|
WASHING AND DRYING
Before washing
your bike, make sure the bucket is clean and free of any contaminants
that could be carried to the paint. Use a quality shampoo for the
cleaning process to prevent stripping of the wax on your painted
surfaces. Start with an open-end hose, and an abundance of water
to completely rinse the bike.
The more water you use the easier it is to float contaminants off
and away versus powering them off and chance scratching the paint.
Because of the heavy road grime that a bike can pick up, we recommend
using a rinse bucket along with your wash bucket. This way our wash
mitt can be rinsed before re-lathering which greatly reduces the
potential for contaminants to be carried into the next wash cycle.
This may seem overdone by some, but look at the face of the bike
owner that discovers his first scratch (it ain't pretty). An ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Some detailers even remove
the seats before they start the washing process. This exposes areas
that can only be reached with the seat off and also aids in the
drying process. You should also consider doing this if your seats
and bags are leather and not vinyl. Leather is not water friendly.
Too much water and not enough leather conditioner will make your
leather look like a bike owner's face that just saw his first scratch
(it ain't pretty). After removing the seat, make sure that all areas
are covered and protected from water infiltration.
Start with washing the windscreen if you have one and work down
the bike. For heavy bug buildup on windscreens and ferrings, shampoo
used full strength will release the bug guts amazingly fast. Always
wash one side of the bike and completely rinse with an open-end
hose. Repeat on the other side. This will prevent soap from drying
and leaving a film. Also, don't forget to wash the underside of
your fenders. The best way that I have found to accomplish this
is with a twisted wire two to three foot handle bottlebrush. Be
sure to wrap the wire with duct tape or electrical tape to prevent
scratching. One of the quickest ways that I have found to dry a
motorcycle is with a common leaf blower. This will produce a wide
and gentle stream of air to blow water out of the small cracks,
throttle controls, cooling fins, and other hard to reach areas.
Some people use air compressors for drying. I personally don't like
to use them because of the fine stream of air and higher pressure.
Because of the fine air stream, it takes longer to dry which leaves
less time for riding. The new microfiber towels are excellent for
final touch-up drying. They are softer than 100% cotton towels,
which will virtually eliminate scratching. They hold seven times
their weight in water, which makes the job much faster. They dry
in about the third of the time of a normal towel and can be folded
and used later to wash the windscreen while on a ride. If the bike
is only slightly dusty and you want quick clean up, use a premium
trigger wash product that is wax friendly.
mail@waxstation.com
|
