Whats the steps to detailing a motorcycle.

[Chubs]

To anyone out there that has detailed a motorcycle. I just detailed a truck and the guy has two bikes one for the wife and one for show ( worth about $40,000). He loves the truck and now need the wifes bike done. He mentioned about taking the tank and fenders off for me to buff. Has anyone done it this way. It seems the best way to get everything on those parts buffed and not having to work around the chrome and leather. Also if you have done it be way of taking off the tank and fenders how do you keep the tank and fender from laying on there sides and moving around. I'm thinking about building some kind of jig for them to mount on. Since this could bring on alot more bikes into my future since this person is big with the local Harley Davidson dealer and other bikers around town. Any help will be greatly welcome. I don't what to miss this chance since everyone with a bike must have a car too.

Thanks,
Chubs

[Chubs]

Did I ask a really dumb question or does nobody detail motorcycles? Oh Well I have some ideas and maybe by moving this thread back up someone might be able to help out.

Thanks for any help,
Chubs

[Rick]

I cleaned a motor cycle once. It's pretty much like a car with a million little crevices and more chrome than you can imagine. The steps for it should be the same for a car, but plan on having more time invested in one to make it perfect. Most factory mc's should be capable of being hosed off for a normal wash, but this I guess is up to you (I wouldn't do this if it's a custom one). Skinny hands (which I don't have) and some tools to get in to all those crevices will help a lot.

[foris2]

I detailed a 1971 Harley Davidson Touring Bike yesterday. It was time consuming (5 1/2 hours). Those hogs have crome in places that are difficult to get to. I didn't remove the finders, but I did remove the saddle bags (fiberglass) in order to get to the rear finder and wheel. I cleaned/polished everything in sight. I'm gonna have to invest in a digital camera so I can show some of my work. The customer was more than happy, he even gave me a $30.00 tip.

[Jimmy Buffit]

I really do not like to do them... takes the word 'detailing' to different realm. Just too tedious, for me. Plus the Local Harley dealers do it for $125. I spend 6+ hours on them and would have to charge twice the price!

I do get a few, form guys who have 'stables' of cars (ex: 1 guy has: Ferrari, Viper, Aston Martin, MB SL500 and a minivan!) So, I do his BMW bike, also. Gotta take the good with the bad.

Jim

[scottabir]

all I can say is s100 total cycle wash is you best friend! and a plethora of brushes in many different sizes and shapes.

[scrub]

Detailing a bike is time comsuming. I was looking into this realm but most riders detail their own bike. Some heavy hitter areas to me were: rims n tires, swing arm (chain fling), and any chrome parts. I detailed a Harley 3 weeks ago when I was in Indy, I bypassed the chrome polish and used glass cleaner. Worked well and saved some time. I don't think one has to polish chrome every time. I let the condition of the chrome be the guide, if spotted and dull then polish. I also used detail spray and no water for the paint.

Here's a pic of the bike.




I used all Meguiar's products: Meguiar's Ultimate wipes, Meguiar's foam pads, Extra cleaner, Last touch detail spray, Meg's glass cleaner, and Deep Crystal Step 3 Wax. This was the first time I used DC 3 and I was really impressed.

The cycle wasn't in that bad of shape before hand.

Good luck and hope you find this helpful.

[Chubs]

Thanks for the relpy Scrub,

Your info will be helpfull, but I also need to know if anyone has buffed out the tank and fenders with a rotary and how they did it. With the tank on the bike or did they remove them. I friend of mine wants me to do his wifes bike and it has some scratches in it and he said he would take the tank and fender off for me to do. I'm just curious on how to hold them down to buff and not mess up the paint by sliding around on a bench. I'm thinking of putting some bolts in the threaded holes were they mount and then put the bolt head in my vise. Thats the only thing that I can think of so far.

Any more Ideas would be great.
Chubs

[Carrera]

Motorcycle Detailing

I wash my BMW motorcycle every weekend, and do more serious detailing every 6 weeks. Here are the relevant issues:

1) Detaling a bike is far more time consuming than the average car.

2) When washing strart form the top down. Use one mit for the windshield and painted surfaces. Another for the engine, and another for the wheels and tires.

3) My bike a R1100GS has a centerstand which makes things easier.

4) Get some ear muffs and eye protection. Buy a leaf blower and blow all the excess water.

5) Bike detailing is more bike specific. A Harley Fat Boy is a comlete different animal than lets say a Ducati 999.

6) Get lots of brushes for the hard hard to reach places. I use 5 different brushes.

7) Don't use any type of dressings on the tires!! You can cause an accident

8) Use the Meguiar's range of products

9) Drive the bike for a couple of miles after you finish detailing. This will help get rid of all the moisture.

[cavalier]

like Carrera mentioned, more time consuming

I've done a complete job on a Suzuki cafe racer in the past, end to end. After that I never wanted to see chrome again. ( More and more bikes are being polished up these days; forks, rim edges, frames, )

Modern sportsbikes have fairings with flowing lines which make detailing easier, but I'd recommend using hand applicators. Some bikes have a clear gloss coat over the decals and sticker kits, but watch out for older ones with surface stickers.

For Chubs original question about the jig, I'd leave the parts on the bike. I'd hate to ding a panel putting it back on again.

And if you're not a bike-orientated person that has been asked to detail a bike it's a good idea to chat to the rider to ask them about their normal maintenaince habits, (ie. lube chain, any drips - otherwise you might end up with a lambswool mitt covered in gooey engine oil leaks/chain fling). I'd expect a bike detail to involve a thorough clean, polish plus relube joints, levers, cables, chain. Ask them if they have a paddock/race stand as well, it will save some tears of frustration.

[showtime]

I have an account with a Harley dealer so I've done my fair share. Here's my steps-

Wash-
Use S100 Cycle Wash. It has a degreaser in it that is more powerful than just car wash. I use Meg's APC on the front for the bugs. Get a dedicated motorcycle wash brush, it looks like a long wheel brush. It can fit between any space on a bike. After the rinse, use S100 Polishing Soap on the chrome. Rinse again. Using the Polishing Soap saves about an hour of hand polishing. Don't worry about places that need more polishing, go back later with a dedicated metal polish and get them. Dry with a microfiber and compressed air.

Heavy cleaning-
I do this after the wash. Any left on bugs, get them off with APC. Any dull chrome is polished. For grease/oil leaks I use brake cleaner and compressed air.

Polishing-
A PC is all I'll use on a bike. The clear on Harleys is very hard and thick. Tape off the leather seat edge and put a towel over the gauges. I start with #84, then #83, #81. Places I can't get with a PC are done with #81 by hand.

Clean up-
I go over the bike wiping any dust left from polishing, give the chrome a final wipe down with glass cleaner and a microfiber, and check over one last time for any spots missed.

Wax-
The last thing I do is wax, 2 coats of what ever I feel like putting on.

Do NOT put anything on the seat or tires. It might look good but that lawsuit you'll get in the mail won't.

[Mike Phillips]

Personally I've always avoided bikes except for polishing out custom paint jobs, often times the tank is off the bike which makes it easier to work on plus no worry of getting any splatter on any of the other components.