Author Topic: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?  (Read 1418 times)

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Offline cb350twin

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how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« on: June 02, 2008, 05:20:09 PM »
Just wondering how long everyone spends polishing up your chrome & making your bike nice and cute ;)
1975 CB 750 K5
1972 CB 350 Twin K4
1972 CB 500 Four K1

Offline mlinder

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2008, 05:21:37 PM »
Almost none.

Too busy riding it.
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Offline BlindJoe

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2008, 05:24:47 PM »
Do you mean maintaining it or getting it back to a maintainable state? It takes me about 15 min to polish the chrome and aluminum on my stock 550k3  using honda cleaner and mothers polish.

Offline Gordon

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2008, 05:27:04 PM »
I usually give each of mine a really good clean and polish once a year.  Other than that it's just a quick wash every few months for the 750.  The 550 is left to collect dirt and road grime for the majority of the year.  I kind of like it better when it's dirty.

Offline Jonesy

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2008, 05:49:30 PM »
The only time I really go over and clean everything is in late fall before I store the bike away (dirt holds moisture, which leads to corrosion) or if I take it to a bike show.

(What's sad is I know some guys who measure how much chrome they have in hours...)
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Offline mlinder

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2008, 05:51:07 PM »
I ride every day, year 'round. Just don't have time to do more than give a quick 20 minute wash every year or so :/
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Offline nickjtc

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2008, 05:55:04 PM »
Depends on whether I'm planning on riding a country mile or a regular mile. Polishing: 0 time. Cleaning: about 15 minutes, after she's been ridden in the rain.
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okie

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2008, 06:07:23 PM »
I don't know.  I'm not finished yet.   ;) ;)

If you asked my friends, they would probably tell you that my hobby isn't motorcycling;  it is POLISHING!!!  I have 2 bench grinders.  One has a fine grinding wheel on one end and a very fine wire wheel on the other.  The 2nd bench grinder has cloth polishing wheels on both ends.  I have Brasso, Flitz, Wenol, Mother's Metal Polish, Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and the secret stuff (which I won't tell you about) in the cabinet near my work area. Then there is the assortment of compounds, clays, polishes, waxes, sealers and conditioners for the painted surfaces. You gotta' have the correct cleaners and conditioners for the seat.  More (but different) cleaners and conditioners for the tires.  Windex for the instruments.  Most of these chemicals require brushes, spray bottles, paper towels, Q-tips, old towels, old t-shirts, micro-fiber polishing rags, and more to apply and remove. As you can see, just keeping track of all of the cleaning and polishing supplies is nearly a full-time job.  I actually put off some of the polishing duties to take a little ride this afternoon.  Of course, THAT got more dirt and crud on the motorcycle, so now I have even more cleaning and polishing to do.  All of that riding is really counter-productive.  Trust me when I tell you, polishing is where it's at.

Offline kirkn

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #8 on: June 02, 2008, 06:08:44 PM »
Ditto what mlinder and Gordon have said.

To busy riding.  Well, commuting anyway.   :)

Kirk

Offline Klark Kent

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #9 on: June 02, 2008, 06:15:18 PM »
depends on how often it rains, or how often i ride through the woods at dusk, I feel too guilty to not get the crud off after she gets me through a downpour in one piece, or leave acidic bug corpses stuck to her for too long. 
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Offline Burke

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #10 on: June 02, 2008, 06:54:48 PM »
Until I run out of beer ;D

One good wash and clean per year. About 4 hours per bike.
Other than that a quick rinse and once over with the spray polish, about 20 mins per wash, When needed.

Now "Improving" the appearance is another story. Polishing a non polished surfaces or stripping and polishing is very time consuming. And requires much more beer.

Offline mattcb350f

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #11 on: June 02, 2008, 06:56:32 PM »
I rode my bike in the rain last week for the first time.

After, I took the tank, seat and side covers off it and cleaned it top to bottom with soap and water and then polished all the shiny bits.  :P

Took me about an hour and a half.

I suppose this is because It looks sooooo good when there's not a spec of dirt on it  ;D

If I didn't spend all winter restoring it I probably wouldn't care......... as much.

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jsaab2748

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #12 on: June 02, 2008, 07:16:27 PM »
About an hour and a half each time, sometimes every weekend. It keeps the thing looking good and close to the way it was when restored five years ago. Only ride in rain when I get caught in it.
It never sees cold weather. Doing a test to see how long I can make a set of 341s last. 5 years and 20,000 miles so far. I am very picky. Always parked out of the sun. The oe paint still hasn't faded much at all. I was lucky enough to find it pretty well cared for by it's previous 2 owners. I just brought it up a few levels. Favorite rides are when it looks like new goin down the road. Not perfect, but floats my boat :)

Offline seaweb11

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #13 on: June 02, 2008, 08:10:36 PM »
Seems every time I clean and shine them up we get rained on the next day ???

Offline Steve F

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #14 on: June 02, 2008, 08:48:22 PM »
I may spend two hours a month during the riding season, and touch her up before I show or before a gathering.  I won't ride in the rain if I can help it, so that keeps the cleaning time to a minimum.

fuzzybutt

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #15 on: June 02, 2008, 08:51:40 PM »
i wash it once a year, to get the accumulated dirt and road grime. that was before all the time and effort painting and polishing the entire motorcycle. likely will spend alot more time now.

Offline putnaja1

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #16 on: June 02, 2008, 09:28:09 PM »
Am I the only geek who doesn't like his bikes to see water whatsoever?  I 'wash' a bike by cleaning it with WD-40 and paper towels..  Then I wax the frame, tank, panels, etc.  Chrome polish on engine, exhaust, other metal parts.   I probably only do one good cleaning a year (over the winter in the garage), and then spot clean for the rest of the year.

Of course, now that I'm in-between motorcycles, it's just not the same to clean my mountain bike this way!  :)

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Offline kghost

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #17 on: June 02, 2008, 09:32:15 PM »
Well the black 750 is all chrome and powdercoat...so I spray it all over with simple green, hose it off, and wipe off the water spots.

Polishing? Its faster to build another one.  ;D

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Offline tramp

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #18 on: June 03, 2008, 03:45:03 AM »
Almost none.

Too busy riding it.

same same
1974 750k

Offline dpen

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Re: how long do you spend polishing up your you bike?
« Reply #19 on: June 03, 2008, 04:23:45 AM »
EH???? what is this word "polish"????
  Redbacks don't like it

Say no to chrome!!!!!