Clearing up these swirls from a motorcycle..

[Agent 99]

How can I get rid of these swirls on my motorcycle? I think this is tricky because it has both metal and plastic surfaces, with the same damage.

Would I need to use 2 different products? I do have a DA.

Thanks





I don't know why my pictures are always upside down!

[ffboy]

Re: Clearing up these swirls from a motorcycle..

Paints have different hardness/softness, and may respond differently to what we might expect. SwirlX/M205 or Ultimate Polish, I'd start with the least aggressive product. You can DA Buffer bigger areas, for tight spaces, I'd hand buff using foam applicators. I'd try at least 2 passes with those products first, if the swirls remain after a couple of passes, then I'd jump to Ultimate Compound follow it up with M205 or Ultimate Polish, then wax. Seal it up with Ultimate Wax or if you prefer, Gold Class or M26 Hi Tech Yellow wax.

Plastic parts, like paint, have different hardness. I'd use swirlX first, try in a very small and not so visible area, apply lightly in straight line motion.

[Lydia]

Re: Clearing up these swirls from a motorcycle..

Do the plastic parts appear to be painted also? Judging by the amount of flake, I'd guess so. My bike has plastic and metal parts that are both painted base coat/ clear coat. As long as they're painted you can usually treat them about three same. Just be aware of heat build up. In general, I almost always use a 3" pad with my DA on bikes - most I've dealt with just don't have enough landscape to warrant a bigger pad (and I've detailed Gold Wings, a Victory Vision, etc.).

[Nick Winn]

Re: Clearing up these swirls from a motorcycle..

Depending on which DA Polisher you own, if it has the option to accept a smaller backing plate for some 4 inch pads, this would be a big help. Like other members have mentioned, I would start with a cleaner/polish product like our Ultimate Polish/M205 Ultra Finishing Polish or SwirlX, on a foam polishing pad. If a couple attempts with this combination does not remove the defects to your satisfaction, then you could step up to a dedicated compound, like our Ultimate Compound.

The smaller the diameter pad on a Dual Action Polisher machine, the more aggressive the set up will be. Lydia mentioned some good comments regarding heat build up. A small diameter will generate heat quicker, especially if using heavy pressure and slow arm movement combined with high speed. Different substrates dissipate heat differently, for example, a plastic type substrate will not dissipate heat nearly as well as a steel. What your heat build up. A little warm is ok, hot is NOT. : )