Topic: am I strange because my bike is clean but not real shiny?

[Retro Rocket]

So I searched "patina motorcycle" on google, I found this, haha.

have a look at the tread on that rear tyre,its disgusting.

Good to see you are past your first beer Dave.....

Mick

[Grnrngr]

Looks OK for summertime..  heck..a couple shots of starter fluid and put the battery on the charger overnite..you could do some flat trackin tomorrow...

[dave500]

i like to keep mine clean and shiny "enough"i dont panic if it gets a bit of road grime,polishing alloy can be a labour of love,i just dont let it get too far from easily cleaned again.,i could fit a few beers and ice in that tin box on the back,i wonder if the shocks on that will prevent the beer from foaming up?

[Bluegreen]

I'm in the same boat, my bike is kept clean, all the aluminium gets a Mothers bath once a year but it has never looked showroom new. She's 40 and I have no problems with her looking that way. I'm more intersted in having new tires, seals, oil...

[trueblue]

I'm currently doing a full strip/paint and refit on my bike, while it is in pieces and I can get to them I am polishing a fair bit of the alloy, the main reason for the strip is the frame was rather rusty (all surface) and I dont trust the drunken bum of a PO that I bought the bike off of to not have stuffed anything up, so far I have found carbies float levels all over the shop after he had "fixed" them, brake calipers on the wrong sides (which put the bleeders at the bottom) front wheel in wrong way round, he couldn't figure out why the speedo cable wouldn't fit properly    indicator wires have been cut off back at the main harness, dunno what he was trying to achieve here, I want this bike to be reliable and in good nick because once it is finished I intend to ride the arse off of it, I am pretty certain that once I get it on the road within 12 months it will look much the way it did when I bought it, but for now it is looking shiny

[wardenerd]

hate to admit it but I did the calipers upside down on the wrong side too.  Can not be bled that way no matter how much you try and boy do you feel stupid when somebody points it out.

[MoMo]

Don't the calipers go upside down if you live in Australia? ....Larry

[trueblue]

Don't the calipers go upside down if you live in Australia? ....Larry

Oh Ok, so they are supposed to be that way up, I'll have to remember that when I reassemble it  The other beauty I forgot to mention  before is that he had also "fixed" the calipers because they were stuck, he pulled the pistons out of the calipers with vise grips on the seal surface, cleaned out the seal grooves with something that leaves marks like a cold chisel, then wondered why the left caliper (which was on the right side) started to leak even though there was no piston seal in there, I dunno but I dont think I had to do my mechanic apprenticeship to figure out why that one was leaking.

[fasturd]

I have to admit I am a sucker for nice patina...

I like ridden hard put away wet but I like a bike that is detailed to the nines also. I guess thats why I have 13 of them right now.

[florence]

Shining and polishing is for people with too much time on their hands.  I like to ride my bike, never clean it and use oil and grease to keep the worst of the rust at bay.

With the after-market exhaust and air filters it runs better than stock and I don't have to put up with the standard ugly and heavy 4-4 system.

[Gordon]

Shining and polishing is for people with too much time on their hands.  I like to ride my bike, never clean it and use oil and grease to keep the worst of the rust at bay.

You seem to be of the mind that it's an all-or-nothing choice.  Like you either clean and polish or you ride, not both.  I keep my K1 clean and pretty well-polished most of the time, and I also use it as my main mode of transportation.  My 550, on the other hand, is my dirty bike with a torn seat and rust-holed exhaust.   I like the way they both look.

[Retro Rocket]

Shining and polishing is for people with too much time on their hands.  I like to ride my bike, never clean it and use oil and grease to keep the worst of the rust at bay.

You seem to be of the mind that it's an all-or-nothing choice.  Like you either clean and polish or you ride, not both.  I keep my K1 clean and pretty well-polished most of the time, and I also use it as my main mode of transportation.  My 550, on the other hand, is my dirty bike with a torn seat and rust-holed exhaust.   I like the way they both look.

Not to mention that it will be easier to maintain and last longer if kept clean.....

Mick

[dhall57]

I enjoy cleaning my CB750. It helps me relieve some stess. I would rather ride a clean bike than a dirty one. Besides these classic SOHC 4 deserve to be kept clean a standing tall.

[tlbranth]

I'm the same way. Once in a blue moon I'll pull out some wax and chrome polish but that's rare. I prefer my women without make up, that goes for bikes too.

and bra-less?

[Stev-o]

Shining and polishing is for people with too much time on their hands.  I like to ride my bike, never clean it and use oil and grease to keep the worst of the rust at bay.

You seem to be of the mind that it's an all-or-nothing choice.  Like you either clean and polish or you ride, not both.  I keep my K1 clean and pretty well-polished most of the time, and I also use it as my main mode of transportation.  My 550, on the other hand, is my dirty bike with a torn seat and rust-holed exhaust.   I like the way they both look.

Not to mention that it will be easier to maintain and last longer if kept clean.....

Mick

And most likely, worth more if [heaven forbid] you have to sell it. I like 'em shiny!

[seaweb11]

Shining and polishing is for people with too much time on their hands.  I like to ride my bike, never clean it and use oil and grease to keep the worst of the rust at bay.

You seem to be of the mind that it's an all-or-nothing choice.  Like you either clean and polish or you ride, not both.  I keep my K1 clean and pretty well-polished most of the time, and I also use it as my main mode of transportation.  My 550, on the other hand, is my dirty bike with a torn seat and rust-holed exhaust.   I like the way they both look.

Not to mention that it will be easier to maintain and last longer if kept clean.....

Mick

And most likely, worth more if [heaven forbid] you have to sell it. I like 'em shiny!

Pride of ownership

[Stev-o]

Shining and polishing is for people with too much time on their hands.  I like to ride my bike, never clean it and use oil and grease to keep the worst of the rust at bay.

You seem to be of the mind that it's an all-or-nothing choice.  Like you either clean and polish or you ride, not both.  I keep my K1 clean and pretty well-polished most of the time, and I also use it as my main mode of transportation.  My 550, on the other hand, is my dirty bike with a torn seat and rust-holed exhaust.   I like the way they both look.

Not to mention that it will be easier to maintain and last longer if kept clean.....

Mick

And most likely, worth more if [heaven forbid] you have to sell it. I like 'em shiny!

Pride of ownership

Good point. But, some guys are quite proud of there rat bikes [I don't get it].

[Popwood]

The whole question, why should it matter? Some people like wrenchin', some like polishin', and some like ridin', some like it all. Yeah, I like 'em to look nice, but perfect? Perfect would take the fun out for me and, as they say, "perfect is the enemy of good." Personally, wrenchin' for reliability trumps trumps shiny every time.

[Bluegreen]

The whole question, why should it matter? Some people like wrenchin', some like polishin', and some like ridin', some like it all. Yeah, I like 'em to look nice, but perfect? Perfect would take the fun out for me and, as they say, "perfect is the enemy of good." Personally, wrenchin' for reliability trumps trumps shiny every time.

Yup, shiny chrome really has nothing to do with matience.

Like the OP I keep my clean, and well maintained. Bt there are people who shine thses things up shinier than when they left Japan, if tht's your thing, awesome. Just not for me.

[florence]

My bike is very well maintained, I just like the patina of age.  I don't have anything against people shining their bikes, each to their own but I do get cross with people using their bikes as an investment because it prices the rest of us out of the market.

I am very proud of the look of my bike; it was recently used for a fashion shoot for London Fashion Week.  Had it been shiny it would not have been used.

[fastbroshi]

Florence if I rode a bike over there I'd probably be lazy about the polishing and cleaning too.  You guys are fighting a losing battle over there, lol.   

[egar]

Short answer: yes you are strange. 

[Damfino]

I like both, clean and well running. Unfortunately, I'm better at the cleaning part than the mechanical part...

[seanbarney41]

In the world of car culture, you serial polishers are known as "trailer queens".  Not much point in spending money on a bike so you can put it on a trailer and haul it to vintage bike show.

[BruceDeuce]

Shining and polishing is for people with too much time on their hands.  I like to ride my bike, never clean it and use oil and grease to keep the worst of the rust at bay.

With the after-market exhaust and air filters it runs better than stock and I don't have to put up with the standard ugly and heavy 4-4 system.

I thought that people who sit in forums and talk about their bike have too much time on their hands. I pretty much dont care wether the next man cleans his bike or doesn't. If ya want to ride a bike that looks like crap more power to ya!