BIKE DETAILING TIPS TO MAKE YOUR BIKE LOOK BRAND NEW
Bike detailing is an important aspect of bike care and bike maintenance but unfortunately, not a lot of auto detailers or bike owners know how to correctly detail their clients or their own bikes which is why Wavex Auto Care is going to share bike detailing tips to make your bike look brand new so make sure that you read this article right to the end because we guarantee you that these bike detailing tips aren’t written or discussed anywhere properly across the internet!
Why is bike care and bike maintenance important?
Before understanding bike detailing, you must understand the importance of bike care and bike maintenance. We live in a day and age where a lot of bike manufacturing companies such as Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Jawa etc. are doing a wonderful job in manufacturing some really amazing and beautiful bikes however, they don’t come very cheap. It is only through apt bike care and bike maintenance that a bike owner will be able to properly maintain the overall look of the bike and keep it functioning at optimal state. For appropriate bike care and bike maintenance, it is recommended that a bike owner gets their bike serviced at recommended intervals and use auto care products from Wavex Auto Care to keep them in a pristine, showroom-like state.
What is bike detailing? What is the difference between bike detailing and bike cleaning?
Most bike owners mistake bike detailing for bike cleaning and simply wash their vehicles with a shampoo, wipe it dry and presume that its bike detailing when in fact, it is far from bike detailing. This can be called bike cleaning and comes under the category of bike maintenance. So what exactly is bike detailing? Bike detailing is the process where a bike is not just cleaned and polished but is also given a sort of makeover which is achieved though removal of paint imperfections, contaminations, degreasing of engines, claying, bug removal and much more. When an auto detailer or a seasoned DIY detailing enthusiast carries out a bike detailing process, they make sure that not even a single spec of dirt or imperfection is left behind on the bike. Bike cleaning will simply involve the process of bucket washing or foam washing followed by drying and eventual application of some sort of bike polish.
How to detail a bike?
Bike detailing is an in-depth process that involves great attention to detail. For bike detailing that will make your bike look like new, you would require the following products:
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Wavex Foam Blaster Car Shampoo
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Wavex Wonder Wash Car Shampoo
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Wavex Foam Cannon 3.0
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Wavex Mighty Monster 1200 GSM Drying Towel
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Wavex 350 GSM Microfiber Towels
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Wavex Lamb Wool Wash Mitt
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Wheel cleaning wool brush
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Detailing Brushes
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Wavex Empty Spray Container
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Wavex All Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser
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Wavex Iron and Fallout Remover
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Wavex Clay Bar and Clay Lubricant Spray
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Wavex RC2 Medium Cut Rubbing Compound or Wavex One Step Polishing Compound
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Wavex RC3 Final Finish Rubbing Compound
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Wavex Coating Prep Spray
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Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating
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Wavex Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating
First phase of bike detailing to make your bike look like new
During the first phase of bike detailing, one must start off by rinsing the bike’s tyres and engine with plain water and commence the degreasing phase. For degreasing, the Wavex All Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser will be used.
The Wavex All Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser is an outstanding auto care product that acts as an interior cleaner, exterior cleaner and engine degreaser. It is in the concentrated state which means that it needs to be diluted with water before it is used. The ratio for interior cleaning is 1:30, for exterior cleaning its 1:15 whereas for engine degreasing, it is 1:5 or could even be sprayed and used directly. When talking about car interiors, it can be used to clean plastic, leather, vinyl, rubber, upholstery and fabric components.
After the Wavex All Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser is prepared in a 1:5 ratio (1 part chemical and 5 parts water), it will be thoroughly sprayed on the wheels of the bike followed by its engine and chain. The degreaser will be allowed to sit on the sprayed surfaces for a couple of seconds. If required, one can take appropriate detailing brushes and scrub the area so as to ensure that the stubborn grime easily comes off along with the solution.
A detailer can inspect the wheels and paint of the bike and if they encounter the presence of iron contamination on the bike’s glossy painted surfaces and wheels, the detailer can use the Wavex Iron and Fallout Remover.
Wavex Iron and Fallout Remover acts as a decontaminator and is highly concentrated which is why auto detailers must always use this product whilst wearing detailing gloves and a face mask. The Wavex Iron and Fallout Remover is ready to use and shouldn’t be diluted.
The Iron and Fallout Remover reacts with the iron particles to create a purple colour. When the iron remover solution turns dark purple, thoroughly wash off the chemical with water (preferable while using a pressure washer). Post decontamination, a detailer will notice a stark difference between the contaminated and decontaminated bike and its paint/ wheels.
For bikes that are covered in bugs and other sorts of unwanted road film, the detailer who is detailing the bike will use the Wavex Bug and Tar Remover chemical which would be generously sprayed on the surfaces of the bike covered in bugs and dead insect residue.
The purpose of the Wavex Bug and Tar remover is cleaning the bikes that are covered in bug splatter, bug residue and fresh tar. This bug and tar remover will make bike cleaning absolutely easy and will not let bug residue or fresh tar spoil your bike’s paint finish.
While the Wavex Bug and Tar Remover drips down, we will prepare the Wavex Foam Cannon 3.0 that will be used for bike wash and bike cleaning.
The Wavex Foam Blaster Car Shampoo is a pH balanced, super suds infused bike wash and car wash shampoo that creates unbelievable foam that is snow like thick. It has a very pleasant fragrance which after bike wash, will leave the bike sparkling clean and smelling great! For bike wash and bike cleaning, it will be added to the foam cannon in a 1:9 foaming ratio (1 part shampoo and 9 parts water) whereas for touchless foam washing, it will be used in a 1:4 ratio (1 part shampoo and 4 parts water) which will then be attached to a really good pressure washer machine.
Now ideally, a good pressure washer machine should be something that is above 150 BARS pressure capacity with 200 BARS being the most desirable pressure capacity. Before the bike is foam washed, its silencer outlet must be sealed off with a microfiber cloth so as to ensure that no shampoo solution or water enters the bike’s silencer pipe which would then make it extremely difficult for the bike owner to start their bike.
Once that is done, the entire bike would be sprayed with the Wavex Foam Blaster Car Shampoo which like the previously used Wavex All Purpose Cleaner, would be allowed to drip down the entire bike’s surface. During this bike detailing and bike cleaning phase, the Wavex Foam Blaster Car Shampoo would take down any particles or contamination that were to come in its path furthermore, it would help loosen any stubborn or rigid dirt and grime while bike washing. The detailer who is detailing the bike must ensure that the foam solution is washed off before it dries or starts drying so as to ensure that no sort of hard water spots form on the bike’s paint.
After the bike wash and rinsing is done, the next step in bike detailing would be to prepare a washing bucket for round 2 of cleaning.
Most of you reading this are going to wonder what’s the need for a second wash after foam washing is? The answer to that is quite simple. A second round of bike wash using a bucket washing method would be done to ensure that if there are any leftover specs of dirt and dust, they would be effortlessly removed off as the Wavex Foam Blaster Car Shampoo would have already loosen them.
If a detailer while bike detailing was to directly begin bucket washing a bike, it would lead to creation of unnecessary swirls on the bike’s paint due to the friction that would be created on the painted surface because of the wash mitt glove and dust particles being rubbed against the paint.
The bucket wash method prescribed for bike detailing would be the 2 bucket wash method where both washing buckets will be filled with water and a grit guard would be placed inside each one of them. One bucket will only have plain water whilst the other would be prepped with a car wash shampoo such as the Wavex Wonder Wash Car Shampoo.
Wavex Wonder Wash Car and Bike Wash Shampoo is a specialised car and bike wash shampoo that is honey like thick and has a rich peach fragrance. While bike cleaning, it will leave the bike with a natural slick shine. It is pH neutral which means that it is not only safe you use on your bike but, it is also safe on your hands. The beauty of the Wonder Wash Shampoo is that since it is a thick shampoo that is infused with rich suds, you’ll only need to add 10-15 ml of this shampoo in a wash bucket filled with approximately 5 litres of water making it a great choice for bike cleaning and a value for money.
The Wavex Lamb Wool Wash Mitt will first be dipped into the shampoo solution while beginning the bike wash however, while re-fuelling the lamb wool wash mitt, it would be first dipped into the bucket consisting of the plain water so as to ensure that the shampoo solution doesn’t get contaminated. Once the bike has been thoroughly washed, it will be rinsed off with the assistance of plain water.
Pro Tip: Bikes are of two types i.e with glossy finish and with matte finish. For bikes that have a matte finish, it is only advised that during bike cleaning, a detailer foam washes and bucket washes the bike with the assistance of the Wavex Matte Wash Shampoo and not with the aforementioned car shampoos that are only recommended for glossy painted bikes.
After washing, the bike as per the above recommended bike cleaning methods, there will already be a great difference in the overall cleanliness and appearance of the bike. An auto detailer can then take the assistance of a blow dryer and a drying towel such as the Wavex Mighty Monster 1200 GSM Drying Towel to thoroughly dry the bike.
These steps will wrap up the first phase of bike detailing that is going to make your bike look like new.
Second phase of bike detailing to make your bike look like new
The second phase of bike detailing is going to be where the real fun part starts. This phase of bike detailing is going to be the part where the bike is given an actual ‘face lift’ or a sort of ‘beauty makeover’.
In general terms, this phase can also be described as a bike restoration phase!
To begin this phase of bike detailing, fist inspect the paint to check for any roughness. If you do in fact encounter any sort of roughness in the bike’s paint, start by lifting the roughness off the bike’s paint with the assistance of the Wavex Clay Bar and Clay Lubricant Spray.
Wavex Clay Bars are basically small blocks of clay whose job is to remove the tough and stubborn contamination that has been embedded in the bike’s paint for a while. It is going to be the first step in bike restoration as you would want to ensure that no imperfection is left behind in the bike’s paint.
Claying your bike is going to leave its paint with an absolutely smooth finish by removing all the roughness that was earlier present in the form of embedded contamination.
A small piece of the clay bar is broken and is kneaded into a flat figure after which it is generously sprayed with the Wavex Clay Lubricant Spray. The painted surfaces are also generously sprayed with the clay spray after which the flattened clay bar is gently glided in a linear motion on the glossy painted surfaces of the bike. Upon thoroughly claying and cleaning the bike’s paint, it would leave the painted surface of the bike with a pretty impressive smooth, silky finish that would be free from any sort of contamination.
The next step in the bike detailing and bike restoration would be paint correction. For this purpose, the auto detailer must inspect the bike’s paint to check for the presence of any swirls or hairline scratches. In case there are visible swirls or hairline scratches present on the bike’s paint, you would need to use Wavex’s range of rubbing compounds but before you do, select a very small glossy painted section of the bike to check which rubbing compound would be the best option for bike detailing and paint correction.
Wavex Auto Care offers professional paint correction compounds in the form of its RC series compounds that are namely:
Wavex RC1 Hard Cut Compound
Wavex RC2 Medium Cut Compound
Wavex RC3 Final Finish Compound
When talking about the RC1; it possesses a grit strength that it equal to a 1000 number sanding paper. The RC2 rubbing compound possesses a grit strength equal to a 2000 number sanding paper whereas, the RC3 rubbing compound has a grit strength equal to a 3000 number sanding paper.
An additional option in paint correction and polishing compounds is the Wavex One Step Polishing Compound which possesses partial properties of both the Wavex RC2 and RC3.
On the divided painted section of the bike you have selected, take a bright LED light and inspect the surface for the presence of any pre-existing swirls and scratches. Determine the level of imperfections by examining the surface thoroughly. In case of light swirls and hairline scratches but a very good overall paint condition, use the Wavex Final Finish Rubbing Compound. In case of a substantial amount of swirls and hairline scratches, test the compatibility of the Wavex One Step Polishing Compound and in case that doesn’t completely do the job, use the Wavex RC2 Medium Cut Rubbing Compound followed by the Wavex RC3 Rubbing Compound.
Now in a scenario where heavy paint correction is required, a detailer will have to use all three rubbing compounds i.e the RC1, 2 and 3 for the purpose of bike restoration/ paint restoration.
After the bike restoration phase through the use of paint correction rubbing compounds on the bike’s paint, a detailer will thoroughly clean the bike once again and for this phase of bike cleaning, the auto detailer will use the Wavex Coating Prep Spray which is a safer alternative to traditional IPA’s (Iso Propyl Alcohol) and possesses anti-static cleaning properties that will not only effectively clean the bike’s surfaces but will also ensure that no unwanted particle settles on the bike’s surfaces during bike detailing.
So if you’re still here, you’ve thus far covered the following points of bike detailing:
Bike Care
Bike Wash
Bike Cleaning
Bike Maintenance
Bike Restoration
And here onwards comes the fun part in the form of Bike Protection/ Bike Polishing. This phase will require you to use the Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating and the Wavex Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating.
The Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating is a sort of semi- permanent coating that is multi- surface compatible which means that it can be applied to a bike’s paint, headlights, chrome, wheels, plastic, fibre, etc. When this coating is properly applied to a bike by an auto detailer, its effects can last up to a couple of years offering, protection against UV rays, water, fouling, frost, heat and more.
The Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating kit comes with a 30 ml coating bottle, microfiber applicator pad and a microfiber towel. The coating is poured drop by drop on the applicator pad and is evenly applied to the bike in an even and linear motion ensuring that the applied coating is uniform and that no areas are left out. Before the coating starts drying, it would be evened out with the assistance of the microfiber towel that comes with the ceramic coating kit.
Generally, 30 ml is sufficient for coating a hatchback car which means that the 30ml solution can be used to give the bike 2 or even 3 layers of coat however, a detailer must remember that a subsequent coat should only be applied after a gap of 4 hours from when the first layer of coating is applied.
After the application and proper curing of the Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating, an auto detailer could use the Wavex Ceramic Spray Coating as a coating topper for added gloss and ceramic coating protection. The point to remember when using the Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating is that it should only be used an applied when the Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating has completely dried. It would be of no use to apply the Wavex Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating if the 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating is still wet/ healing.
The application method of the Wavex Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating is the same as the Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating with the exception that it has to be sprayed on to the coating applicator pad and then evenly applied across the surfaces of the bike.
Ceramic coating offers bike protection and makes bike maintenance and bike care extremely easy in the long run. The thing that auto detailers should remember to explain to their clients before handing them over the bike is that:
- Water contact should be avoided for at least 7 days
- Washing with shampoos should only be done after 12-15 days and that too with the assistance of the Wavex Graphene Ceramic Wash Shampoo
- No auto care chemicals should be applied to the ceramic-coated bike for at least 20 days after coating.
After the ‘complete’ curing of ceramic coating i.e after a span of 20 days, bike waxing or bike polishing (to put it in common words) should only be done with the assistance of the Wavex Maxximus Graphene Ceramic Paste Wax. Bike waxing at regular intervals with the assistance of Maxximus Paste Wax will ensure that the ceramic coating stays in prime condition for a very long time.
While bike waxing or bike polishing, the bike owner must always remember to only apply it and use it on a bike’s glossy painted surfaces, chrome components and headlights or better yet, the auto detailer who has done the complete bike cleaning, bike wash, bike restoration, bike detailing and bike protection can offer their client to get the Wavex Maxximus Graphene Ceramic Paste Wax Applied to their bike at their detailing studio after an interval of every 3-4 weeks.
If you’re still here then we’d like to tell you that you are awesome and we’re sure that you’ve come out of reading this in-depth article much more experienced in bike wash, bike cleaning, bike care, bike detailing, bike maintenance, bike polishing, bike waxing, bike protection and bike restoration.
In case you who has read this article is not a detailer and would like to go for a complete bike detailing process then you should simply speak to your trusted auto detailer or simply search for something like ‘bike detailing near me’ and you’d probably be recommended some really great experienced auto detailers who could do bike detailing as well.
Still have a lot of questions in mind? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Simply speak to our technical product advisors from Mon-Sat 10:00 – 17:00 on our toll free number 1800 274 0076.
Shop for all the above-recommended products online from our official website- www.wavex.in
Happy Bike Detailing!!!
