Then we need rub the surface over with some Vienna lime to remove any residual polishing soap, grease or finger marks and the job’s a good’un as they say. All that’s left to do is possibly give the readily oxidisable surface coating of protective wax polish and it’s time to move onto the next job. Sharp eyed readers will note I’ve not polished out the marks in the top face of the carb cover. As the intended bike has a patina of wear I’ve elected not to go over the top but rather carry out a sympathetic refurbishment. What we're looking to do here is remove the dirt from within the paintwork. I say within, because the finish on your bodywork is very much a three-dimensional. We're looking to get a deeper clean. It’s nearly time to get polishing, but first you will need to apply a good amount of alloy wheel brightener. This product is designed brighten the aluminium and alloy parts, plus is a great product for removing brake dust. Apply an Alloy Polish of Choice It’s quite viable to polish the odd piece of alloy by hand using any one of the well-known metal polishes. The results are eminently acceptable and it’s a viable method for small articles or one offs. However, if you have a number of parts to shine, a set of mops makes a lot sense. Select below from our great range of Pro-Max Metal Polishing Compounds ideal for use on aluminium, alloy, brass, copper, steel, stainless steel and chrome.

When you rinse the bodywork for the second time, you should notice the water 'heet' off the bodywork and even on non-polished surfaces, it will bead up. If it does, this is a good sign of well cleaned bodywork. It's important to dry off your bike. Some people recommend a micro-fibre drying cloth over a chamois, but I use a chamois. The main mistake I used to make was to fold up the chamois into four and then scrub at the bodywork to soak up water. You don't need to do this and all you'll do is rub any remaining grit across the surface, causing hairline scratches. Take your chamois and lay it across surfaces like your tank, take it off, wring out the chamois and repeat. On vertical surfaces, you can pat dry the surface, again, helping to reduce hairline scratches. You may be left with a small film of water or a few beads, but this is fine, they'll evaporate. As with all things the amount of energy expended on a job dictates how good the results will be; it’s not all about how hard you polish though. The annoying phrase…don’t work harder, work smarter….is very appropriate when it comes to polishing.Metal polishing compound is used to remove surface imperfections, oxidation, and tarnish from metal surfaces, thereby restoring their shine and luster. It is commonly used in various industries, such as automotive, jewellery, manufacturing, and metalworking. You could make this process take longer by working in a dedicated polish and then applying a wax/sealant, but after trying this myself, I could not notice much difference. The Zymol cleaner wax is seriously good stuff, giving the bike an incredibly deep, three-dimensional shine. When new, engine covers of Japanese machines were either polished and lacquered or painted. Add time, stone chips and ultraviolet light and the coating breaks down. Add in some road salt and the alloy starts to fester away gradually delaminating more of the protective coating to a point where the casting grows a furry grey overcoat. If there’s a fair amount of polishing to do it makes sense to do it outside and have sufficient mops and buffing soap on hand. Always allow more time than you think the job will take if you’re new to this and aim to finish a certain number parts with the final calico mop rather than do all the roughing out in one hit. Firstly you can then do something else next time rather than get terminally bored with a bike’s worth of polishing. Secondly you get to see some genuine results for one days work rather than moving from dull grey to slightly brighter grey. Another option is to use one of the more aggressive abrasive kits with either satine mops or abrasive polishes. However, remember that whilst these abrasive processes will remove overt damage they are also marking undamaged alloy. Because we are dealing with abrasive there will be a need to remove the fine scratches imparted on the alloy by the process.

Avoid using abrasive cleaning products, as they will harm the quality and longevity of the alloys. Find our favourite alloy wheel cleaners here.Take your Meguiars Hot Rims wheel cleaner, set the nozzle to spread the spray and give your pre-rinsed wheels a good coating with the wheel cleaner. It really is fantastic stuff and is safe for bare metal, alloys, lacquer, powder-coated and painted wheels. If you discover damage to your alloys when polishing your alloy wheels. ChipsAway specialists can repair the damage in a matter of hours so your wheels look as good as new again. After polishing, the residue of the compound is typically wiped off, and the metal surface may be further buffed or cleaned to achieve the desired shine. Different types of metal polishing compounds are available, each formulated for specific metals and applications. It's important to select a compound appropriate for the type of metal you are working with to avoid potential damage. I've chosen Zymol cleaner wax to accompany the Zymol car shampoo used earlier. It's now strictly a polish, but it is a wax polish, and by far the best one I've used to get a deep shine. Before you can begin polishing alloy wheels, they must be thoroughly washed to remove any road dirt and debris. Follow our step by step guide on how to wash alloy wheels here. For best results, we recommend using a specific alloy wheel cleaner, car shampoo will only remove the surface dirt from the wheel.

When you polish a painted surface, you're removing miniscule layers of paint and in doing so you're creating a smoother surface, free from scratches and swirls. With a motorcycle's bodywork, unless you're very skilled with a polisher, it is best to polish by hand. Alloy wheels add style and substance to any vehicle, but alloys can get pretty dirty and fade overtime, especially if you do a lot of miles. Its important to care for the alloys as you would care for the car’s paintwork. To keep alloys looking as good as they should, they should be regularly polished to maintain the finish.Here I’m using gelled aerosol type stripper which clings to vertical surfaces while it does its job. If this happens you will see parallel tram lines along the surface that will show up on the finished item. The sisal mop is used until the work piece is uniformly buffed and further polishing doesn’t enhance the sheen. I’m also using a second cut file to carefully shave off any big dings while still preserving the original profiled and then redressing as above. By using progressively finer abrasives (whether by hand or on a mop) it should, with time, be possible to get surface that will readily polish up to an acceptable level. Finally, unless you have a workshop area you can dedicate to polishing it’s probably best to do it outside; it’s inevitably a messy process and you don’t want the debris all over your bikes or work area. ON THE MOPS To use a metal polishing compound, you apply a small amount of the paste to a soft cloth or polishing wheel and then gently rub it onto the metal surface in a circular motion. The abrasive particles in the compound work to remove scratches, oxidation, and other blemishes from the metal, while the lubricating properties of the binding agent or wax help to prevent further damage to the surface. It’s also worth investing in a kit that comes with the smaller dolly mops (1”, 1 ½” & 2”) as these can be a godsend. The larger mops cannot get into recesses or tight spaces but the smaller mops can get into the nooks and crannies. Don’t throw a dolly mop away until you’re absolutely sure it’s beyond use; it’s guaranteed that you will need a worn down 1” version the minute you bin it. KEEPING IT IN PERSPECTIVE