Best practices for cleaning and protecting black bike
Hello, I have a 2019 road king special in vivid black. So pretty much everything is black, paint exhaust, and engine.
Just got caught in the rain haha
Can somone point me towards some good threads or info about cleaning and protecting these parts?
Ive read on other places that some people don't actually wash the bike very often with water. They use other procuts to just wipe it down for day to day maintenance.
I've heard a cheap small leaf blower for drying if you do actually use water since the drying with a microfiber cloth can cause swirls.
I had someone tell me that there is a special protective clear coat that can be applied by special shops.
Also, what would be the best for protection. I think most people have seen the big marketing campaign for this F11 product but I've also seen tests that show the standard wax is still the best.
I wash my vivid black, 2007, RKC, with just water. No soap product. However, on the wheels, dawn dishwater soap works well. There are wheel sprays you could try as well. Turtle Wax has the NITRO wheel cleaner and has good results. I have an air compressor to blow out the water in the hard to reach areas. A lot of guys use the leaf blower for this task. And then just dry it down with a cloth.
Carnauba wax on the paint job. In between waxes, there are several, for black only detail sprays that keeps the bike with a nice shine. It also removes any lingering water spots.
Windex for the chrome. For small scratches, try a soft compound.
Leather cleaner and conditioner for the seats, back rest and saddle bags.
O'reilly's and Autozone have these products.
Do a search...there are/were several threads about cleaning and polishing. I just got set up with Griot's products (wash, wax, prep, conditioner, polisher) for both bike and van. I believe in using a gentle car wash soap along with a made for washing mitt/rag. I use a leaf blower to blow the water off. I would not use an air hose as the volume of air coming out is concentrated and may just blow water someplace you would not want it. I usually wash twice and wax. That is I try to wax the bike every two or three wash jobs. Not because I'm **** about cleaning, just retired and gives me something to do.
There are many products out there for cleaning and polishing your bike. I used to use Maguires products and have been, and am, satisfied with their products. Many auto products out there. Do some reading. Do some searches. Griot's has a nice website. Maguires does as well. There are many options out there.
Personally I believe you need to wash with a car wash type soap product. You should do a good cleaning and prep with a conditioner/pre-wax, etc. Use a good quality wax and polish. I waxed mine three days in a row, once each day, and it seems to be extremely slick and cleans easily. Again, i'm not **** about cleaning, I just have a lot of time available..... plus it's been raining like hell around here!!!
Good luck...
I have a vivid black 18 ultra. I've been using polymer based products. Maguire's and bugslide. I try not to wash it much, I have wellwater so that spots it pretty good.
Bugs to the front and dirt to the back. One thing about it, you get caught in a hard rain, it'll beat the bugs off but leave a dirt trail to the rear of the bike.
I guess I could add a dishwasher rinse agent that might help the spots.
I basically clean mine when I put it away for winter, then when I pull it out for spring9gets dusty in the garage) then dont clean it much at all all season. My riding bds are always on me for how dirty the bikes are. I figure resale value is so low, when I get rid of them, they will need full rsotooration. A cheapskate wont get a nice used bike from me...
I have had many new vehicles in my life and one thing I learned, you will NEVER be able to keep from getting micro scratches, road rash, and dings..you just groan and deal with it...hopefully like an adult. Also, our MUD water will spot and it is a **** to clean off so when you wash, you wash in the shade and blow it off and wipe down fast.
My Vivid Black 2003 Ultra had been stored in a shed and looked pretty rough when I got it. I washed it with warm water with a little Dawn, blew it off with shop air and wiped it down with a terry towel, and followed up with Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound then Turtle Wax polish. I used Mother's Metal Polish on the bare metal and Turtle Wax chrome polish on the chrome. I was pleasantly surprised at the good condition of the paint hiding under all that dust and mud and it really made it snap back to life. I wash it when it needs it with warm water with Dawn and follow up with Maguire's Detailing spray and microfiber towels.
Always heard NOT to used dishwashing soap due to the fact that it strips off the wax coat. I guess if your plan is to wax every time that’s ok, but I only wax once a year so I use car washing soap.
I have had many new vehicles in my life and one thing I learned, you will NEVER be able to keep from getting micro scratches, road rash, and dings..you just groan and deal with it...hopefully like an adult. Also, our MUD water will spot and it is a **** to clean off so when you wash, you wash in the shade and blow it off and wipe down fast.
My Vivid Black 2003 Ultra had been stored in a shed and looked pretty rough when I got it. I washed it with warm water with a little Dawn, blew it off with shop air and wiped it down with a terry towel, and followed up with Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound then Turtle Wax polish. I used Mother's Metal Polish on the bare metal and Turtle Wax chrome polish on the chrome. I was pleasantly surprised at the good condition of the paint hiding under all that dust and mud and it really made it snap back to life. I wash it when it needs it with warm water with Dawn and follow up with Maguire's Detailing spray and microfiber towels.
I told my one buddy the only way to avoid the scratches,dings is to "not ride it"...and what fun is that? you figure if the bike is moving through the air /atmosphere at Highway speeds, something is happening to the paint, even at a microscopic level. Get caught iin the rain a couple of times?..eh ya know...yes, clean them, but dont spend more time polishing than riding IMO...
Always heard NOT to used dishwashing soap due to the fact that it strips off the wax coat. I guess if your plan is to wax every time that’s ok, but I only wax once a year so I use car washing soap.
I have heard comments like this over the years but using a mild dish detergent solution for washing airplanes is very popular in the general aviation community, and have been using a mild solution of warm water and Dawn for decades without any problems, so I guess it depends on the dish washing soap and how much you use...Also, I always follow up with Maguire's after every wash.
06-23-2019, 04:24 PM
Best practices for cleaning and protecting black bike
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