Engine Detailing

[Gorminrider]

I fully appreciate what you're saying but while owning a pretty shiny bike that needs to be cleaned and shined after each ride, and a daily rider that gets washed when it gets grungy, you'll appreciate why only one shiny bike is all you will ever want.. now "need" is a totally different thing I likes the shiny bikes too.. but not the polishing, cleaning, detailing to make it really look nice.. I spent too much time and effort into my VStar to allow it to go bad, so once a month in the winter time it gets a little polish to keep it fresh and clean.. and happy.. Bikes have feelings too, ya know.

but my shiny-bike is the one I insured year round...hasn't been a nuisance ..BUT
(an especial warning!)
The de-icer they use eats unprotected shiny aluminum instantly. How do I know? yeah, right. I sponged/rinsed the bike but apparently missed the forks in the dark... a day or so before I was out again and saw....
I'm going to smear vaseline or something on ...something that won't rinse right off until I find the varnish that works.

[Steve]

I do not mind my rides being old abused and looking like it.

I like to keep my bikes shiny enough to not embarass me, but dirty enough to prove that I do ride them.

Further proof is a peek at the odometer. Currently, the Wing reads just over 183,000.

.

[TooManyToys]

.....The de-icer they use eats unprotected shiny aluminum instantly. .....

A real problem with the newer chems used for deicing, not only for exterior aluminum and steel but if any gets into the electrical connectors you are really screwed.

The trucking industry started to have real issues over a decade ago with their trailers, both with electrical issues as well and the galvanic issues of steel to AL, way more then just the normal stuff.

[bbjumper]

I just like to ride more than I like to clean.....

[Scratcher09]

I'm not big on shiny so when I detailed this old Yamaha engine I painted it black and put some texture in the case covers with a grinding disk. I get a lot of compliments on it. I used that texture on a few other details on the bike like the head light bezel.

[posplayr]

Especially the time...good god. That would take a month.

I did not even know you could polish by hand; it is supposed to be high speed that creates the heat to polish.

Get a polishing wheel from HF.

[GSXR7ED]

Love it!

nothing wrong with a little bling, if you keep the theme going from start to finish...

GK,

This is such a beautiful bike! Thanks for posting it again.


Ed