Bike care (exterior maintenance)

[rhema83]

Detailing is basically making your vehicle (car, bike, truck, whatever) clean and shiny like new, and protecting it from the elements. Most drivers in Singapore are lazy, so the poor ones simply wash and the rich ones go to detailing shops. Bikers are treating their bikes with even less care, washing only occasionally. Only a select few passionate car and bike enthusiasts detail their own rides.

 

But the fact is, it is perfectly DIY-able, so why pay other people to do something you can do? Plus it is so satisfying to make your ride shiny and reflective.

 

Here are the questions:

 

1) Poll: How much exterior maintenance do you do on your bike (DIY or pay someone to do it, doesn't matter)

 

2) If you DIY, what products (which bike shampoo, sponge or towel, etc) do you use?

 

3) If you go to a car wash / bike wash, how much do you pay and where do you go?

 

4) How satisfied are you with the your / the shop's work quality?

[rhema83]

Okay, I'll give an example using myself...

 

Poll: All the way *bling bling*

 

I DIY, so here are the stuff I use, in order of usage. It's the same for my car and my bike.

 

1) Turtle Wax Zip Wax car wash, Meguiars Deep Pile Chenille wash mitt (to wash), Aion plas chamois (to dry)

2) Meguiars Quik Clay (if I need to remove stubborn surface deposits), Meguiars Ultra Plush Super Terry cotton buffing cloth (to remove residue)

3) Meguiars ScratchX polishing compound (if I need to remove scratches), Meguiars Duo-Fiber Glass polishing cloth

4) Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish, Meguairs Supreme Shine microfiber buffing cloth

5) Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell liquid wax, Meguiars Even-coat microfiber applicator, Meguairs Supreme Shine microfiber buffing cloth

 

I am happy but I want them shinier. Yeah I know I use too many name brand stuff and probably could have found equal quality stuff for less money, but I am not taking any chances with the clearcoat finishes on my car and bike.

[faris]

Diy

 

my off day usually goes like this...

 

afternoon go jb for bike wash. went home. polish fuel tank and fairing with turtle wax polishing compound and after that with turtle wax scratch remover. for the chrome parts of my bike i use a hand drill fitted with a buffing pad and buss those easy place to shine like my engine block head, swing arm and rims. and the others i usually use newspaper. i tried many polishing chemical like eagle one metal polish, turtle wax metal polish, autosol, 3m metal polish but none of these can compete with meguiars nxt generation all metal polish!

 

list:

1. wash at jb

2. turtle wax + turtle wax scratch remover

3. mr clean wax on and wax off cloth.

4. mequiars all metal polish

5. news paper.

6. normal cloth.

7. buffing hand drill

[faris]

btw rhema83 u ride rxz last time? just wanna ask where u bought all your stuff? i used to buy at homefix but i switch to stanford tyres at loyang. lots of stuff u can choose from and its about 2 to 3 dollars cheaper than homefix!!!

[rhema83]

Yeah, I rode RXZ as my first bike, but it gave me too many problems, so I sold it.

 

I am currently located in US so I order everything online. I am not too sure where to buy these things in Singapore. I will bring back some to use on my CBR in Singapore, though. Meguiars stuff is good but quite expensive, but you don't want to save a few dollars and screw up your car's or bike's paint.

[ChesterS]

My back tyre gets really dirty, any suggestions to remove the black patches?

[Navdeep86]

i dun mind doing this

 

Bling bling* (wash + clay + polish + glaze + wax + etc.)

 

but where to get the product whats clay n glaze ??

 

whats the different with polish n wax ???

 

thanks

[moreira88]

My back tyre gets really dirty, any suggestions to remove the black patches?

 

same.. i have that same problem as well...

[d3an_cain]

where 2 get the meguiars metal polish? saw turtlewax chrome polish.. any 1 tried b4?

 

http://www.turtlewax.com/img/products/pop_2_1_4_12_1.jpg

[d3an_cain]

any 1?? can't find meguiars metal polish @ car4

[.Hack]

For dirty rims can try using those rim cleans for cars. Free some on your rims and then use a brush to scrub. Raise off.

[EvilGixxer]

For very stubborn stains on your rims u mite wanna try WD40 on the rims first. Spray the rims, give it a minute to disolve the stains, and rinse with water. Then use a sponge or cloth and scrub with soapy water. Rinse with water again and you will find that your rims will be clear of those tough stains!

[.Hack]

For very stubborn stains on your rims u mite wanna try WD40 on the rims first. Spray the rims, give it a minute to disolve the stains, and rinse with water. Then use a sponge or cloth and scrub with soapy water. Rinse with water again and you will find that your rims will be clear of those tough stains!

 

That's a good tip but must make sure not to spray on the brake calipers.

[d3an_cain]

brake calippers can spray..provided u take out the brake pads..

some 1 post a video on how to clean bike on youtube b4..

do a search..

upsz.

[vtec88]

use diesel to remove STUBBORN stain then wash with shampoo....if not will be oily

[FinG]

5 hour of washing bike it is normal?

[apitBIOL]

5 hour of washing bike it is normal?

 

thats cool. i wash bike 30mins only.

[.Hack]

5 hour of washing bike it is normal?

 

5hrs you give your bike a very thorough cleanup is it?

 

For me:

Wash bike (30mins)

Wax bike (30mins)

Clean rims (30mins)

Clean chain/sprockets (30mins)

 

Total around 2hrs if i were to clean my bike damn thoroughly.

If not a weekly bike wash will do for me.

[MERCENARY]

As for me:

Polyglaze waterless wash

Autoglym Ultra deep shine

Autoglym Extra gloss protection

Maxima high gloss SC-1

Stp son of a gun Protectant

Brasso

Autosol

GT 85

Autoglym high tech finishing cloth

No wet waterless(ASIA)

Amour all extreme tyre shine

Autoglym super resin polish

Degreaser

[.Hack]

As for me:

Polyglaze waterless wash

Autoglym Ultra deep shine

Autoglym Extra gloss protection

Maxima high gloss SC-1

Stp son of a gun Protectant

Brasso

Autosol

GT 85

Autoglym high tech finishing cloth

No wet waterless(ASIA)

Amour all extreme tyre shine

Autoglym super resin polish

Degreaser

 

Wow.. How long you take man??

[normanlai]

hey guys, would like some advice.

 

I bought brasso today coz i read that it makes your chrome/metal parts shine. Well it did, its shining well, but i realise brasso also introduced many many surface scratches, and my surfaces are in pretty bad shape, but shiny. I've discarded the brasso, sticking to turtlewax. I would like to know if there's anything like a paintworks restorer, that can restore chrome, fill up the scratches, etc etc. I'm gonna respray soon, but i doubt i can afford to rechrome all the shiny parts.

 

Most of the affected parts are chromed parts. In fact, i think the whole bike is chromed isn't it.

 

TA200.

 

thanks in advance.

[kguanz]

Hi guys,

 

my paintwork got really some stubborn brown stain.. dunno is it oil kena too long then like that or not.. anyone have any recommendation what to use to remove those stain?

 

Thanks

[Guest stages]

As for me , LAst time i use to WASh & WAX... NOw lazy already so now just Wash , Oil my engine & Lube my chain only... I wash at least 2 time a week.

[Guest stages]

friend can try ==> Meguiars Quik Clay ... Hope it might help

[patrick1131]

you guys damn hardworking ....

i am very lazy to wash it myself,

if go jb wash i scare they use the chemical to wash rims will corrode my x-ring rubber...very jislat