Motorcycle Detail ~ Any Adivise?

S

slowride66

SLOWRIDE "take it easy"
Motorcycle Detail ~ Any Advise?

Howdy Folks!

Well I could be a gluten for punishment or not I took on a Harley next week.

I have only done maybe 2 bikes in my life ,this one the paint looks OK but the bright work is lacking.

The Customer is allowing me use of his bike lift so that will make my back a lot happier @ the end of the day .

I have to go get a few tubes of FLITZ .

All new Micro Fiber Rags

A Lot of Q tips & Round & Square make up pads.

So In my older age I am learning its not so bad to ask for help & advise.
Any words of wisdom & or experience that you would care to pass along I will gladly accept.

I will try to dig up pictures of the other bike I did.

A $100,000 custom chopper.

It is a sick bike, it has a 600CFM Holly 4 barrel & a Super Charger!:drool:{ Same Customer}


SR66:bigups
 
Check out the bike I did.

Full list there.

Just posted it.

Hope that helps. Any other questions just ask and I'll respond in this thread.
 
Re: Motorcycle Detail ~ Any Advise?

slowride66 said:
Well I could be a gluten for punishment or not I took on a Harley next week.
Click to expand...

If it's Vivid Black you're in for some fun! Softest, most miserable clear I've ever encountered. :( What model bike? If it's a bagger the fiberglass polishes up nice, the tank or other metal parts are a PITA. Often very difficult to finish mar-free with a finishing polish. I've gotten much better finishes with M105/LC orange than anything else. Can't get M205 to finish without micro-marring no matter what pad or technique I use.

If you're dealing with cast wheels the S100 Polishing Soap at H-D dealers (relabeled P21S) works better and easier on cruddy rear wheels than anything I've tried. Meg's Mag & Aluminum Polish works better on 'em than Flitz. If you're dealing with wire spokes make sure they're chrome before you start polishing 'em... if they're not the optional chrome they're cadmium coated and aggressive polishing will remove the coating. If the cadmium has lost it's luster it ain't coming back. No way, no how.

If you happen to use S100 Cycle Wash or P21S TAW (pretty much the same thing) dilute and DON'T leave it on polished aluminum or you'll be sorry. The fork legs are clear coated (unless they're chrome), don't waste your time polishing.

Pig Spit or S100 Engine Brightener works great on wrinkle black engine and tranny cases. A normal ONR wash on grips and hand controls, footboards/pegs, brake pedal and tires darkens 'em up nice and clean as you DON'T want any dressings on tires or hand or foot controls. No polish on rotors, SOS cleans 'em up nice... wash off any residue with soap and water.

If you tie down to the lift (and I recommend you do!) instead of attaching to the lift anchors run a single tiedown between the jugs and around the lifting portion of the lift. Keeps it steady and you don't have 4 straps to try and work around. Lift just enough to keep the bike upright until you get to the wheels... then lift just high enough that the wheels spin.

If you're unfamiliar have the owner remove the seat, saddlebags or anything else that has to come off. If the bags are fiberglass sit them on something padded... scratched saddlebag bottoms suck.

Be careful with water around electricals. If the sidecovers come off and you clean around the ECM, fuse boxes etc use a damp rag, Q-tips, swabs etc.

Save your plushest, softest MF for the finish wipe, use a high lubricity QD, Last Touch or Final Inspection etc... especially on Vivid Black. If you don't you're going to puke when you get it in the sunlight. :wall

TL
 
Get a set of these if you have time. SLICK STIXXX I use them for everything from interior detailing to engine detailing to motorcycles. They are unbelievably useful tools. Other than that I would just use what you normally use. I don't have any specific products for motorcycle detailing that I wouldn't expect to use on a car. Bring more chrome polish than you would bring for a car, but they aren't really that complicated. :) Good luck!
 
As far as the pictures I think I need to have @ least 20 posts with vBulliten before it will upload its a anti spamming device.

SR66:bigups
 
Re: Motorcycle Detail ~ Any Advise?

So bear with me as I bump my count up .

I have to say due to my ignorance & not being fully involved in detailing full time in the past I am not familiar with all of these great looking products.

Keep in mind when I started detaing people would say "OH ! so you do pin-striping?":hmmm:

Back in the prior millennium {no joke} we did not have a lot of choices.

The basics were
a variety of compounds, a few waxes like a cleaning wax a hard wax & a if you were lucky you could get the same product either hard paste , soft paste or liquid.
 
Re: Motorcycle Detail ~ Any Advise?

So I am not familiar with this new stuff .

I agree sometimes its all the same stuff.

I have a variety of detailing tools some home made.

Like the custom chopper I took one of those mechanics "Mr. grabby fingers" { that tool that you push down the button on one end & 4 metal finger come out the other end of a flexible shaft}

Well I took some marine electrical shrink wrap & stuck it to it so that I can put Q tips & cotton pads on it & reach into areas my fingers just wont go.

It has been a invaluable Friend.

So if you guys & gals could {until I catch up with the times}

Spell out the products, Procedures & tools you are talking about {Abbreviating} I will greatly appreciate it.



SR66:bigups
 
Now THAT is a slick looking bike!

slowridespictures2005.jpg
 
I still am having trouble loading pictures directly to site & I left my camera @ his shop.

Wait untill you see where they mounted the Nitrous Bottle!.





SR66:bigups
 
I dumped all my temporary internet files everything cookies & so forth & set it so it cleans out the browser everytime it shuts down

Still no uploads.:wall



SR66:bigups
 
slowride66 said:
UM does that mean it came out so good you are speachless?

:D



SR:bigups66
Click to expand...

I think he;'s demonstrating how to post pics. If you hover your mouse over the Photobucket thumbnails then copy the Img Code this is what you get when you paste it in a post.

DSCF8072.jpg


Nice work, it's hard to show it on a blacked out bike though. Cadimium spokes, huh? No way to get 'em to sparkle. I can't believe H-D makes chrome spokes an option.

I've been looking for a way to polish up those aluminum rocker covers without removing the tank. With the right tool you can get 'em almost as shiney as chrome. I can get a Dremel just about anywhere I need to but the mini 1/8" shank buffs for a Dremel just aren't big enough. There's a ton of 1/4" shank buffs available but I can't get a die grinder into tight spots. As popular as Dremels are I can't believe nobody's come up with an adapter to increase to a 1/4" shank tool with 'em. If they have I haven't found it yet. :wall

TL
 
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