How do you get your 'bling' to shine?

[Sir Matt]

I'm one of those anal buggers who cleans his baby every week and likes to see all her shiny bit sparkle.

I've just got on to a product that I haven't seen before for the chrome bits and bobs called 'Blue Magic'. :niceone:

It's bloody good stuff. Even made the aluminum on the clutch lever shine. But i haven't yet found a polish that is good enough for the paint. She shines but its all pretty average.

Has anyone found one that really does it for them? My paint isn't bad but I've polished it 3 or 4 times and it doesn't really look like it should after using all that elbow grease.:oi-grr:

Feel free to show us your shiny bits.

[homer]

use turtle wax "scratch and swirl remover"

[rphenix]

I'm one of those anal buggers who cleans his baby every week and likes to see all her shiny bit sparkle.

I've just got on to a product that I haven't seen before for the chrome bits and bobs called 'Blue Magic'. :niceone:

It's bloody good stuff. Even made the aluminum on the clutch lever shine. But i haven't yet found a polish that is good enough for the paint. She shines but its all pretty average.

Has anyone found one that really does it for them? My paint isn't bad but I've polished it 3 or 4 times and it doesn't really look like it should after using all that elbow grease.:oi-grr:

Feel free to show us your shiny bits.

I use Bike Kleen (you can get it from super cheap) costs about $15 in a beige sort of spray bottle. Works nice less is more!

Dont forget to use a degreaser on those bloody wheels to save yourself heaps of time cleaning the chain oil residue off the rear.

For that chrome I do have chrome cleaner but I dont use it as much.

[Unit]

There are lots of good products out there no doubt. Also some paint jobs are better than others. Autosol has always been a favorite of ours for the chrome bits. You can purchase a polishing machine from Super Cheap for around $40 too, they make a big difference. Get a set of paddock stands too, get you bike up off the ground and attack the rims, chain and sprockets on a regular basis. We also make sure the bikes get a blast at the super-wash place too, especially after lime roadworks, gets all those tricky places.

[Nagash]

I'm a huge fan of autosol for the chrome. Just spent a few hours today attacking the huge amount of chrome on my bike, makes an amazing amont of difference.

For the paint work i've always used Turtle Wax but it never really looks that impressive, i'm yet to find something to really make it shine. Though really it's all fruitless work, I ride my bike daily and is my only means of transport, though I still like to see my face in the chrome.

Almost flipped when a drunken pillion of mine rested his feet on the exhaust pipe and melted his shoes to it.. still trying to figure out how to get rubber off of metal

[skelstar]

I use Pledge... I see racers do too. Only costs $4 and its fast to put on and good on matte black paint.

[rphenix]

I'm a huge fan of autosol for the chrome. Just spent a few hours today attacking the huge amount of chrome on my bike, makes an amazing amont of difference.

For the paint work i've always used Turtle Wax but it never really looks that impressive, i'm yet to find something to really make it shine. Though really it's all fruitless work, I ride my bike daily and is my only means of transport, though I still like to see my face in the chrome.

Almost flipped when a drunken pillion of mine rested his feet on the exhaust pipe and melted his shoes to it.. still trying to figure out how to get rubber off of metal

Well a bit of cut and polish (small amount) on a damp rag gets that crap off not sure if the best idea but I dont see any "side effects" on the chrome exhaust after thats been done a few times on my bike.

[Nagash]

Hmm, that may be my next idea then.

In the morning i've got a mate to come over with one of those hot air guns and i'm just gonna try and melt it and then scrape it off.

[Unit]

Almost flipped when a drunken pillion of mine rested his feet on the exhaust pipe and melted his shoes to it.. still trying to figure out how to get rubber off of metal
That sucks big time, materials burned onto the exhaust is almost impossible to shift.

[homer]

Well a bit of cut and polish (small amount) on a damp rag gets that crap off not sure if the best idea but I dont see any "side effects" on the chrome exhaust after thats been done a few times on my bike.

oh use the turtle wax as i posted earlier its a polish and almost like an armoural all in one
dosnt have a cut so no probs

[karla]

LOL - glad I'm not the only one that it's happened to - my son rested his feet on the exhaust pipe because "it was nice and warm"!

:rolleyes:Arrgggh!

A hot air gun would be a handy thing. I'd like to hear how you get on ...

[Sir Matt]

I use Pledge... I see racers do too. Only costs $4 and its fast to put on and good on matte black paint.

Seriously? Isn't Pledge a furniture polish? I don't know if i have a balls to give it a try. At present I am using stuff called Butterwax. Its what some of the commercial car dealers use. I guess its ok if you don't have any swirl marks to try and hide.

Is that Turtle Wax swirl remover any good?

[DMNTD]

Seriously? Isn't Pledge a furniture polish? I don't know if i have a balls to give it a try. At present I am using stuff called Butterwax. Its what some of the commercial car dealers use. I guess its ok if you don't have any swirl marks to try and hide.

Is that Turtle Wax swirl remover any good?

Pledge is ideal for maintaining what is already good.
IE: wax and protect...then use Pledge in between "normal" cleaning.

Turtle Wax Swirl is good plus I recommend "Ice" for a high sheen finish.

[Sir Matt]

After having a look at your wheels i might have to find somewhere to try out this Pledge. I have heard that Ice is pretty good stuff but $50 for a little bottle is a bit beyond where the wallet wants to stretch. I do like the idea of not having to get ride of all the white crap when I'm polishing through.

Mint helmet too. That mat black looks the bit.

[Nagash]

LOL - glad I'm not the only one that it's happened to - my son rested his feet on the exhaust pipe because "it was nice and warm"!

:rolleyes:Arrgggh!

A hot air gun would be a handy thing. I'd like to hear how you get on ...

Right well, I was at it for only an hour and a bit this morning, using the air gun to melt the rubber and then scraping it off with a very sharp little hand held tool, what ended up happening was the scraper got so red hot that it melted off the rubber just by itself. Worked quite well I then I just used an old rag dipped in petrol to rub off the last remaing specs.

Polish it up with a bit of autosol and with the exception of one or two very tiny scratches (oops) which are hard to notice, the exhaust looks all shiney and new again.


The next twat to put his shoes on my exhaust will be pushed off the back down the highway...

[homer]

Seriously? Isn't Pledge a furniture polish? I don't know if i have a balls to give it a try. At present I am using stuff called Butterwax. Its what some of the commercial car dealers use. I guess its ok if you don't have any swirl marks to try and hide.

Is that Turtle Wax swirl remover any good?

i backed my 4wd in to a broom bush and scratch the dark blue pain
I didnt think id ever get the mark out ,it wasnt thru to the undercoat but but looked like it wasnt far away
it got the whole scratch out
it was more like those nasty scrub scratches that look worse than ever
but gone

[Daffyd]

I use Kem-o-pro for the paint and Glint for the chrome. Seems to work pretty well.

[Subike]

Coming home from a ride on sunday. just crossed the stillwater bridge.....
FRIGGING BLUE PLASTIC BAG!!!
Caught the split pin on the front axle, spun around the tyre, shreaded itself in a blue spaggetie tangle around the left caliper and then
Prompley applied itself to the exaust from the head right to my right foot peg, FUUUCKKK!!!! What a stink!
Pulled over and spend the next 5 minutes digging my brakes clean of the shit
Now Im going to have to remove my headers and pipe, wire brush them clean, nothing else would ever ""whipe"" soften"" this burnt mass of polution cooked onto my exhaust :crazy:
So
Can anyone recomend to me a good exhast paint?, Black of course! :calm:

[swbarnett]

Almost flipped when a drunken pillion of mine rested his feet on the exhaust pipe and melted his shoes to it.. still trying to figure out how to get rubber off of metal
One of my previous bike (can't remember which) had dual exhaust that stuck out too far and burnt about an inch or two from the inside of each heel.

[scumdog]

Coming home from a ride on sunday. just crossed the stillwater bridge.....
FRIGGING BLUE PLASTIC BAG!!!
Caught the split pin on the front axle, spun around the tyre, shreaded itself in a blue spaggetie tangle around the left caliper and then
Prompley applied itself to the exaust from the head right to my right foot peg, FUUUCKKK!!!! What a stink!
Pulled over and spend the next 5 minutes digging my brakes clean of the shit
Now Im going to have to remove my headers and pipe, wire brush them clean, nothing else would ever ""whipe"" soften"" this burnt mass of polution cooked onto my exhaust :crazy:
So
Can anyone recomend to me a good exhast paint?, Black of course! :calm:

VHT or commercial stove blacking (Not as good) is as good as I can think of.

[NZsarge]

Pledge is ideal for maintaining what is already good.
IE: wax and protect...then use Pledge in between "normal" cleaning.

Turtle Wax Swirl is good plus I recommend "Ice" for a high sheen finish.

Oooohhh Yeeeeahhhh!!
Turtle wax Ice......No white residue.!!
Meguiar's Quick wax is also brilliant.

[Patch]

Mothers is/was the best I've used. Find a good (recommended) valet and ask where they buy their products, or see if they'll do you some sort of deal if you get them to do your bike every couple months.

[RiderInBlack]

Live down the end of 1km of metal road, so if a good wash and pledge doesn't do the job, it's not worth the worry (cuts into the riding time).
BabyB can tell ya about the time came down ta from Whangarei ta Tuaranga, only ta arrive ta find that the panniers had slipped down on ta "Roxanne's" twin S/S cans:doh: Scrapped all the burn shit of, but scratched the cans doing it. Fixed that with elbow grease and cut&polish. Use a bit of S/S cleaner now ta keep then nice.

[vifferman]

Can anyone recomend to me a good exhast paint?, Black of course!
I need to find out what I used on the VTR - it was some stuff "containing ceramic" and some waffle about "used on the Space Shuttle" (or maybe it was "Space Shuttle Technology". Whatever...
If so, it was what really caused those two shuttles to fail, because it was complete and utter crap. I would've been better to have used black crayon, or water-based kiddies paint.
Despite lotsa preparation, most of it flaked or burnt off in very short order, so after a week, it looked worse than if I'd just ignored the headers and collector and done nothing.
Previously, I'd used some other zorst paint that was supposedly specifically forumalated for motorcylce zorsts, and it was crap as well.
Next time, I'm going to HPC. The VFR's headers and collectors look kinda shabby, courtesy of the bike starting out in the UK, so if I can work out how to justify to the vifferbabe what is basically cosmetic work, I'll be right.
Maybe after her next hairdo, I'll say, "Oh - by the way; the VFR needs a hairdo too!".:dodge:

[P38]

Hmm, that may be my next idea then.

In the morning i've got a mate to come over with one of those hot air guns and i'm just gonna try and melt it and then scrape it off.

Mate here's a trick we use in the plastics industry.

Buy yourself some pure Bee's Wax.

Carefully heat the metal around said rubber with your heat gun, probally a plastic if it came from a shoe sole though.

Apply the bees wax to the heated exaust so it melts an runs over and around the Rubber/Plastic.

While the bees wax is still molten rub it vigourously with a clean rag.

Also you could use a brass scraper with the Bees Wax but be carefull not to hard or you might scratch the chrome.

Do little bits at a time.

Once done the wax will come off easily by heating and wiping with a clean rag.

[TOTO]

+1

Works bloody good for me the old pledge. I use the one wich is trigger not the aerosol one. Beautiful stuff.:rolleyes:

[98tls]

i backed my 4wd in to a broom bush and scratch the dark blue pain
I didnt think id ever get the mark out :shit::shit::shit:Nooooooooo my god noooooo,imagine backing a 4WD into a broom bush,oh the humanity.:shit:

[mowgli]

I use Pledge... I see racers do too. Only costs $4 and its fast to put on and good on matte black paint.

Me too. Pledge is great. Repels the dust as well :)