Don’t know how or when this happened, bikes been in the shed covered up most of the winter except on the occasional nice day where I can get a ride in...but when I got it out in the sunshine the other day I noticed these scratches. I tried to buff them out by hand and with a buffer but all I have right now is some Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze so it didn’t do much, I’m looking for advice on which products would work best. Pics below, the right side of the tank has scratches, the left side is more like swirls

 

Probably any paint scratch remover/polisher would do the trick. It looks superficial on the clear coat. .

Does the shed have any mice or rodents? Mice visit my garage in the winter and once they tried to build a nest in the fender wheel well. They can really scratch stuff up. Also, the covers can scratch up the paint if there is any debris on them.

 

I've had pretty good luck with Meguiar's ScratchX . My bike looked pretty rough when I bought it so I used this . Turned out pretty nice .

https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/...07-7-oz-liquid

My friends bike was pretty rough looking and took it to one of our paint shops , not sure which one , but they power polished it and " wow " when I saw it after , it looked like a brand new paint job .

 

I actually had a bottle of this that I was gonna try but when I went to use it was all dried up so I had to throw it out...but I’ll get more if it works.

Miniwolf- I haven’t seen any evidence of mice anywhere, I know what you mean about the motorcycle covers though I used some old sheets to cover the bike and then the cover over the sheets. I noticed a lot of condensation on my bike over the winter when it would get really cold, so I started using the sheets too hoping to keep the moisture off

 

If you're new to paint correction you may want to leave it to a professional, especially if you're using the wrong products and more especially if you're using the wrong "buffer". That paint needs to be cleaned and the wax stripped off, it should then be decontaminated with a clay bar, and then the correct product and method should be determined. If you're not careful AND not experienced you could end up making things a lot worse. Even if you're experienced and NOT careful you could make things a lot worse. Unless you're paint is clean and has been clayed I wouldn't touch it with anything YET. If you're determined to go at it yourself:
Wash
Clay
Wash
Scratch X or swirl remover BY HAND ONLY

Or, take it to a detailer who's work you can see. Don't let anyone near that bike with a rotary machine.

 

Good advice here ... pay attention O.P. ;>)

 

I appreciate the reply...I actually tried clay too, found a kit at the store that came with clay blocks and detailer spray, so I cleaned it with this before I tried buffing

 

Good advice here OP

 

the ONE thing HD has gotten right over the years is their paint process.

I have taken more scratches out of HD parts over the years.... I have no problem hitting the clear with 2500 wet paper and buffing it.... Harley clear is great and thick.

Paint correction is not hard to learn, but if you screw up ( blow thru the clear, burn it, etc) it gets expensive to repair.

 

You're never going to keep your bike perfect so stop trying. Scratches, skuffs, dirt, etc they give your bike character. Do you want it to look like you actually ride it or just some trophy you show off to people to impress them?