Hey all,
I know it is preference but what way do u wash ur softail? Do you do the chrome before you do the tins? Vice versa? Last night in the garage I did the tins last with wax but this morning I can see some spots on the rear strut that needed some Mothers chrome re applied.
what say you?
Thx,
Tom

 

Start at top..and go to bottom..tins, engine exhaust and wheels.

 

You dont want to wash tins last...because your water has gotten gritty from all the stuff off the motor or wheels.

 

I change the water several times. I paint so I get a bunch if extra 5 gal buckets.

 

I don't wash my bikes. I use lemon pledge on the entire bike and wd40 on the spokes.

 

Bottom up. Do the dirtiest time consuming stuff first and not have to worry about dirt or water spots on drying tins. Give a final rinse then break out the blow dryer aka leaf blower.

 

Top to bottom. Dry with a metro blaster. Polish chrome after.

 

I normally wash the tins first with a good automotive washing solution and water. Never use dishwashing detergent to wash your bike. All it does is strip the wax off.

Then, I throw out the washing solution and start fresh with new solution on the chrome.

Dry everything off with a blower and/or chamois.

Mother's for chrome that needs polishing after cleaning.

Finally, wax for the tins if needed.

Between washings, I use Meguiar's #34 Final Inspection on the tins and chrome to remove fingerprints and light dust and grime (trick I learned from a used car salesman).

 

Yeah, what most of 'they' above said.

TOP to BOTTOM!

.

 

I'm going to do mine this weekend. I'll be picking up the super fluffly wool mitt and some megiuars wash solution from Autogeek.net. I already have Duragloss 105 and Megiuars Gold wax (not a cleaner). I'm going to need some chrome polish until I can phase all that out.

I'd recommend duragloss 105 to everyone on here. It's paint sealant and goes on like wax, but protects much longer, 6-9 months according to some. I used it on a black MKV Jetta GLI I own and after about 4 weeks to the next wash, the water beaded up just like it had been freshly waxed and the car looked cleaner than ever between washes. You have to make sure your paint is clean and dry with no water spots, or else you can seal the spots under the sealant. Don't ask me how I know.

I also piced up Sonax wheel cleaner from the same place. It's kind of expensive at $15 a bottle, but you can get a larger concentrate solution and mix your own, iirc. Best wheel cleaner I've ever used. I used it on the solid rear and the chrom spokes on my Deuce. To give you an idea, I was cleaning a wheel on a car and 15 minutes later, I finally managed to get it mostly clean and gave up on the other 4. After getting the Sonax, I sprayed them all and after spraying them down with the hose, the dirt that didn't rinse off wiped right off with a rag. Impressive to sax the least.

I also need to pick up a clay bar as it's a good idea to do that to remove the dirt and particles that are actually in your paint. Probably my next purchase with the mitt. It make seem like a lot to spend on two fenders and a tank, but I also end up using it on my car.

Edit: Also, the 2 bucket method of using one bucket for soap and one for rinsing the dirty contaminated water is the best way to avoid swirls along with a good auto soap. This is especially important for you guys with the black bikes. My dad got his new black Sportster home from the dealer and there were already several faint swirls in the paint. I'm going to wash it, seal it, and wax it for him and hopefully take care of that. Most dealers (car, bike, whatever) have no clue what they're doing when it comes to washing a vehicle. In fact, a guy on a detailing site said a dealer told him not to wax his car for at least 6 months so the paint had time to cure and harden...WTF?!