Hey everyone i was just shown a way to clean my bike and i would like to hear your opinions about it. I was at my MSF class and i was talking to a guy who had an R1. During our break he took out 2 micro fiber cloths and kept 1 dry and soaked the other. With the wet one he went over his bike with a gentle scrub then took the dry cloth and cleaned it up. He had 1500 miles on the bike and it finish looked fantastic. He claims to clean it every 3rd day he rides it. he said he never uses any detergent or polish or anything. Just a wet and dry micro fiber cloth. The only caution he gave me was that it will pull up stickers if you rub over the edges opposite the "grain" (you need to rub with the edges not against them...which might i add is hard with my tribal design).

Either way i gave my bike its first cleaning since i bought it with this micro fiber technique and it turned out awesome. Do you think this will eventually hurt my bike in any way? Plz give me any suggestions.. FYI these cloths are AWESOME for cleaning your helmets.

 

i wouldnt worry about peeling the decals. just apply the wax carefully and always use a microfiber to remove the wax. i have a 97 F3, granted i only have 5800 miles, but ill bet anyone my paint is in 100% perfect condition. i even wheeled out a scratch on the tank from my buckle with no probs. just dont apply the wax to hard. use a nice wax-on/wax-off motion and you will be fine. i fully detail my bike every 2 weeks, or if i happen to get caught in the rain.
do not use bath towels or any towels to apply/remove wax or washing your bike. this WILL!!!! scratch the paints surface. i detail high end cars for a living (12 yrs now). let me know if you need any tips or tricks to keeping your bike nice and shiney.

dave

here is a pic of my bike after a nice polish
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7-31-06003.jpg
look at the reflection of the paint.

 

Dave, what do you use to apply the wax, microfiber also. I've been using a terry cloth and wondered if the microfiber is better for the application. I agree on the removal too, microfiber towels are awesome for removing wax.

I use them to clean the helmet also, works awesome!

 

Wow dave.. ur bike has an aura..... thats tight... can u let me know which products you use? either in a PM or just post it up. Any common tips would be great. Do you clean the bike with soap and water then once its dry apply the wax? I know this sounds like an idiotic question to some but in my original post this guy "never" used soap ever!

thanks
Brandon

 

lowcash, i never polish/clean my bike without first washing it. if you try to clean it by wiping it off without washing you will scratch it. wash, dry, polish, then ride.

ok guys, here ya go. a detailed product list of what i do to get that shine. most of my products i use are commercial available only products. the reason is most people donty know how to use the product correctly and can/will F' something up by using it wrong.

soap--any car wash shampoo will do. dawn dish soap has a mild degreaser in it and will remove any wax previously applied. if your starting fresh (meaning you want to FULLY clean and detail the bike), i reccomend you use dawn or another degreasing agent to get all the road grime and previously applied wax off of the painted surfaces. if you use a seperate degreaser, dilute it in a spray bottle (50/50) and spray the entire bike down. let sit for a few minutes then rinse off. then re-rinse the bike and wash it. then dry with a quality chamois. (!!!make sure you cover up the important electricle iterms and dash cluster and chain!!!!)

wash mits--any wash mit will work. make sure you rinse out the mit before every use. make sure there is not trapped dirt or debries or it will scratch. NO SPONGES!!!! they scratch and remove waxes/polishes. plus it traps dirt in the sponge and you cant get the dirt out.

--any wax applicator will do. wal-mart, k-mart, or auto parts stores will have them. they are the round white ones usually about 2.99 for 3 of them.

microfibers--do not skimp out and buy cheap microfiber towels. only buy ones that have a SOFT stitched borders or no borders at all. if the have tags on the towel, remove the tag and all the stitching on the tag. this WILL scratch paint.

wax--i do not use waxes. waxes are ****!!! i preferr to use polishes and sealants. polishes will/may remove small surface scratches and scuffs. sealants seal the paint and give it a silky shiney finish and will NOT wash away or yellow like most waxes. both polish and sealant can be applied by hand with a wax applicator. alot of time and care must be used when using paint sealants and polishes. if you dont use enough product you will see streaks in the paint finish. no big deal, just apply another coat. i use 1 coat polish and 2 coats paint sealant. also, sealant will last about 1 yr vs. about 5 months a wax would last.
(NOTE!!! use a clean microfiber to remove the different polishes/sealants, dont mix them. and always wash microfibers together never with anything else and do not put in dryer or add fabric softener. this will damage the microfiber towel)

bath towels/kitchen towels---these WILL scratch the paint, dont use them.

metal polishes--- if you have any polished items (swingarms, rear-sets, ect.) i would reccomend using mothers metal polish. apply with a microfiber and remove with a different clean microfiber.

i also use the same sealant on my lid. always keeps it nice and shiney. + its easier to wipe the bugs off when its all polished up.

here are some pics of some products i use at work and on my bike.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...roducts001.jpg pics of microfiber towels, and polishing wheel (d/a sander)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...roducts003.jpg on the left is the sealant, on the right is the polish
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../shiney030.jpg this is a pic of my cars hood (its a 2002 elantra with 80,000 miles)

let me know if you have any more questions or want info on the products i use. i can get anything for you guys, just ask.

 

You rule thanks. I Have 427 miles on my bike (seems like its raining everyday) but im trying my best to keep it in tip top condition. I dont know if its just the sun reflecting off your bike, but honestly it looks hotter than I would think the day u got it off the showroom floor. Thanks for ur help. Ill get some pictures up here some day. I just cant get myself to take pictures with the fender on >_< so ugly

 

just remember this. nearly every polish has mild abrasives in it. i wouldnt use a polish every time you detail your bike. for your first real thurough cleaning/detail i would use a polish. then after that only use a polish to remove some scuffs (like on the rear fairings/tail. i hit mine with my boots. and i have white rear fairings/tail), or fine scratches that you might get. but always keep polish (or wax) on the painted finish. it will help keep the paint looking newer longer by putting a kinda "barrier" between the paint and the road/enviroment.

lowcash, im the 3rd owner of this bike bought her 2 months ago with 4200 miles on her and now i got 5800. shes never been down or dropped. ive torn her apart and found no evidence of any "bad doings". i also appraise cars at work as well as do lease inspections.

 

So you say never use wax. Ok fair enough.. Only use polish when you have slight surface scratches/scuffs or maybe once every 6 mos??? Whats the deal with sealants. How frequently do u use them? Other than that just a simple Auto wash and soft CLEAN micro fiber and wash mits?

sorry i kind of feel like im beating a dead horse but never in my life have i learned to properly care of the exterior of my vehicle(s) and i think its about time i start. I hope this thread helps out some others too

 

i personally dont like waxes. there are excellent waxes (carnuba..true carnuba anyways). i just prefer paint sealants. the last longer, they dont wash away easily like waxes, the feel, clarity and depth perception in paints ive only been able to get with sealants. however sealants are much harder to work with than waxes. sealants need to be applied evenly (no thin spots), let dry to a haze then buff off with a microfiber. the stuff i use looks grey when dried, but is green in color when wet.

3M has a great store bought paint system. pick up a bottle of the 3M paint cleaner and a bottle of the 3M final finish (paint sealant). this should work out well for you. do this only after a thurough washing. then if you really want to get a showroom shine, ill tell you what a "clay bar" is

btw: in the first pic is my d/a sander-polisher. do not use this on your bike, or dont EVER use it if your not familiar with it. it CAN andWILL burn your paint if your not careful.

 

Lol the only power tools im going to use are my elbows :O. Ok cool well u have helped alot. I am under the assumption that the paint cleaner is a polish. Basicly what i am wanting to do since my bike is brand friggin new is clean it from head to toe and put a solid coat of protection over it. Weather a specific type of wax or a sealant i really dont care. I just want what is best, so if my boots accidently hit the rear farings like u said (which happens on occasion) I have some room to work with so i dont damage the paint iteself.

Yes i know what a clay bar is. I dont think id like to use that with all the damn decals [:@]. If i can get a good coat of sealant or wax on my bike i doubt i will have much need to ever use polishes other than once every year or so from what i am gathering from you.