your dealer who they use if you don't want to get involved with it yourself.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 12,186
Likes: 4,908
From: England
The vast majority of the time, I don't wash my bike with soap and water. I mostly just use a microfiber cloth with a light polish like an HD spray bottle or another spray bottle brand called 'Pig Snot'. Is this not a good practice? Could this be causing the swirls? I make sure to always spray the cloth very well with the polish so it is never a dry cloth on the bike.
I have never heard of pig snot and it doesn't sound like a good product to me. From HD you might be using a detail spray that is quite typical for removing the odd finger print or the lightest of dust. You are moving any dirt around on the surface and this is when you are inflicting the swirls. Don't feel so bad as swirls are an unfortunate enemy to the guy who wants perfect paint and it is impossible not to have some from time to time.
What you aim for is to touch the paint as little as possible. Typically a pre-wash is used and rinsed off that will take the loose stuff and some of the dirt off. Then you wash the bike as described above using 2 bucket method. Here you are removing dirt. You don't want to keep wiping and wiping over and over. It is better to make a couple of straight passes and inspect the mitt for dirt. Rinse off in rinse bucket. Prime with fresh shampoo from wash bucket.
Rinse off all shampoo and dry. I use a small blower designed for the job but a leaf blower should do the job. This again limits the amount you have to touch the paint.
If you see water spots a gentle wipe with a detail spray and microfibre cloth should remove them.
For the time after cleaning when I will be applying a wax or sealant I first use a paint cleanser product to ensure paint surface is completely clean.
ETA: It is technique that gets the job done when it comes to paint correction. The best tools and most expensive pads and polishing will count for nothing if you don't know how to use them.
Last edited by Andy from Sandy; Feb 21, 2022 at 03:14 AM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 28,842
Likes: 16,580
From: Wisconsin, USA
I just use a good quality car wash soap. There are probably better ones, that someone like @eaglefan1 would know about. He is a knowledgeable detailer.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 3,425
Likes: 1,418
From: pensacola fl
Lots of good soaps out there. I tend to have 3 or 4 in the garage at one time. I always have Reset and Echo2. Right now I also have 3D pink soap which is ok, also have Lift but have not used it yet. Stick with a brand name and you will have a quality soap.
1 thing to look at is dilution ratio. Some soaps are highly concentrated, 10z of soap to 3-4 gallons of water. Soaps like this usually costs more, but you use less of it. If interested, you can break out the calculator and see how many washes you will get out of a bottle. That doesnt interest me as much as how well it works.
1 thing to look at is dilution ratio. Some soaps are highly concentrated, 10z of soap to 3-4 gallons of water. Soaps like this usually costs more, but you use less of it. If interested, you can break out the calculator and see how many washes you will get out of a bottle. That doesnt interest me as much as how well it works.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 7,322
Likes: 11,741
From: Omaha,NE
I pressure wash and blow dry my bikes to avoid this issue. The only physical touch is protectant application (wax, etc.). My 4˝ year-old Harley has never been polished and never had swirls.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 12,186
Likes: 4,908
From: England
I pressure wash
Shampoos to add to the list, there is Meguiar's, Adam's Polishes, Griot's Garage, Poor Boys and Chemical Guys. They do all sorts of stuff for detailing your bike and car.
Over here I use Car Chem 1900-1 shampoo. It is very concentrated. 1900:1 Pure Shampoo (car-chem.com)
Last edited by Andy from Sandy; Feb 22, 2022 at 02:36 AM.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,430
Likes: 836
From: The High Plains, USA
As mentioned, the only way to remove swirl marks is to polish (abrade) the clearcoat to level them out. My 2021 Sport Glide has an average of 4.5 mils of paint based on my measurements. I would only feel comfortable polishing that a handful of times to remove imperfections. Your UV protection is in the clearcoat, and there is a finite amount of that to work with. Once it's gone, it's gone and will have to be sprayed again to restore it.
In most detailing circles, glaze is a bad word. I personally find glazes useful *in certain situations* where the goal is to maintain as much of the factory clearcoat as possible, or when machine polishing is not viable. A glaze is different than a polish in that it is non-abrasive, but contains fillers that fill in the swirl marks to hide them. This is a bandaid and not permanent, BUT it also doesn't remove any clearcoat. You will need to re-apply your glaze often to maintain the appearance. I use Poorboy's World Black Hole for this purpose. You would then need to top the glaze with a sealant to protect the finish.
The other option you have is to do a light hand polish. This may remove enough of the imperfections that you are pleased with the finish, but is generally not as aggressive as a machine polish, thus maintaining more of your factory clearcoat.
At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do is learn what is causing the swirls and take steps to resolve that. All the polishing in the world won't mean jack squat if you turn around and put them back in the next wash. There are a lot of videos on YouTube that show proper washing techniques. I personally subscribe to the multiple towel method rather than the two bucket method.
In most detailing circles, glaze is a bad word. I personally find glazes useful *in certain situations* where the goal is to maintain as much of the factory clearcoat as possible, or when machine polishing is not viable. A glaze is different than a polish in that it is non-abrasive, but contains fillers that fill in the swirl marks to hide them. This is a bandaid and not permanent, BUT it also doesn't remove any clearcoat. You will need to re-apply your glaze often to maintain the appearance. I use Poorboy's World Black Hole for this purpose. You would then need to top the glaze with a sealant to protect the finish.
The other option you have is to do a light hand polish. This may remove enough of the imperfections that you are pleased with the finish, but is generally not as aggressive as a machine polish, thus maintaining more of your factory clearcoat.
At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do is learn what is causing the swirls and take steps to resolve that. All the polishing in the world won't mean jack squat if you turn around and put them back in the next wash. There are a lot of videos on YouTube that show proper washing techniques. I personally subscribe to the multiple towel method rather than the two bucket method.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 449
Likes: 29
From: Scottsdale, AZ
You are putting in the swirls when you touch the paint, any dust that is on the surface is an abrasive. Machine polishing, I am using Griot's G8 3" random orbital polisher. Buff and Shine yellow and white polishing pads. Wolfgang total swirl remover and Wolfgang finishing glaze. I have microfiber towels that are specific for polish removal (not drying towels). You will need a bar of clay, and a bunch of other stuff. It adds up. These pads and polishes are pretty safe to use. AutoGeek has most of what you would need. I found that I only need a few quick passes over an area with the G8 to get out the swirls. However, the whole process is time consuming (+/- take part off, wash, clay, polish, wax, clean up).
I have occasionally looked at the finish on used bikes for sale at the dealer, and I can tell which ones have had "paint correction". The finish looks like new. So consider asking your dealer who they use if you don't want to get involved with it yourself.
I have occasionally looked at the finish on used bikes for sale at the dealer, and I can tell which ones have had "paint correction". The finish looks like new. So consider asking your dealer who they use if you don't want to get involved with it yourself.
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 449
Likes: 29
From: Scottsdale, AZ
Thank you so much for the detailed information. This is all new to me so I appreciate the details and mention of specific products.
The vast majority of the time, I don't wash my bike with soap and water. I mostly just use a microfiber cloth with a light polish like an HD spray bottle or another spray bottle brand called 'Pig Snot'. Is this not a good practice? Could this be causing the swirls? I make sure to always spray the cloth very well with the polish so it is never a dry cloth on the bike.
The vast majority of the time, I don't wash my bike with soap and water. I mostly just use a microfiber cloth with a light polish like an HD spray bottle or another spray bottle brand called 'Pig Snot'. Is this not a good practice? Could this be causing the swirls? I make sure to always spray the cloth very well with the polish so it is never a dry cloth on the bike.
Last edited by sixgun95; Mar 8, 2022 at 11:13 PM.