[Ishabaka]

I have to admit I am not a detailing fanatic. I bought my scooter as my primary for of transportation, not to polish after every time I ride (I have a friend with a highly modified Fat Boy who does exactly that - and he thinks my Majesty is cool :lol: )
This if for cleaning the nooks and crannies, like the radiator grill and in amongst the hand controls:
buy three paint brushes for WATER based paint (oil based paintbrushes turn to mush in water). A 3" 2" and 1" are good. Cut the bristles about 1/2 off. Wrap the ferrule (the metal part that holds the handle to the bristles) with a couple of wraps of duct tape. It's amazing what you can get clean with these brushes and a bucket of water and cleanser - the duct tape is so the metal ferrules don't scratch anything.
I have to admit this is not my idea: it came from this book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/087938 ... e&n=283155
This book is written by a guy who probably clinically insane - he states near the beginning it should take two full days to WASH a bike - that doesn't including polishing, waxing, anything else. Thats for naked bikes and faired bikes (he belives you should take the fairing pieces off and wash the insides!!!).
Anyways, I will never be like him but he has 1,001 hints and tips on how to better and easier wash your scooter/motorcycle.
One more example - at first I thought this was insane - he tells you to take out the manufacturers tool kit and wipe the tools down with WD-40 and the plastic kit with Armor-All. I thought "You gotta be kidding" but then he said factory tool kits are rarely needed, but when you need one you probably REALLY need it - don't want to pull out a case full of rusted - together tools.
There is a companion book for cars:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/087938 ... nce&n=5174
One more story from the auto book - two teams were tied in a Concours D'Elegance. The author's team had a Porsche 940. Finally the judges opened the air cleaner housings - the other team had DUST around the air intake, the author's team had Armor-Alled the inside of the whole thing. :?

 

[PCM84]

That is too wild. I work hard NOT to be anal about my bikes. It's my natural inclination to want things to be perfect -- which I dont' consider a noble inclination at all. So I hose down my bikes regularly and let them patina.

That said, the tips are useful.

 

[Blexcroid]

One more example - at first I thought this was insane - he tells you to take out the manufacturers tool kit and wipe the tools down with WD-40 and the plastic kit with Armor-All. I thought "You gotta be kidding" but then he said factory tool kits are rarely needed, but when you need one you probably REALLY need it - don't want to pull out a case full of rusted - together tools.

Great idea. How many of us have washed a brand new tool to "get the greasy gunk off" before storing it? Nerver realised the gunk was to prevent rusting!!

 

[calgary2800]

My location doesnt allow a bike to be clean too often.

 

[Ishabaka]

Plastic welding has been around for 10-15 years now and is finally available cheap. It's like stick welding steel - you have a welding gun which blows hot air - you need an air compressor but because it only needs 1-2 psi you can use a little portable 12 volt tire inflator - you don't need a big honkin shop compressor. You heat the plastic part that is broken and melt a rod of the same plastic where you want to fix a crack or build up an area that has been broken off. The kit comes with different rods for different types of plastic. Then you can sand the weld after it has cooled if it will be visible. This is supposed to work great for broken tupperware but until now kits have been pretty pricey.
"Motorcycle Consumer News" this month tested the Chicago Electric kit - they fixed an air box bolt tab from a Ducati that was cracked and had a piece broken off - and they said it was great. And the kit is only $30 - I hadn't seen a kit for under $200 before.
In case you don't know, Chicago Electric are Taiwanese made tools sold by Harbour Freight - some are good and some are really junk. I'm getting one myself. $4.99 for a pack of 50 extra welding rods.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=41592

 

[spirilis]

Wow, that isn't bad at all!

I have a 1/2" drive impact wrench (Earthquake) and 3/8" air ratchet from harbor freight. They work very well. I got a pneumatic saw though and it is complete junk (leaks air all the time when it's hooked up). It's hit or miss with Harbor Freight's quality.

 

[Ishabaka]

Yeah, spirilis, that's been my experience too - some tools that work just fine and some that break the first time you use them. On the other hand you are paying 1/10th. the Snap-On price....
"Motorcycle Consumer News" is my Bible - they take no advertising.
They review stuff and if it is junk they say it is junk. Everything I've ever bought that they recommended has been good. They're "Consumer Reports" for the motorcycle world. In the same issue they reviewed the 2007 Ducati GT 1000 and said it had "very bothersome vibration" from the engine "For the first 10 miles it vibrated so badly during cruising that one tester suggested it felt like a 250cc single about to grenade" - "Cycle World" or "Motorcyclist" would never tell you that - they want the Ducati advertising $$$ - nice to know - it's a $10,000 bike.

 

[Black Sheep]

Plastic welding has been around for 10-15 years now and is finally available cheap. It's like stick welding steel - you have a welding gun which blows hot air - you need an air compressor but because it only needs 1-2 psi you can use a little portable 12 volt tire inflator - you don't need a big honkin shop compressor. You heat the plastic part that is broken and melt a rod of the same plastic where you want to fix a crack or build up an area that has been broken off...

Am I missing something??? What's this in response to? Kind of neat to know, but it seems to have come out of left field...