I've had my 08' Raven 1300A now going on 2 months and have only one complaint with the bike - the paint/clear coat seems very soft, and seems to scratch by just looking at it sideways. I realize any gloss black is hard to keep looking nice, but do any of you have any favored products for protecting the finish and keeping the appearance of minor clear coat scratches to a minimum?
Paint Care
- Thread starter Fly4hire
- Start date
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GL4435
Well-known member
Klasse Acrylic glaze ... imported from Germany ... fantastic deep mirror like shine, and it doesn't attract dust like wax. Especially impressive on black.
monk69
Well-known member
dwhartwell
Well-known member
3M makes a great sealant that runs about $14 at wally-world
El Toro
Innocent Bystander
Honda Cleaner & Polish is great stuff for detailing and making things look pretty. Its not too expensive. For a while Honda parted company with the actual manufacturer, but the Honda dealers wanted the product so much, they continued to buy direct. Honda has reintroduced the product with their badge. This product doesn't offer much protection, but it sure is a quick and easy way to make stuff sparkle.
Meguiar's makes great general products for surface care, and their cleaner & wax is very good. A few coats of Meguiar's will give you pretty good protection against most things that hit your painted parts. Meguiar's stuff is modestly priced and available at AutoZone and similar stores.
Meguiar's makes great general products for surface care, and their cleaner & wax is very good. A few coats of Meguiar's will give you pretty good protection against most things that hit your painted parts. Meguiar's stuff is modestly priced and available at AutoZone and similar stores.
n1acguy
Well-known member
I need to wax mine, but I clean the murdered bugs off after every ride with Pledge and a micro fiber cloth.
typ0
Member
I use NuFinish.
El Toro
Innocent Bystander
Really there are a lot of fine products out there and they'll all do a good job. Just be sure whatever you use is clearcoat safe.... and I've even been able to skate around this one in small areas on the right saddle bag when removing boot marks. I've used Meguiar's PlastiX which is for windshield and headlight lens polishing, and with a careful light touch, I've had good success.
EPA requirement changes have affected all mfgr's paints. I've found it true even on my cars. It seems to take longer for the new paints to harden. When compared to old-school 50-layer laquers, it's even worse; there's no way to bug out a scratch that only goes to layer 20.
Give it 6 months (with at least some of them being summer) and the paint will harden up noticably. In the mean time, be careful about things that rub on the paint. My guess would be that some plastic covers might slow/hard the cure process, so perhaps a good, recurring waxing will help?
Give it 6 months (with at least some of them being summer) and the paint will harden up noticably. In the mean time, be careful about things that rub on the paint. My guess would be that some plastic covers might slow/hard the cure process, so perhaps a good, recurring waxing will help?
HotRodZilla
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Actually, if the issue is that the paint/clearcoat has not dried completely, DO NOT wax it with any silicone type wax. It will prevent the paint from curing and you will forever have soft paint. If you think this is your issue, call a bodyshop. Many use a special protective coating that does not slow/stop the curing process.
El Toro
Innocent Bystander
The likelihood that the bike's paint isn't cured yet would seem quite small. Its nearly 11/08 right now. I'll bet they haven't made any 08's for shipment to the US in a pretty good while.
ridepastu
Member
From what everyone else mentioned are good examples. However, what I use is "plexus". It leaves a slight oilly residue so the paint does not fade, protects it from acid (love bug) from bugs and hides swirl scratches. You have to apply when bike is clean with a clean cloth not a paper towel. You will be amazed with the finish.
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