Unless you get into "Pro" coatings, which you have to be licensed, you are limited to consumer coatings. There are a lot of really really good ones out there.Probably the closest you can get to a "pro" coating is 22PLE. Their consumer and pro coatings are pretty close to each other. 22PLE has outstanding durability, longevity, ease of maintenance, and looks. application learning curve is not bad at all as long as the heat and humidity aren't to high. Gyeon, Cquartz, Pinnacle and a lot of others are very good also.
If I was to compare all of the coatings I have used and picked the one that enhances the appearance the most it would be Polish Angel Cosmic topped with High Gloss. Ive had 3 different coatings on my bike along with sealants and waxes, so the paint has always been polished out. The polish angel combo is #1 in looks in my eye. On a bike I wouldn't look at longevity as much as I would if doing a car that spends a lot more time in the elements.
I will say that applying any coating on less then stellar paint will give less then stellar results. Lip stick on a pig, its still a pig.
New or old, all paint will benefit from being machine polished.

 

I think "JET-HOT" does ceramic coatings for exhaust headers and pipes. Looks good and lasts.

 

Thanks for all the responses guys! The dealer is the one doing the coating, so they have pros detail the bike and then apply the ceramic coating. They offer a ten year warranty on the finish. They say they do everything, paint and chrome. I'm not sure what the actual products they use are, I will ask. The painted parts of my bike are matte, and there is a lot of satin chrome.

Of course they charge a lot. But, reading all your responses, I figure it should be worth it.

Thanks again!

 

I just did my bike last weekend. Was my first time and took about 3 hours. I spent about half an hour washing the bike, then another 30 minutes buffing out some scuffs from the back of the tank where the seat meets up with ScratchX 2.0, then a good wipe down with 50/50 iso and water.

I learnt a few things in the process, like never ever use the same part of the microfiber cloth twice when wiping off, and never reuse the clothes afterwards no matter how you try to 'clean' it afterwards. And always wear gloves.

That being said, it will be the first thing that gets done when I buy a new bike.

I used Gyeon One, cost about CDN$100 and was a two part system. Apply the ceramic coating, wipe off and then wipe afterwards with the curing agent.

 

Thank you for the insight eaglefan1! I wish we were a little closer geographically as when I finally pull the trigger, I'm leaning towards having someone that knows what they're doing do the bikes and in all probability, my truck. Sure seems like you know what you're talking about and are committed to doing great work. I've found a few places in my area and will do my homework on them. Guess I'll have to start saving my pennies too. Thanks again!

 

Appreciate the compliments. I do this as a side gig, Im a teacher/coach in real life! I love detailing vehicles and bikes, I get to see some really cool stuff like the Track Hawk I did in the one year color Rhino. I did the guys Hell Cat and now this. Rode in both and the Track Hawk will walk the cat, more traction.

If you want to venture into the coating world there are plenty of easy coatings to apply, almost foolproof. However to get set up to polish a vehicle out properly takes some dough.
Check out Gyeon CanCoat, Optimum Gloss Coat, Pinnacle Black Label paint coating, and McKees. All of those are easy to use

 

And for the second time in this thread this is 1000% NOT at all the product type that we are discussing... lest people get confused about products...

 

If you are around the Bryan College Station area Anything Painted is a licensed applicator of Kenzo IGL coatings and will fix you up for a reasonable price . Like I said above I had my 2018 done and am very happy with it.

 

How is the Gyeon coating looking ? I`m thinking of trying the Can Coat product . It` looks pretty easy to apply .

 

Here's a video after my sgs was coated by Art of Detail in Albuquerque, NM. Art and his team do great wotk and are highly recommended.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pbELml...ature=youtu.be