Best Way to Clean and Polish Your Dragon

[oldthrower50]

Sorry, I didn't search first, but I'm just using my phone.  And that makes it cumbersome


My valk is a little dusty, spotty and the chrome is not so shiny



What do you do to put some shine on the old girl?

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

What do you do to put some shine on the old girl?

Wash it 

[Oss]

what is this cleaning of which you speak?

dont you know that dirt and mud protects your machine?

seriously,   If I am gonna clean it I just use dawn diluted in water then a mothers clean wax and the carnuba

I have never used a pressure washer on the bike   great pic joe

[old2soon]

The CHEAPEST on sale dish washing liquid soap I can find-most generally found at my local Dollar General. Rinse with fresh water-chamois dry shine her up with Turtle Wax Liquid Ice I believe it's called. When the windshield and the pods start to look like Velcro on my I/S a soft towel soaked in the wash water and applied to the affected areas for awhile to help loosen the bugs up makes cleaning them up LOTS easier.  And they to get some of that turtle Wax. RIDE SAFE.

[tank_post142]

ride it to the next rally and pay the girls to wash it.

[Former BMW Guy]

What do you do to put some shine on the old girl?

Wash it 

Isn't that what rain is for?


JP

[cookiedough]

very warm water (almost hot) and an old sock turned inside out 100% cotton and lightly use the cheapest gallon jug of car wash detergent rub lightly not too much water.  I do each section at a time tank then dry with chamois cloth rub lightly.  Then do sides and dry, then trunk and fenders and front fairing, dry. and save the chrome for 2nd to last then the bugs on windshield last.  By the time I am done washing,  my clean water in a bucket looks almost black, very disgusting almost thinking it takes the black paint off it is so dark and dirty, but then again I don't wash but once every few months.  Right now it is a layer of dust and the windshield is all bugs, yuck!

for whatever reason, the black magic wax I bought on sale cheap doesn't dry too well and collects dust terribly on the black paint very quickly like in a matter of 1-2 weeks uncovered the Valk is dusty all over again.   

A good washing by hand of course though does wonders even without waxing. 

[john]

                                elbow grease                       

[Lawdog]

I am still trying to talk Theboss into washing it I am not holding my breath.

[HayHauler]

I am still trying to talk Theboss into washing it I am not holding my breath.

Lemme know how that works out for ya LD. 

Jimmyt

[BF]

The best way to clean any bike is like this.......

Lady In Black Bikini Washing Honda CBR 929RR Motorcycle

Lady In Black Bikini Washing Honda CBR 929RR Motorcycle

Bikini Bike Wash At Bikeweek In Daytona

Bikini Bike Wash At Bikeweek At Bikeweek Daytona

[Lawdog]

I am still trying to talk Theboss into washing it I am not holding my breath.

Lemme know how that works out for ya LD. 

Jimmyt

3 weeks and still can not get her to do it thanking I will haft to. The only thing she says when I ask her is that I can wash her car when I wash the bike. 

[~ Timbrwolf]

....when i first bought my State, back in 2001 I started *experimenting* with different car washes and waxes. Id use any carwash that had carnuba wax in it, and then cover the bike with actual carnuba wax. This was tedious as hell, because waxing ANY bike its hard to get all that dried wax off.


Then I discovered .. Armorall "Ultra Shine" car wash....this stuff is incredible by itself and you
dont need to go any further. But I also use Mothers "Detailing Spray" on all my chrome. You wont
believe how this stuff will make your chrome literally gleam. I pulled into a 7-11 once to get something and some guy standing outside drinking a soda starts going off about...Man...how did you get your
chrome so shiny ?!?!?!?. ..Ive never seen chrome gleam like that !!!


So thats what I use, its a LOT easier then messing around with any kind of wax whether liquid or paste, because you dont have to deal with drying on all those tight little nooks and crannies.  

[cookiedough]

good to know timberwolf armor all ultra shine car wash.  I will look out for it next time in local dept. store since will be out shortly my 1 gallon jug of basic car wash after 4-5 years now.

Also,  I find for removing chromed rust spots that cheap old 1-2 dollar bottle of turtle wax chrome polish works wonders as long as you go over all the chrome on the bike first and let sit so it hardens up some before you remove.  Those little round rust spots with some medium rubbing come off pretty good on the pipes and also say like on my show chrome luggage rack. 

To remove grunge/road grime after washing my rims,  I have been known to use 0000 steel wool with soft scrub no scratch gel.   It works pretty good at removing those spots that won't come off with washing or waxing with a soft cotton towel/rag. 

[Hooter]

I rarely wash my bike, (I use Pledge and micro fiber a bunch) maybe twice a year unless something comes up like I have been down wet dirt roads.
I have found a wax called Zymol that beats anything I have used in the past. Won't use anything else again. Cleaner / wax and makes anything shine like a diamond in a goats ass! In the fall when I'm really going after it to put it away, cleaning takes about 2 hours and I wash with Joy and wax the bike. 

[Hook#3287]

Unless I'm caught in a rain storm, I only "wash" my bikes 2-3 times a season.

When I wash, I use "dawn" dish soap, then I use my back pack blower to push all the water off.  Before I had a back pack, I used my electric leaf blower.

Using the blower cuts down on water spots by at least 95%.

To clean in between washes, I use a feather duster to get the dust off, then "Lemon Pledge" on everything.  Paint, chrome & windscreen.  I use the "Wax on, Wax off" method.  Two rags, one for applying, one for polishing.

Seems to work for me and I've been doing it that way for 13 yrs.

Also of note, every seasonal down time, which can run from Oct to March around here, I disassemble much of my bikes and clean and polish or paint the pieces that can't be reached during the riding season.  I've re-painted the underside of my fenders and my swingarms a number of times, which maybe over kill, but it makes my feel good.

[salty1]

A lot of dish soaps have ammonia in them that will strip your existing wax off. FWIW

[BonS]

S-100. I've been using it for a couple of decades. Spray it on a cold bike, spray it on everything you want to clean, and hose off. It reaches places that soap and water can't. I use a blower to get the bulk of the water off the bike and then towel dry. I buy it by the refill gallon and it lasts for 5-10 years.

I also keep my bike lift handy and raise the bike for every wash at home. It's great to be able to spin the wheels to get them clean and dry. I can sit on my shop stool and detail at a comfortable height.

A note about liquid dish washing soaps. They formulated to cut grease, and oil, and WAX. They strip wax so well they're used to prep cars for painting.

My favorite "wax" is Rejex. It's a polymer that is super easy to apply and seems to last forever. I works on everything: chrome, plastic, paint, exhaust and windshield. I love that there's no dusting when wiping it off. http://www.rejex.com/rejex.html

[cookiedough]

I rarely wash my bike, (I use Pledge and micro fiber a bunch) maybe twice a year unless something comes up like I have been down wet dirt roads.
I have found a wax called Zymol that beats anything I have used in the past. Won't use anything else again. Cleaner / wax and makes anything shine like a diamond in a goats ass! In the fall when I'm really going after it to put it away, cleaning takes about 2 hours and I wash with Joy and wax the bike. 

Zymol is easy to take on and off and if you read directions, it is best not to let it sit too long and harden.  It works best to put on and take off without letting it sit too long.  It does work pretty good.  I made the mistake once of doing my whole pickup with Zymol wax and then try taking off and was a pain to try to remove.  Best to do the hood, wipe off, then one side, wipe off, then top, wipe off.

[oldthrower50]

I planned on using the "Bikini Car Wash" approach..but did you know that Victoria's Secret has rules against bikes in their stores, and no available water spigot?

So, I am going to try Timberwolf's suggestion

This may sound like a statement from a 70's TV commercial, but I get streaking with Pledge.
I use it, and it seems to work...but its not as clean and shiny as I would like

...as a bonus question...How do I get bugs off my visor?  I always seem to miss one (I rinse with water after a particularly buggy ride) and water doesn't seem to deal with dried splatter

[BonS]

Joe's Juice or hydrogen peroxide both work well to soften dried bug juice - as does S-100.

[DIGGER]

Honda Spray Wax.     Spray iton and wipe it off

[BonS]

Honda Spray Wax.     Spray it on and wipe it off

I love that stuff as well.

[OzarkRider]

While the detergents in dish soap do a great job cleaning the car (and the leftover casserole left in your baking dish), they also remove much more than just the dirt from the surface. The detergents break down the wax, stripping it away and leaving your paint dull and unprotected.

Good car wash soap will not contain any detergents and will be rich in lubricants (which safely lubricate the dirt, allowing it to glide from the vehicles paint). A "feel test" you can use to test your car wash is to put a small amount of it between your finger and thumb and rub it back and forth. You will notice that better car washes will be much more slippery. Lesser ones may contain detergents to "help" clean the car (since the lubricants aren't there), so make sure you check that before buying.

[solo1]

I only use one product now.............Rejex  A polymer protective coating used on planes.  The best that I've ever used.

Look it up.

[BonS]

I only use one product now.............Jetex.  A polymer protective coating used on planes.  The best that I've ever used.

Look it up.

Are you referring to Rejex? I couldn't find anything called Jetex. And I love Rejex! It's used in aviation as well.

[solo1]

I only use one product now.............Jetex.  A polymer protective coating used on planes.  The best that I've ever used.

Look it up.

Are you referring to Rejex? I couldn't find anything called Jetex. And I love Rejex! It's used in aviation as well.

Good catch, my mistake, I've corrected it.   i don't push Rejex because most won't believe that it's better than what they're using.

[VALKIFIED]

Honda Spray Wax.     Spray iton and wipe it off

Man, I just bought a can of that.....LOVE it

[oxfordhog]

Rejex is good stuff.     I use it on my three bikes.

[Hooter]

I rarely wash my bike, (I use Pledge and micro fiber a bunch) maybe twice a year unless something comes up like I have been down wet dirt roads.
I have found a wax called Zymol that beats anything I have used in the past. Won't use anything else again. Cleaner / wax and makes anything shine like a diamond in a goats ass! In the fall when I'm really going after it to put it away, cleaning takes about 2 hours and I wash with Joy and wax the bike. 

Zymol is easy to take on and off and if you read directions, it is best not to let it sit too long and harden.  It works best to put on and take off without letting it sit too long.  It does work pretty good.  I made the mistake once of doing my whole pickup with Zymol wax and then try taking off and was a pain to try to remove.  Best to do the hood, wipe off, then one side, wipe off, then top, wipe off.

I agree. I never waited too long. Let it haze over and off it comes. Great for dull finish and minor scratches. You really did the whole pickup then tried to take it off? Not so good is it? Even with any other wax that can be a chore.

[saddlesore]

I used to use dish soaps also till I found out it striped wax off.  I switched to shampoo.  A big bottle of the cheapest stuff.
I use a leaf blower to dry the bike too.  A lot cheaper than a blow dryer for motorcycles.