- Mon Sep 26, 2016 8:40 am
#62686
A motorbike is generally too intricate to get a dual-action (DA) polisher into it. A polishing buff on a Dremel may work. I use a "Sonic Scrubber" (basically a big electric toothbrush) to get dirt off tricky corners but it can scratch. Aluminium goes grey as it oxidises and micro-scratches will accelerate the process. Steel wool no matter how fine will put little scratches into aluminium, the polish needs to be much finer to get a high gloss. Jewellers Rouge works but is incredibly messy, best suited to jewellery.
Where aluminium (or paint) has been highly polished it is best treated with a sealant or wax. Car paint sealants (resin) work on paint, Rim Wax seems to work well on metals. They keep air away from the surface. Solvol contains an oil for this purpose but the paste is fairly coarse.; Autosol has its uses, it will remove stubborn marks.
My brother in law had a one man business valeting cars, so we restored a few cars to concours condition with professional products and equipment. Polishing up a car is far easier than a bike. The ultra-fine Black Max I mentioned before contains no silicones (so one can spray-paint directly over it), so it has to be sealed with e.g. Britemax Extreme Elements (resin) before waxing with carnauba. I clayed the paint on the bike from new, DA-machined it (where it would reach), sealed it and treated it it with Autoglym High Definition wax. Shiny but the main purpose is to make the paint low-maintenance. The paint on the RE is not particularly thick, it will not take many repeat polishes before one goes through the clear coat.
I spend very little time cleaning the bike. I think I've washed it once. Dirt generally wipes off the wax, a little Meguiar's Quik Detailer spray can help. It's the time of year when local farmers spread muck on the roads ...
