This time of year brings a little bit of everything to the detail shop. Just the other day we saw a great looking boat come in. And with the warmer weather, we've seen several motorcycles, too. Bikes are something that seem overwhelming to some. What can you get wet? How do you dry it? Are there special cleaners?
This Harley Davidson came in for a little love and care this week. It had some light scratches and scuffs on the fuel tank, and the wheels were black from dirt and corrosion. Who knew there was chrome under there? Over the years, we have learned some great techniques for detailing and restoring various models of motorcycles.
In this case, we did a "dry wash," which is sort of a misleading name altogether. It simply means we didn't soak the bike down with a hose. Instead, we used what is known as a "quick detailer" product. It's a multi-purpose solution that can be used as a lubricant for claying and wet-sanding, and also for safely cleaning dust off of a painted surface or glass. Once the bike is all clean, we get to the fun stuff!
In this case, we removed the seat so that we could clean under it. We used a light compound on the fuel tank and fenders followed by a high-speed buff and a sealant wax to protect them. The same "quick detailer" product is used to clean the chrome (which was plentiful on this bike). The seats were treated with a leather conditioner, and the chrome pipes and engine components were polished out. The highlight of this model Harley, of course is chrome spoke wheels front and rear. These were a greater challenge due to their condition, so we used a small amount of acid-based aluminum cleaner with a soft scrub pad. We then polished the rims and each spoke by hand. Just a special note- never use an acid-based cleaner on polished aluminum as it will dull the finish. Sometimes chrome and highly polished aluminum look almost identical!That's enough shop-talk for today...Happy motoring all!
