How to wash and polish my bike.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 404
Likes: 1
From: Westminster Texas
RE: How to wash and polish my bike.
ORIGINAL: mikef
Thanks guys..... Lots of good info here. I learned quite a bit. I am going to get a California Duster right away. That is a great suggestion. I dont mind cleaning the bike for a f3 or 4hours once a month..... but I dont want to do it before every ride. I think the duster will help out quite a bit. Here is a pic of my house. Look at the back ground and you will see why my bike gets so dusty. I am in the middles of dirt.
http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m...t=IMG_0271.jpg
http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m...t=IMG_0268.jpg
Thanks guys..... Lots of good info here. I learned quite a bit. I am going to get a California Duster right away. That is a great suggestion. I dont mind cleaning the bike for a f3 or 4hours once a month..... but I dont want to do it before every ride. I think the duster will help out quite a bit. Here is a pic of my house. Look at the back ground and you will see why my bike gets so dusty. I am in the middles of dirt.
http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m...t=IMG_0271.jpg
http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m...t=IMG_0268.jpg
RE: How to wash and polish my bike.
the comments about the bandana in the rain are so right and its funny!
before i was deployed to korea, we would ride from newport news to virginia beach. NO MATTER WHAT we would catch some sort of afternoon shower. yeah, it sucks because drivers suck in the best of weather...add rain and its dangerous. but we still laugh about it around some pints every winter.
thats the key - good times with good people. enjoy the west coast![sm=biker2.gif]
before i was deployed to korea, we would ride from newport news to virginia beach. NO MATTER WHAT we would catch some sort of afternoon shower. yeah, it sucks because drivers suck in the best of weather...add rain and its dangerous. but we still laugh about it around some pints every winter.
thats the key - good times with good people. enjoy the west coast![sm=biker2.gif]
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 253
Likes: 3
RE: How to wash and polish my bike.
ORIGINAL: jpowell490
That is a pretty shitty reply to the guy. I don't blame him, I won't ride mine in the rain either. It has something to do with loving your bike and not wanting to get it all ****ed up in the rain. If you ride in the rain, you will NEVER, I repeat NEVER, get it looking like it did at the showroom.
So I guess I am a yuppie too
[sm=shutup.gif]
ORIGINAL: grzly
Oops mymistake .. i mistook you for a biker . there is a thread around here somewhere about yuppie's
ORIGINAL: mikef
I have never and will never ride it in the rain......
I have never and will never ride it in the rain......
So I guess I am a yuppie too
[sm=shutup.gif]You guys out there have it made. I wouldn't be able to pry my *** outta the seat if I had weather like that!
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,963
Likes: 1
From: Fredericksburg, VA
RE: How to wash and polish my bike.
MikeF,
I understand you just bought a new bike and want to keep it looking nice. I also understand you don't want to ride in the rain, but it will eventually happen. I was taking my bike to get serviced and my wife was following in the truck with her fatboy on the trailer( she didn't want to ride because it was SUPPOSED to rain). It started pouring, I could have pulled over and threw it on the trailer, but hell I was already wet. Plus it gives you the expierence of riding in the rain, slow it down and keep going. Hell yeah it was dirty, but that is what I have a bucket, soap and water for. When I first got it I was like you, but then I got over it. It won't stay clean if you ride it. It will get dirty and yes you will get stones messing up the paint. So here is the decision to make, did you buy a piece of art to keep in your garage all shiny and clean, or ride it and enjoy that $30,000 fatboy. There are alot more people that will see that awesome machine on the street, how many people come to your garage? But anyway, here is what I do, wash with car liquid of some kind(don't use dish soap), I use a lblower to get water out of engine and places I can't get to(so no rust), then dry the rest with a HD shami. I washed it yesterday finally, causethe weather in Illinois has been crappy lately and waxed it. I used that new Ice synthetic polish from turtle wax. That stuff is great, waxed the whole thing in about 20 minutes, and I have a dresser. No residue from the wax and looks great.Don't waste your money on some clown coming to your house to clean your bike, use that money to buy something else for your bike. JMO. Now get out , ride and enjoy.
I understand you just bought a new bike and want to keep it looking nice. I also understand you don't want to ride in the rain, but it will eventually happen. I was taking my bike to get serviced and my wife was following in the truck with her fatboy on the trailer( she didn't want to ride because it was SUPPOSED to rain). It started pouring, I could have pulled over and threw it on the trailer, but hell I was already wet. Plus it gives you the expierence of riding in the rain, slow it down and keep going. Hell yeah it was dirty, but that is what I have a bucket, soap and water for. When I first got it I was like you, but then I got over it. It won't stay clean if you ride it. It will get dirty and yes you will get stones messing up the paint. So here is the decision to make, did you buy a piece of art to keep in your garage all shiny and clean, or ride it and enjoy that $30,000 fatboy. There are alot more people that will see that awesome machine on the street, how many people come to your garage? But anyway, here is what I do, wash with car liquid of some kind(don't use dish soap), I use a lblower to get water out of engine and places I can't get to(so no rust), then dry the rest with a HD shami. I washed it yesterday finally, causethe weather in Illinois has been crappy lately and waxed it. I used that new Ice synthetic polish from turtle wax. That stuff is great, waxed the whole thing in about 20 minutes, and I have a dresser. No residue from the wax and looks great.Don't waste your money on some clown coming to your house to clean your bike, use that money to buy something else for your bike. JMO. Now get out , ride and enjoy.
RE: How to wash and polish my bike.
ORIGINAL: mikef
I have never and will never ride it in the rain......
I have never and will never ride it in the rain......
as far as detailing...the s100 line has a chrome cleaner/polish. i used it on my old bike all the time. i used to spend 2-3 hours detailing my bike. now that i've gone to mostly black and denim black paint i am hoping to reduce my cleaning time and increase riding time.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,296
Likes: 2
From: canada
RE: How to wash and polish my bike.
If it's just dust, a quick cleaner like Plexus, or Ipone or something will work. I like Ipone the best. It goes on the easiest, and comes off the easiest. I can do the entire bike - paint & chrome, in about 1/2 hour. Even in my garage, the thing gets dust on it. The Ipone isn't sticky and doesn't need hard buffing to come off.
I'm not too fond of riding in the rain, but it happens. Hell - just spent driving 15 hours driving to Deals Gap. Unloaded the bike, and although had only an hour of rain, had wet pavement the whole weekend. Screw that - I came to ride, I is gonna ride. Put 700 km's on it that weekend. Bike is filthy. Meh.
I hated my first ride with my new airbrushed tins. However, this bike gets driven. The first paint chips sucked. Getting caught in the hail for the first time sucked. However, I like riding to the Maritimes. You ain't gonna make it from Ontario to the Maritimes & back without getting wet. Statistical impossibility. 5000 km's - yer lucky if only 1000 of them are in the rain.
If you're out and in a real jackpot - windex will clean the chrome quick (DON'T use the stuff with bleach in it - just the regular windex). It will also remove the rainbow stains on the chrome from heat or exhaust.
Cannon
I'm not too fond of riding in the rain, but it happens. Hell - just spent driving 15 hours driving to Deals Gap. Unloaded the bike, and although had only an hour of rain, had wet pavement the whole weekend. Screw that - I came to ride, I is gonna ride. Put 700 km's on it that weekend. Bike is filthy. Meh.
I hated my first ride with my new airbrushed tins. However, this bike gets driven. The first paint chips sucked. Getting caught in the hail for the first time sucked. However, I like riding to the Maritimes. You ain't gonna make it from Ontario to the Maritimes & back without getting wet. Statistical impossibility. 5000 km's - yer lucky if only 1000 of them are in the rain.
If you're out and in a real jackpot - windex will clean the chrome quick (DON'T use the stuff with bleach in it - just the regular windex). It will also remove the rainbow stains on the chrome from heat or exhaust.
Cannon
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 141
Likes: 0
RE: How to wash and polish my bike.
Well from the pictures of where he lives it seems he lives in the desert so he is probably right he will never ride in the rain.
Mikef that's cool place you live in. I wish I had some space around melike that to get the dirt bikes out. You will be happy with the california car duster. I use mine here in Arkansas for the ton of pollen that gets on my car but I'll use it on the bike when I pull it out of the garage and it's awesome.
Mikef that's cool place you live in. I wish I had some space around melike that to get the dirt bikes out. You will be happy with the california car duster. I use mine here in Arkansas for the ton of pollen that gets on my car but I'll use it on the bike when I pull it out of the garage and it's awesome.