Uh Oh! Another Scratch!!

[busa-boy33]

This is mainly for you new guys out there who (like me) just bought the bike of your dreams.. There is nothing like keeping the new bike looking "NEW" for as long as possible.. and of course there's all those tempting accessories out there to bling out your ride even more.. SO .. here are some things I've learned that maybe will help you out...

1. Dings happen.. to my knowledge of owning a few bikes over the years there is no way to keep those occasional dings and scratches from happening. Your gonna get one or two from either flying rocks or debris while on the highway or from some other place.. it happens. I was told by a seasoned rider that these are "Beauty Marks" that All bikes suffer.. so don't get too bent out of shape when you find one.

2. Lets talk about those accessories (after market types). First.. a good place that I've found to browse for some needed items is 58cycle.com
Keep something in mind.. Sometimes putting on and taking off items on your bike can also cause some minor damage.. I've just learned this from those darn Pig Spotter mirrors.. They've managed to scrape off some paint along the edges of where I put them on.. just be careful when taking things on and off the bike.. and ALWAYS remember.. if you remove something from your bike such as mirrors.. KEEP THE ORIGINAL BOLTS!! You may decide in the future you want to put them back on and nothing fits like the original...

3. Finally.. this is just pure recommendation from my part.. if you want an all around great bike polish to buff out the paint and even the plastic fairings I suggest the Honda Polish.. this stuff takes off road grime and grease..bug guts and leaves behind a shine thats awesome.. I even polished my entire truck with this stuff and made it look really new again..

So there you have it .. and I am sure other riders out there have come across some tricks and advice they may want to share.. so feel free.. this is just some of my more recent experiences..

Thank you..

[themeatmanlandry]

In order to reduce scratches and prolong the 'beauty life' of your bike's finish (assuming that one cares about such things) be careful of what you strap to your passenger seat. No, jgreth this isn't a 'fat girl' joke!

I used to keep a black duffel bag on the passenger seat of my Bandit. One day I noticed that the bag, which sort of sloughed over onto the tailpiece) had rubbed several blemishes into the finish. As I rode aorund with this bag on the pillion, high-frequency vibrations slowly scuffed up my tailpiece.

Another area to think about is where your crotch contacts the fuel tank. Numerous covers and stickers are available to keep you from wearing a scuff in that area. BE MINDFUL OF STUFF LIKE BELT BUCKLES AND WHAT-NOT THAT WILL SCRATCH THE STEM-WINDING PISS OUT OF YOUR MOTORCYCLE.

[diamond_jim]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

... One day I noticed that the bag.... sort of sloughed over... rubbed... scuffed up my tailpiece... think about... where your crotch contacts the fuel tank...

He is the the master of subliminal messages.

[jgreth]

Originally Posted by diamond_jim

He is the the master of subliminal messages.

ROFL


Nice one.

You know, I've never been the kind of guy to get upset over scratches.... I bought a brand new car a few years ago and it got scratched real bad along the side ( not so deep it caused rust or anything, but a pretty bad scratch ). It wasn't keyed but something scratched it up good. Anyhow, I saw it and shrugged. I never was one to pamper a car. I take care of them maintenance-wise but scratches or a little dirt? I dun care.

[themeatmanlandry]

Originally Posted by jgreth

ROFL


Nice one.

You know, I've never been the kind of guy to get upset over scratches.... I bought a brand new car a few years ago and it got scratched real bad along the side ( not so deep it caused rust or anything, but a pretty bad scratch ). It wasn't keyed but something scratched it up good. Anyhow, I saw it and shrugged. I never was one to pamper a car. I take care of them maintenance-wise but scratches or a little dirt? I dun care.

For some reason I do. My goal is to keep the car looking brand new for as long as possible. Hard to believe if you've ever seen the totalled-out truck I drive to work everyday.

[jgreth]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

For some reason I do. My goal is to keep the car looking brand new for as long as possible. Hard to believe if you've ever seen the totalled-out truck I drive to work everyday.

I'm more concerned with functionality than looks. Now, I'm not a slob and don't drive up with a rusted out car that backfires and pours out smoke but I'm also not anal about the finish of a car. If I know it's gonna rain within a week or two, I don't wash my car It has to be extreme circumstances for me to bother. Now... the INSIDE of my car on the other hand is impecable. I can't stand riding in garbage/dirt. I never leave things in my car. When my kids spill stuff in the back seat, I do get mildly upset ( but not really upset, it happens ). I just don't like to see wrappers and garbage laying around in car.

[TFee3]

I have to agree with jgreth. I'm no slob, but I use my vehicles, and if they get scratched or dented in a parking lot, I don't go bezerk about it. It's just a fact of life. I don't care how dirty my truck and two cars get, as long as I have plenty of wax on them. Then, the dirt, no matter how much, comes off easily. One thing I am finicky about, however, is my windows and mirrors. I hate a dirty window or mirror. I keep the floors clean, because I have a habit of throwing things on the floor, including clothes.

[kay]

I think I tend to care but I'm not paranoid about it.
But when I get back after riding, I always give my bikes a good wipe. We've got these wet bike wipes that are disposable and big enough to clean one bike.

As for cars, they are too big to clean everytime I ride, but I do try to keep them clean.

[themeatmanlandry]

I'll run dirty, and usually do. I just don't like damage to the body, no matter how small.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

I'll run dirty, and usually do.

I wash my bike once a year............whether it needs it or not!

[busa-boy33]

I am maticulous about my bike.. my truck.. not so much but I normally keep her clean to. I just add a few nice items to the bike and will snap some pics and post them tomorrow.. but you guys should really try that Honda spray cleaner.. thats the best stuff ive used so far..

[diamond_jim]

I go in spurts. For a few weeks I'll really clean up my mustang and kind of ignore the bike's appearance. Then I'll keep the bike really nice and forget the car for a few weeks.

[kay]

Scott, what is that stuff called? Is it really simply "Honda Cleaner"???
I was wondering if I can get the same stuff here cuz I don't recall seeing anything called "Honda Cleaner". So I was wondering if it had some other name.

I used to wash my car at least once a week.... but since mom got really sick, I've become more lazy. As for bikes, I don't wash them that often cuz they don't get that dirty.

As for scratches, I don't like them either which is why I have attached this big carbon fiber cover to my gixxer tank. I can't prevent my front zip of my jacket from scratching the tank since I'm laid so low to reach the handle bars.

Still looking for something similar for my Duc and my Kawi is ok. I can reach the handle bars without touching it's tank.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by kay

Scott, what is that stuff called? Is it really simply "Honda Cleaner"???
I was wondering if I can get the same stuff here cuz I don't recall seeing anything called "Honda Cleaner". So I was wondering if it had some other name.

pro Honda "Spray Cleaner and Polish". Can is black, mostly.

Good stuff. The things that are better (shine lasts longer) are MUCH harder to use.

I especially like it for the windshield........but heavy bugs need to be removed first.

[atomic]

Amen on the honda cleaner. I cried when they stopped making it a couple of years ago, but they recently brought it back. While they stopped I used Plexus, which I'd been using for my helmet. Not as good for the rest of the bike but it worked.

I'm as anal retentive as they get. I clean my bike before every ride, with polishing clothes. Every where my hand will reach. And always the wheels because clean wheels make the ride stand out, especially black sport bike wheels. Once I get a system going it only takes 10 or 15 minutes.

And I only wash once a year. Cleaning the way I do before each ride is enough. Even though the owner's manuals say to wash often, I don't because it's my opinion that watering requires complete drying and the tight areas can't be dried enough to completely prevent corrosion.

For the sport bikes I owned, once ayear I removed all the plastic and the tank and cleaned under there. My GSXR had 12k miles on it when I traded it in and it looked almost brand new. One minor clear coat scratch on the tank and a cover rub mark on the tail (had the cover a month and quickly ditched it for a cycle shell). And yes, even those marks drove me nuts. A riding buddy thinks I'm nuts.

My latest obession? My alpine star riding pants have plastic on the inseam of the claf and it stuck bad to my new S83 right side pipe (not as safe, but now I wear draggin' jeans because of this). Did the same on the GSXR once, but the small amount of chrome on that was a million times better and it came off with oven off and a polish cloth. Not so on the S83. After a week of massaging it daily with various fine materials and oven off, I caved in and used a dish scrubber. It came off; and so did pits of chrome, and it left swirls. And now I'm againizing over whether to live with it or get new pipes with better chrome (hehe - my wife thinks I planned it that way!).

It ain't easy being this way. And I certainly don't blame anyone for just gettin' on and riding as is. Must be a relief not to obsess!

[SNAFU]

Originally Posted by busa-boy33

This is mainly for you new guys out there who (like me) just bought the bike of your dreams.. There is nothing like keeping the new bike looking "NEW" for as long as possible.. and of course there's all those tempting accessories out there to bling out your ride even more.. SO .. here are some things I've learned that maybe will help you out...

1. Dings happen.. to my knowledge of owning a few bikes over the years there is no way to keep those occasional dings and scratches from happening. Your gonna get one or two from either flying rocks or debris while on the highway or from some other place.. it happens. I was told by a seasoned rider that these are "Beauty Marks" that All bikes suffer.. so don't get too bent out of shape when you find one.

I've got a minor scratch on my front fender and some scratches on my neck cover from when the time I tried to put on some vinyl CF decals and some scuffs on my fender from a throw over bag.

What I did do was paint the fender bolt black with touch up paint when I removed the passenger seat. After I thought, what the heck so I painted the rest of the grey bolts on the front fender and on the sides of the bike. It blacks out the bike more IMHO.

[Barbarian]

A consumer reporter I used to work with just tried out a bunch of scratch removing products.
He recommends Nu Finish Scratch Doctor and Mother's California Gold Scratch Remover.

But the only one good for deep scratches is Quixx High Performance Scratch Remover.

[SNAFU]

I posted this awhile back. It's called Fukken Wax.

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I AGREE

[busa-boy33]

Awesome recommendations and I will certainly look into these products you guys suggest. Thanks for the feed back

[TFee3]

Easy Rider, now that you've described the can, I wonder if it isn't also made for Harley dealers, as I have a can of theirs, and if I recall correctly, it's also in a black can. It's cleaner and wax all in one, and it works pretty well. I always use Windex to clean my bike before I use the Harley cleaner. I learned that from the Harley dealer. His people always use Windex before polishing the bikes on the show floor. I tried using soap and water ONLY ONCE. I spent hours getting water marks from everything. Bummer!