Swirl remover for Harely Davidson soft paint

[dietdewboy]

Hey Guys, I dont know if anyone had had the privilege of work on a Vivid Black Harley but holy crap does this paint suck! Its soft, scratches super easy and all in all is a joke for what these bikes cost.
My bike is pretty swirled up, has some small scratches and just doesn't look that great for a bike with 6000 miles on it. my plan is to use a swirl remover maybe m205 then Klasse AIO a couple coats of Klasse sealant followed by a coat of Corrilite 845.
I have a GG polisher equipped with a 3" backing plate and all 3 colors of Hydro-Tech pads.

Am I in the ball park or should I use something different?

[TLMitchell]

Hey Guys, I dont know if anyone had had the privilege of work on a Vivid Black Harley but holy crap does this paint suck! Its soft, scratches super easy and all in all is a joke for what these bikes cost.

Do a search on "Vivid Black" on most any Detailing Forum or on HDForum and you'll find a whole slew of my posts.

My bike is pretty swirled up, has some small scratches and just doesn't look that great for a bike with 6000 miles on it. my plan is to use a swirl remover maybe m205 then Klasse AIO a couple coats of Klasse sealant followed by a coat of Corrilite 845.
I have a GG polisher equipped with a 3" backing plate and all 3 colors of Hydro-Tech pads.

I started experimenting with M205 and worked up to 105 using white & orange LC 4" pads. 105 looked great and finished OK but left some hazing. I couldn't get 205 to finish no-how, no-way using every finishing and polishing pad I had. What looked pretty good under the halogens had micromarring in direct sun or under the Brinkmann.

What model? On my dresser I found the fiberglass would finish great regardless of what I used. The tin on the tank was the most problematic. I came to the conclusion since the tin comes out of York and the fiberglass is done in Tomahawk, WI there's obviously a different process. I also learned the tanks have clear powdercoat vs traditional clearcoat, possibly to deal with the possibility of fuel spills.

If you have a tank console it'll be easier to work with it removed. Tape and cover anything and everything... trying to get to the splattered dots in nooks & crannies is a royal pain, especially if you get it on wrinkle black cases.

I've found regardless of polishing doing the opposite of what you'd expect works best with this soft clear. I use a mild cutting pad for finishing polishes and a finishing pad with M105. I worked 85RD for a long, long time using white LC to get it perfect. You may get good results with the tangerine H2O pad & 205 but I'd be pleasantly surprised if you don't see micromarring in direct sun. However, once you get what you can live with I'd advise skipping multiple LSPs... the more you touch it the more you're asking for grief. I'd go straight to whatever you're gonna use as a final protection.

Regardless, work in very small areas. Get a test spot perfect before moving to a larger area. I yank the seat and use a narrow strip towards the rear of the tank for test spots. That's usually where you're going to find the worst finish anyway due to rubbing against it with your leg.

Someoneoranother, I think it was on MOL, used the new Meg's MF system with great results. After using it on my truck I think the D301 Compound and cutting pads will work excellent on this paint. Reports indicate the Finishing pads don't work so well on soft finishes. If I recall correctly, he used a LC white polishing pad with the D301 Finishing Wax with great results.

Getting rid of the swirls is only half of the problem... avoiding putting them back merely by wiping off polish or wax residue is nearly impossible. When I'm ready to wipe I use a high lubricity QD and the softest Waffle Weave microfibers I have. Every soft, plush MF with any nap at all imparted new swirls. If you feel the need to wipe off dust or light road grime plan on doing the same. You can get it perfect if you're absolutely obsessed but it isn't going to stay that way long. Rub a leg or fuel hose against the tank and you're gonna leave a mark. Best cleaning up spot areas by hand. Dealers have a black tube of H-D Swirl and Scratch Remover that I always suspected was repackaged Scratch X v1... the original very mild formula that Meg's discontinued. It works well by hand but you have to work the dininishing abrasives for a long, long time to get the best results.

Have fun and wear a hat so you don't tear your hair out.

TL

[dietdewboy]

Thanks for the input TLMitchel, I remember an article you wrote over on hdforums a while back about vivid black. I've been a member there for years. You where experimenting with Ultimate compound, glaze and Glare polish. It was very informative, As I recall you weren't too pleased with the results.

So you think the Meg's mf kit might work? I was going to order one for my wifes 02 RAV4 but thought it was to aggressive for my road king. LC white pad with the 301?
thanks again for all your help.

[TLMitchell]

Thanks for the input TLMitchel, I remember an article you wrote over on hdforums a while back about vivid black. I've been a member there for years. You where experimenting with Ultimate compound, glaze and Glare polish. It was very informative, As I recall you weren't too pleased with the results.

I was still grabbing at straws at that point.

So you think the Meg's mf kit might work? I was going to order one for my wifes 02 RAV4 but thought it was to aggressive for my road king. LC white pad with the 301?

After using the cutting pad and D300 and seeing the results on my truck I think it'll work excellent removing swirls on Vivid Black. I have yet to use the Finishing Wax as I prefer another LSP. On the bike I expect 85RD and a foam finishing pad worked thoroughly would offer the best results. As I said, many report the D301/finishing MF combo don't work so well on soft clears. In my experience finishing with a stouter pad works well and the post on Meguiar's Online where the guy used LC white with D301 really turned out excellent.

I'll send you a PM with the link.

TL