Cleaning and Waxing

H

HannahTheSwearBear

New member
I have a silly question. I have always used simple car wash and wax to clean my bikes and of course end up with the tell tale white wax crap in all the nooks and crannies of my fairings and the like. Pray tell, what do people use when they detail a bike to keep it free of any wax debris?
 
You can use the wax...just don't go all the way to the edges in those key areas and use microfiber towels etc to get into them when you do. Carnauba every so often, and a quick wax after every wash works out well for me. I use Meguiar's...not the ultra-best/expensive stuff but it's way up there and plenty for a bike especially one that will be treated right and cleaned often enough. They make a 3-step system, I clay it before I use that to make it a 4-step system. My bike is almost four years old and looks just about brand new, plenty of people comment on it. Quick refresher:
- Meguiars NXT line of wash, quick wax, clay and 3-step system
- Meguiars Quick Detailer for everything from bugs to tar, a nice touch-up
- Microfiber/terrycloth mitts, work your way down the bike
- Rougher mitts for cleaning swingarm/engine items etc
- Microfiber drying towels or chamois
- Compressed air before you dry to get water out of the allen heads etc
- Tilt bike and drain an open clutch if you have one
- Cover your steering nut before wetting the bike
- Wash everything after every wash
 
After washing mine for the first time after installing the open clutch, I learned to start it up before drying it. The clutch sprayed the whole side and I wound up drying it all over again!

I use a polish and a polymer finish (Blackfire) and you can tell from my pix that you can shave in my cars and bike. They're very easy to apply--microfibers all the way--and the shine lasts for months, especially with Meguiar's QD. I use clay on my cars but I didn't clay the bike because it's brand new.
 
I use Buffalo Milke. No white residue. Easy to apply. Very quick also. I hate spending time cleaning & waxing. This stuff cuts down the time and effort, and the results are great.
 
I like Meguiars cleaner wax for the paint, a spray cleaner/detailer like the
Honda spray for the rims and seat, Turtle wax F-21 plastic cleaner and UV block
for the mirror housing and other bits(for people with the black bikes that
have the flat black ABS belly pan, the F-21 works great with no streaking
or splotches like the spray cleaner/detailer can leave).

Caution: Turtle wax F-21 is very slippery, don't use it on the seat and be very careful not to get over spray on the tires!
 
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