How to Detail a Motorcycle – Step By Step Guide
Motorcycle owners have always the wish to make their motorcycle to look just like it just came from the showroom. This type of look only can be gained by detailing the motorcycle.
There are also other practical reasons for which a bike owner should endorse detailing work for his or her bike. This article will mainly highlight the cleaning and detailing tips regarding maintaining a motorcycle.
Washing and Detailing The Motorcycle
Detailing your motorcycle from a professional will definitely cost you high. This will cost around 200 bucks to 600 bucks. This is why doing detailing in your home by yourself is money saving and self-sufficient work. The steps of detailing a bike are given below :
Pre- Washing :
For this step, the first tool you will need is a garden hose and with your average garden hose, you will have to wash your bike’s surface. The targeting area of your bike should be the lower area of your bike. You will just have to wash the surface by spraying the hose on it.
You have to keep in your mind that this step will remove most of the heavy specks of dirt on your bike which will prevent the surface from getting scratched. Once you get the hose cleaning the surface you will need a microfiber cloth type something to rub the surface of the motorcycle.
Now you will need a cleaning solution like motorcycle cleaning detergent or solvents. You will use the hose and the cleaning solvent to gently wash the bike surface. You should be careful of the fact that unless the surface is very messy you should not go for the harsh soap or the detergents.
Pre-wash also can be a waterless washing process. For this, you will have to go through a waterless washing process. This waterless wash only should be applied if the surface is not that dirty. You will just need a waterless cleaning solution and a microfiber towel to clean the surface properly.
Cleaning the Wheels :
While cleaning the wheels you have to keep this one thing in mind that your wheels are made of different materials and this is why cleaning the wheels should be a different part. Like the tires and the spokes and rims, all will go through a separate wash. For wheels and the tires, you will need a mild soap for washing and then you will have to go for the tires to remove the oil from “tire dressing” and “road films”.
Once you clean the wheel and the tires you should go for drying them after that polish them while protecting the rims. You can polish the chrome with a good quality chrome polish and then you wax for getting the shine right.
While doing all this you should keep one thing in mind that for uncoated aluminum you will need aluminum polish and for coated aluminum, you will have to take the steps as you take for the bike surface.
Washing the Dash and Controls :
The Dashboard of a motorcycle contains certain electrical parts that you should not get wet or otherwise the bike will face problems. As a result of cleaning these types of surfaces, you will need a special type of cleaning materials. The type of cleaning materials that gives UV protection to plastic surfaces can be used for washing the dash and controls.
Engine Cleansing Process :
This is a very crucial part of this detailing task. Before cleaning you have to figure out how much dirty the engine is. The amount definitely will affect the whole process.
You have to care about one thing while cleaning the engine that the engine should be cool and your motorcycle is under a shade. In the cleaning process, you will need a soft type of bristle brush and with washing, soap to wash the bike.
You have known that these exact instructions regarding the cleaning compound should be followed because the “high corrosive” compounds have a powerful effect on the bike parts, as a result, this may end up harming certain parts of the bike.
Polishing Chrome :
Polishing the chrome is the next step and if have to know that while polishing the chrome just like the dash – controls or the engine you will need shade to polish the chrome and also you will have to keep in mind that the environment you will choose to do your work should be cool and non-humid.
The polishing cycle should have two parts. The first part should have a break and with that there will another finishing part. A two-part cycle of polishing is definitely more effective than a single one and furthermore if you have wish of extending the lifespan of the polish than a quick coat of wax can be a very useful and effective way of that.
Treating the Leather :
When it comes to handling the leather first you will have to figure out certain facts like what type of leather it is because of leather in the seat of a motorcycle. It can be a natural aniline leather, coated leather, or even very high-quality vinyl working as a leather seat.
As a result, you will have to keep in mind that all of these leathers have different treatment and care. But in general, what you can do is a good cleaning in general and if you want your leather to stay new for a long time then “non-slick protection” should be yours to option.
Proper Rinsing :
For washing the bike make sure that you are using the softest water available because the softer the water the better the rinsing. And while you are rinsing your motorcycle you have to make sure that the water is absorbed to the fullest that can be possible and this is only to avoid spotting and other water type harms.
And the rinsing procedure is very important and you must do a little research regarding rinsing because there can be the whole article regarding the correct way of rinsing. But the fact is rinsing is very important and a good rinsing will definitely help your motorcycle to improve its appearance.
Dry Work :
You will see that “Nooks” and “Crannies” are very common things in a motorcycle. And this is why a “Metro Sidekick” could a very safe option for drying your motorcycle.
And the fact is that metro sidekick works in a way of filtering high pressure air and this is why by using this you can be sure that your bike will be properly dried but still, this facility cannot provide you a hundred percent service and sometimes it will leave certain places missed by the drying process and here you can use a soft microfiber towel to dry those parts.
Doing Paint Sealant :
The first basic knowledge you will need is that doing car paint and doing motorcycles are very different. First, you will have to look at the condition of your motorcycle.
And on the basic, the report of the motorcycle it will be fixed that will you need any kind of claying, polishing, or even waxing or sealant is needed or not. You have to keep in mind that the machine compound is very important if your paint is neglected for a long time.
The paint job or detailing work of a motorcycle requires a lot of patience and determination. As a result, you should not go for the detailing work unless you are a very patient person. But the fact is that if you work hard on this paint job you will get rewarded because this part is the final decoration of all, more of a cherry on the cake.
The Mistakes You Should Avoid While Cleaning Your Motorcycle
- You definitely should not go for any kind of automotive or household degreasers with their full strength because these products can leave heavy effects on aluminum surfaces and this is why you have to be careful.
- Do not give the cleaners a chance to sit on the surface of your bike. Make sure you are rinsing the surface after you put the cleaner for a few minutes and not more than that.
- You should not use any kind of scrub pads or wheel brushes on your bikes.
- You should work in shade and the environment should be cool and non-humid.
- The drying process should be taken very seriously.
- Tire dressing seems very cool but the fact is that you should not go for them because these dressings raise questions about safety issues.
Wrap Up
The fact is that motorcycle is a matter of great pride for the bikers. It gives them a nomadic feeling that has freedom of choice of a particular lifestyle. This is why the owners like to show off their bikes and want to have a polished and maintained motorcycle just like in the showroom and this article will mainly show the detailing and the washing of the motorcycle.
