It's kind of odd that the issue of wax should come up so soon after I had a conversation with a professional bike detailer this last Monday. She and I both agree that leaving the wax unpolished for an extended time is a poor idea. I've seen that on bikes that I have brought back to life after extended storage and run in problems because of it. One thing that will happen is that some of the wax deposited in the cracks, small scratches and seams is sometimes next to impossible to remove, even with solvents and a brush. I would recomend polishing the wax before storage.

 

Im sure it depends on the wax you use, and I am sure with the wrong kind and the wrong application you could have issues removing it.

That being said I used turtle wax last year, did 3 coats of it, and when I wiped it away my fairings were mirror-like (notice the reflection of the rocks). This pic was taken with a ****ty camera phone too.

 

To my way of thinking the white deposit left before polishing is residue so then what would be the benifit of not polishing? The wax is what gives the surface protection so I can't see what not polishing would do to ad protection. I use Kit Wax it's a carnauba and works very well and lasts quite a while. I'm not trying to be argumentative just wondering. That no polish theory has been around since I've been riding some fifty plus years and I've never heard a good reason to leave the wax unpolished.

 

Is your bike more glossy then mine?

 

Well if you are out by the Sea Coast and I am ........ leaving wax unbuffed might not be
a wonderful idea with salty air we have ........ but that's just where I am

I use the Honda Proline spray polish ......... spray on buff off ...........


Not saying Kaz is wrong or right ........ just depends on your storing environment
in my opinion

 

It's not a matter of shiney it's that over time the residue gets harder and harder to polish away but I'd have to ask again what is the benifit of not polishing? Having said that, the more heat the wax is exposed to makes it harder to polish that being the reason all wax manufacturers recomend waxing in the shade. Nice bike by the way. I like it in red.

 

the way i was thought in school, if you rub the wax off of the car or bike, it rubs into the paint leaving protective coating that protects against a lot of different things. if its not rubbed off, i could not tell what protection it is giving(possibly the same since its on there). but what is the reason for leaving it on there????

depending on what wax you use and what technike to rub it it in, i can make any bike shine like that ( it has to be done the proper way)

ill take that back, some paints are just beyond fixible to make it shine....lol but yeah, you can make anything shine like a mirror.


the big question still remains: what is the reason of doing that

thats what people are wondering about not discussing if its right or wrong. you also have to come to understanding that if you heard it from someone that its the proper way to store, might not be the best argument. should call the wax company and ask them if it is ok to do so and not damage your clear coat over time.



+1 on the Honda Proline spray polish

 

Winter came here too... This was the first day of this fall when the temperature did not rise above 0c at all, but was actually closer to -5c. Now it's around -10. Should propably take some time one day to take care of my bike too. I just pushed it in the warmed side of the carage and left it there. Had to block the entrance too cause I had to make room for the car. I just don't seem to find the time to take proper care for it cause its pretty crazy at work right now. Since its in a warm space i dont see harm in doing the maintenance a little late? Pulling the battery seems reasonable enough to go and do someday. Wich would be better in your opinion, draining old oil and leaving it empty, or keeping it in until I can afford new oils. Dont want to buy any service station crap...

that leaving the wax unpolished thing did raise my eyebrow too... Can't figure anything good that it could possibly do, but the opposite: if u let it sit uncovered and unpolished in a concrete floored carage, it will over time get a thin coating of concrete and sand dust over it. When you polish it, you are basically rubbing sand over and into the wax thus severely scraping your paintwork...

 

And kaz, that's a killer pic. Like the colors, like the shine. Beautiful bike all and all.

 

Usually instead of buffing the wax off, when spring comes the first thing I do is wash it. Maybe that's why I never ran into any issues?

I like this "debate", it's bringing up things I may not have thought about before. Although I have had goodluck so far maybe I just got lucky? Maybe it is how I stored it?

I kept my bike over the winter in a climate controlled storage facility. When spring came instead of buffing it I washed it first thing. Maybe if I buffed it I could have had bad results?
Maybe the combination of not buffing it in the winter, and washing it first thing in the spring gave a nice glossy finish? It got rid of any swirl marked previously on there... I took the pic because I couldn't believe how shiny it was after I dried it.

And thanks for the compliments...