matte Black cleaning tips
I have the denim black and usual just a light washing with a weak dish soap water mix for regular cleanings. I do use the HD wheel and tire, but not very often.
My girlfriend gets the bike detailed for me every Christmas and they do, well, the detailing.
My girlfriend gets the bike detailed for me every Christmas and they do, well, the detailing.
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 867
Likes: 224
From: Pa
all i use is an top quality aerosol window cleaner from my local glass shop and 2 micro fiber towels.tried windex and kept getting streaking real bad. ive washed it twice with dawn dish soap and hot water. but my bike gets cleaned wether i ride it 20 miles or 300 miles so the glass cleaner & micro fiber clothes have worked well for me. plus i can keep a can of cleaner and a towel in the saddlebag for those on the road touch ups. bugs here in western Pa can be down right miserable.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 7,905
Likes: 4,467
From: Texas
I can say that after having a black denim bike for a week, everything said above applies. I used dish soap (Dawn) diluted in a bucket of water for the heavy dirt that lined my oil cooler and undercarriage - took it right off, no problem. I got a free bottle of Denim Cleaner when I bought the bike. I used that on half the bike, and the other half of the bike I just used water - absolutely no difference visually. One difference was effort to remove bugs - it is easy to remove the bugs with the Denim Cleaner. I will use Windex after my Denim Cleaner is empty. I might even use Dawn for everything.
Stage III
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: CA
Just bought the H-D Denim Paint Cleaner and not impressed. Used Simple Green and works great as usual and will try the windex like the above suggested as well. My bike is Sand Camo and really shows the road grime after a ride.
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 215
Likes: 24
From: Florida
I have had the charcoal denim for a month and it's hard to tell if it's dirty or not. Windex seems to be my best friend (and dish washing liquid). Cleaning time has been cut down dramatically from the old bike and it was a dyna. I even have enough time to do the wheels now, lol.
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Advanced
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 70
Likes: 11
From: Columbus, Ga.
Matte wash problems
I know this is an old post but just in case others are still needing help. I use chemical brothers maticulous matte wash and meticulous matte spray sealant. The sealant actually protects the matte finish and keeps it looking like the day you rode off the dealers lot.