Paint ? and random thoughts...

[ShiftSix]

My monster is still only a few months old and I have noticed swirl marks in the clear coat.  This bike has only been detailed with new microfiber cloths and hasnt really ever seen a bad weather day yet.  Is there a trick to keeping this from happening?  The paint is still completly silky smooth so I dont want to claybar yet if I dont have to... any Ideas would be great.


On a side note any one notice them doing anything weird while they ride? any quirks? I find my self chewing..?? haha but If i have gum in my mouth it bothers me. ahah anyways thanks

[♣ McKraut ♣]

i used to clench my jaw when i first started riding because i was so tense...that was a pregnant dog after a long ride.

for the swirl marks...i say leave 'em.  they give it character and let everybody know your bike gets ridden!  but then i'm also the guy that keeps his bike outside.

[Cher]

My monster is still only a few months old and I have noticed swirl marks in the clear coat.  This bike has only been detailed with new microfiber cloths and hasnt really ever seen a bad weather day yet.  Is there a trick to keeping this from happening?  The paint is still completly silky smooth so I dont want to claybar yet if I dont have to... any Ideas would be great.


On a side note any one notice them doing anything weird while they ride? any quirks? I find my self chewing..?? haha but If i have gum in my mouth it bothers me. ahah anyways thanks

That's weird; I find myself swearing!    Thank god for full face helmets or I'd be full o' lead...

On the paint part of it, I've tried everything to keep clear coat swirl free (seriously OCD here).  In my humble estimation, it can not be done 

[ShiftSix]

That's weird; I find myself swearing!    Thank god for full face helmets or I'd be full o' lead...

On the paint part of it, I've tried everything to keep clear coat swirl free (seriously OCD here).  In my humble estimation, it can not be done 

haha I mean i dont "chew" but im constently moving my jaw around,  chewing is the closest thing I can relate it to haha ....

For the paint thing, Its annoying cause It wasnt that bad for awhile and then it seemed out of nowere I noticed the swirlmarks.  Im about to clay it to get them out and then start building up coats of this special wax I got back in the day for my black car and it worked out great for...  But i am afraid the bike is still too new to clay it.   

[Cher]

Ahhh yes, black cars    Had one ONCE then swore never again (there we are again with that whole swearing thing, WTF?)     Must be time for a beer.

What kind of special wax are you using to build up the finish once you've done the clay bar?

[ShiftSix]

Ahhh yes, black cars    Had one ONCE then swore never again (there we are again with that whole swearing thing, WTF?)     Must be time for a beer.

What kind of special wax are you using to build up the finish once you've done the clay bar?

Actauly for the life of me I cant remember the name of it.  (im at work and my brain isnt working haha)  Its not exactly a wax but a wax/clearcoat safe finish that kept my Gti's finish looking and feeling like glass.  I clay'd the car,  then used the carnuba wax that came with the mothers kit then this product...   haha All I can remember is it came in a Gold metal tin, you would have to squeeze to get out and its blue in color... 

Wait a sec. it came to me, its called Liquid Glass....  I dont know if its the best for this app. but it worked well on my car.

[muskrat]

throw all that crap away and use Zaino polish.  multiple coats will clean up most, if not all, swirl marks.  I have two black bikes, black truck and to-be has black car.  go to http://www.zainostore.com
I too have major OCD and like an idiot I bought black everything.  Trust me, you will be satisfied.  Plus it doesn't dissapate like oil based car polish.

[BarneePhife]

Sometimes a claybar and hand products are not enough.  Not withstanding, if you pick the right polishing product and use it correctly, and don't mind putting in some elbow grease, you can definitely get good results.

However, when all else fails, look to technology to help you.  Here's a few before and after shots of my car using a Flex XC3401 orbital polisher and Menzerna products. 

These before pictures were taken after a full wash of the car, full claybar, then 2nd wash.  Claybar does nothing to get out these kinds of scratches.  These come from "hard" wash materials such as sponges or car washes, or simply dirty microfiber towels.  Once you remove all the "scratches", the best thing you can do is immediately start using some sort of protectant.  That could be a wax, or another type of protective product such as Zaino or Rejex, or any number of products you can find at your local auto parts store (Meguiar's or Mothers).  Follow the directions of the protective products.  Most allow for multiple layers over time and help to build up a strong protective coat that is resistant to getting these types of scratches and swirl marks from subsequent washes and abrasions, such as from your pants.

[Cher]

Awesome!  I'm a big fan of clay bar and I also OCD the livin' daylights out of my car with wax and cleaners... Never tried Rejex, Zaino or Liquid Glass; sounds like just what I need though.  Thanks for the info 

[ShiftSix]

yeah i dont know about the others but the liquid glass isnt wax but it did a great job at building up a hard glass like layer and gave my black gti depth to the paint...    I know claybar is for removing stuff from the paint if it feels rough but since my bike still feels perfectly smooth I didnt know if I should start with that or not...

I think what im going to do tho is dawn it tomorrow morning, lightly clay it, and try and build a new coat of wax, instead of just trying to use a polish

[Jester]

i used to clench my jaw when i first started riding because i was so tense...that was a pregnant dog after a long ride.

for the swirl marks...i say leave 'em.  they give it character and let everybody know your bike gets ridden!  but then i'm also the guy that keeps his bike outside.

+1

My bike lives outside and I'm not diligent with my cover.  I gave up worrying about marks long ago.  My tank actually has a big mark ( I think the tank itself is warped or something ) that you can only see if the sun hits the bike the right way.... its buried under the clear coat.  I have a huge chip on the front windscreen as well from a massive rock courtesy of L'Smart on a Muenster run.     I guess my point is that no bike is new forever!

BTW, nice pics of the vette.

NOW, everyone use our imagination and look at the last two pictures of the vette.  Tell me you don't see a face.  Two red eyes, white blocky nose and a scratch mouth.

[BarneePhife]

NOW, everyone use our imagination and look at the last two pictures of the vette.  Tell me you don't see a face.  Two red eyes, white blocky nose and a scratch mouth.

yeah... kinda like Ike from South Park.


Patrick from Sponge Bob


Timmy Turner from Fairly Odd Parents

[DLSGAP]

If any of you OCD guys wanna detail my bike, I'll bring ya some beer 

[muskrat]

If any of you OCD guys wanna detail my bike, I'll bring ya some beer 

which one?  I'm partial to some in your collection.  have time, will travel. 

[greenohawk69]

To get the swirls out, it is a multiple step process as has been stated in earlier posts.  Using a clay bar on the car is to get rid of contaminants on the surface of the paint which makes it smooth.  Then you go through how many layers of polish, wash and/or protectant you need.  I had a black '99 BMW that I spent 27 hours over 3 separate days to get the paint to really pop.  I had the "25 foot look" (shiny when dirty, but from 25 feet) on it.  Removed many of the small scratches and swirls.  I used Meguiar's, Menzerna and other other product I can't remember the name of and a random orbital polisher.  The orbital polisher was a godsend when using it on the car.  Use it on both cycles.